Apple Weighs Up Options for Next iPad Mini

[Maura]

iDownload Blog notes today that China Times has been talking about the possibility of Apple launching an iPad mini with a Retina display sometime this year. In fact, the Taiwanese paper reports that Apple has already started testing display panels. Apparently, Foxconn subsidiary Shenzhen Century Science & Technology (SCST) is said to be joining LG Display and AU Optronics, who make the panels for the first-gen iPad mini. In particular, China Times says that Apple is interested in using SCST’s Retina-class panels, which use One Glass Solution (OGS) tech. iDownload Blog says that SCST has already given Apple some of these panels to test, which is a sign that Apple has not yet made the final decision on which manufacturers it wants to use, and is still demoing options. Talking about this new OGS tech, China Times, which is based in Taiwan, says that it is more mature than the current in-cell tech use in the iPhone 5, as well as having other benefits.


[FONT=&quot]Source: [/FONT]Rumor: Apple evaluating Retina screens for the next iPad mini

 

[skimonkey]

Maura...I was waiting for this!!

 

[AQ_OC]

Yeah, baby!

 

[s2mikey]

The retina display should have been on the first iPad mini, IMO. And, the hardware specs need to be beyond what's currently in the iPad 2. I never understood an my iPad 2 was slowly being considered outdated but the new iPad mini with much of the same specs was not.

The new one will sell probably twice as good, lol.

 

[Kaykaykay]

The retina display should have been on the first iPad mini, IMO. And, the hardware specs need to be beyond what's currently in the iPad 2. I never understood an my iPad 2 was slowly being considered outdated but the new iPad mini with much of the same specs was not.

The mini has a mix of old and new guts, but I considered it old tech (as with iPad 2), so didn't want one. I still use my iPad 2, but I wouldn't buy it again if a newer model were available.

I'm still interested in a mini, but only if its guts aren't always a generation or two behind.

 

[AQ_OC]

The retina display should have been on the first iPad mini, IMO. And, the hardware specs need to be beyond what's currently in the iPad 2. I never understood an my iPad 2 was slowly being considered outdated but the new iPad mini with much of the same specs was not.

The new one will sell probably twice as good, lol.

People who haven't been spoiled by the retina display will have no problem with the mini...and as I have mention before, it runs most every iPad app very well, so the experience on the mini is very good. The iPad 2, OTOH, is the exact same size as the iPad 3 and 4, so people will have a hard time NOT getting the more up-to-date model except for the difference in cost. So, buy yesterdays tech for fewer dollars....lots of folks will find this works for them.

I was sitting on the couch typing on this forum with my 10-inch Nexus 10. Too heavy. Same with my iPad 3. The Mini and the Nexus 7 solve those problems. It doesn't matter if they have lesser specs if they fill a need that other tablets don't. I took my mini to the doctors office the other day. Stuck it in my pocket to get it out of the way while getting probed.

Games seem to be the most intensive apps that run on tablets (well, I have one other one that's not a game that I think will be well served by a faster processor, but it is a more special-purpose app). In my testing, the mini does a great job. I've seen the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 shutter on some games where the mini is perfectly smooth. That's partly because the 1024x768 screen requires less muscle than the higher res screens, yet I don't see a big visual difference in any of these games. Apparently, games for tablets don't get the same types of graphical assets that PC games get, likely due to the fact that, in comparison, tablets have far less storage space (and the cpu/gpu are probably weaker too).

People go on about tech innards, but until I see something I can't do on this mini, I think the conversation is mostly meaningless.

 

[Kaykaykay]

People go on about tech innards, but until I see something I can't do on this mini, I think the conversation is mostly meaningless.

My iPad 2 still runs what I need now, but I wouldn't buy any iPad with old innards because I expect that its limitations will show sooner than later vs. a newer model. When buying new, I look at value, which includes useful longevity.

For my uses, iPad 2 started crashing more frequently starting with iOS 5, which indicated to me that Apple was already starting to push its innards. That was even more so with iPad 1 and its even more limited innards, so I replaced it with iPad 4 and ended up giving away iPad 1.

I expect that my iPad 2 will soon either go into semi-retirement (used mostly for photos and movies), or be given away as well. It's just a question of whether I replace it with iPad 5, or maybe a mini, if Apple ends up making one with update-to-date innards.

 

[AQ_OC]

My iPad 2 still runs what I need now, but I wouldn't buy any iPad with old innards because I expect that its limitations will show sooner than later vs. a newer model. When buying new, I look at value, which includes useful longevity.

For my uses, iPad 2 started crashing more frequently starting with iOS 5, which indicated to me that Apple was already starting to push its innards. That was even more so with iPad 1 and its even more limited innards, so I replaced it with iPad 4 and ended up giving away iPad 1.

I expect that my iPad 2 will soon either go into semi-retirement (used mostly for photos and movies), or be given away as well. It's just a question of whether I replace it with iPad 5, or maybe a mini, if Apple ends up making one with update-to-date innards.

Curious that the mini comes with iOS 6 and doesn't crash at all and I run lots of apps on mine. But the value of the mini is mainly in its portability...

 

[Kaykaykay]

Curious that the mini comes with iOS 6 and doesn't crash at all and I run lots of apps on mine. But the value of the mini is mainly in its portability...

My iPad 2 crashes most often on graphic-intensive news sites that I browse via Safari, but it also crashes on other apps. That was noted in various threads by many users when iOS 5 debuted. It eased because Apple must've saw a spike in complaints and quickly updated with later versions of iOS 5, which led to fewer crashes. The crashes are noticeable to me, because I've used iPad 1 since day one of the 3G model and my browsing and app use remain consistent. I also have been able to compare across generations with iPad 1, 2 and 4, on frequency of crashes and cases, both with actual use and by checking diagnostics logs for crashes and their causes.

 

[Maura]

I know! We might not have long to wait if the latest story is anything to go by!

Maura...I was waiting for this!!

 

[Gabriel1]

I know! We might not have long to wait if the latest story is anything to go by!

I'll meet you at the Apple Store......are the coffees on you?

The Archangel

 

[skimonkey]

I know! We might not have long to wait if the latest story is anything to go by!

I'll meet you at the Apple Store......are the coffees on you?

The Archangel

Make that coffee for me, too!

 

[Gabriel1]

Make that coffee for me, too!

That'll be quite some expensive mini with those flights thrown in.....in that case I might run to a meal!

The Archangel

 

[AdmiralAdama]

Definitely an update I'm interested in. I'm enjoying my iPad 2 but weight has become an issue for me, physically, so let the mini Retinas roll!

AA

Sent from my iPhone using iPF

 

[skimonkey]

I'd like to see the new mini come out...I have been on the fence so long and now figure to wait for the new one.