iPad Mini 2 with Retina, iPad 5 to Start Production Shortly, Apple Guns for a Sept-Oct Release Date – Report
Apple is aiming to rollout the new iPad Mini 2 and the iPad 5 between September and October this year, a new report said, adding that Asian contractors of the tech giant will commence production activities for the two tablets anytime soon.
Major players for the fresh iPad push are South Korea's LG Display and Japan's Sharp, according to a report filed by Taiwan-based DigiTimes Friday last week.
A long-shot inclusion is AU Optronics, the same report said, hinting too that the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer is awaiting approval from Apple to get into the 2013 iPad supply chain.
AU Optronics has previously played a role in building up iOS devices and is seeking to reprise the same role, this time providing the Retina display component panel for the two Apple slates.
The manufacturing firm, however, was reportedly struggling to meet the iPad production requirements, specifically in scaling down the iPad 4's Retina features that would allow the same optimal deployment on the Mini 2.
While AU Optronics remain under consideration, it is likely that the company will be bumped out as Apple is gearing to rely on both LG and Sharp, DigiTimes said on its report.
Regardless of which firms would play a big role in finally delivering Retina to the rumoured iPad Mini 2, boosting its screen resolution twice as much from the original iPad Mini, Apple allegedly intends to begin global distribution of the new toy by late September.
The target release date, analysts said, is the earliest for the Mini 2 as Apple seems ready for a slight pushback or until early October.
The schedule is in line with the earlier statements of Apple CEO Tim Cook, who indicated that consumers can expect huge surprises from the tech giant by the late part of Q3 2013.
Believed packaged with 'the Apple surprises' are the Mini 2 with Retina plus the likelihood of a faster a processor, which analysts said is a toss between an A6X chip and an A7 CPU.
The iPad 5, on the other side, is expected to sport a fully-revamped profile, likely taking a page from the thin and compact body that made the first-gen iPad Mini an instant global hit, reports said.