The last couple of days have been rife with iPad mini 2 release date rumors, and now we're starting to hear that Apple will begin production on the new tablet — with a Retina display — very soon.
In fact, the same person who yesterday said that the iPad mini 2 will sport the much-desired Retina display is now saying that the panels will go into production in June or July.
"We should see the start of mass production of the panels in June or July," said Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, to CNET. He stressed that LG will be the one supplying the screens for Apple, and that Cupertino will not be inviting Samsung to the party.
"Samsung is currently not in the iPad Mini and they won't be in the next generation. LGD is becoming a much bigger supplier than before," he said.
The iPad mini 2 will reportedly stick with the same size as the original (7.9 inches), and the Retina display will feature a resolution of 2048 x 1538. That'll amount to a pixel density that's extremely high, but has Shim asking if it's even necessary.
"We're going to start to see a bunch of tablets [coming out] with a pixel density over 300. At a certain point it will be hard to discern that improved image quality," he said.
Either way, it looks like the Retina will be arriving on the iPad mini 2 whenever Apple sets the release date in stone.
So when will the tablet actually come out? According to TechCrunch speculation, production in June could mean a ship date as early as July. That would be great for those excited about the device; however, that's probably not going to be the case, as Tim Cook has mentioned the fall as the time to look for new Apple announcements.
Still, if Shim is right in saying an iPad mini 3 will ship in the first quarter of 2014, then it may not make sense for Apple to release the iPad mini 2 during the holidays and then refresh the line-up so soon after launch.
Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference in June is probably a good time to expect more info from the company, so we'll be sure to let you know more as we hear it.
