Following up on a story we reported earlier about the iPad mini 2 not having a Retina Display whereas the iPad mini 3 will, it's possible that Apple will ship the iPad mini 2 with a Retina Display in the second half of this year. This means we'll be seeing an iPad mini with a Retina Display sooner than previously thought.
The iPad mini 3 will allegedly ship in Q1 of 2014 and is expected to also feature a faster processor. While the report makes no mention of the iPad mini 2 getting an updated processor, it would be hard to believe Apple wouldn't also give the iPad mini 2 an upgrade in processor from the current 1GHz dual-core A5 processor.
According to a clarified statement by analyst Richard Shim, the iPad mini 3 will ship with a Retina Display (of course) and also an updated processor. There is no mention of what type of processor Apple is planning on using in the iPad mini 3, but it would make sense for Apple to bump the iPad mini up to an A6 processor or better, since it will have enough time to optimize battery life and make the iPad mini 3 very fast.
Apple could also be positioning to keep the first-generation iPad mini around, as it has done with the larger iPad 2. Apple would be able to offer consumers an iPad mini at a lower price and create a family of iPad minis, just as it has done with the iPad line. Even though the iPad mini is a huge succ ess, it makes sense for Apple to keep a lower-end model around for consumers who do not want to spend $329 for a small-sized tablet.
As with all rumors, take this with a grain of salt, but it did not make sense for Apple to wait until 2014 to release an iPad mini 2 with Retina Display. We'll probably see the iPad mini 2 with Retina Display and iPad 5 in October, according to the latest rumors.
