iPad Mini 2 Release Date Set for Second Half of 2013

By Vincent Funaro, Christian Post Reporter Monday, March 18, 2013

The iPad Mini 2 release date will be sometime during the second half of 2013.

DisplaySearch analyst Paul Semenza recently spoke to CNET regarding the tablet.

"We're seeing potential in the third quarter of panel production for a higher resolution iPad Mini," said Semenza to CNET. "When would the Mini be available? Could be third or fourth quarter."

He also stated that the resolution on the iPad Mini successor will be 2048 x 1536 pixels. This would give it the same number of pixels as the fourth-generation full sized iPad, but at a higher density of 324 ppi. The task of using a display that powerful in a mini iPad would be tough for Apple as the company might have to make the chassis thicker in order to incorporate it.

Semenza said that LG could be the strongest candidate to produce the display. Apple could also end up using AU Optronics, Sharp, and Japan Display, who produces screens for the iPhone 5.

The fifth-generation iPad is rumored for an April release.

iMore's Rene Ritchie recently predicted in a report that Apple will launch the new model of the tablet sometime next month. He also confirmed some of the recent rumors which state that Apple will redesign the device's casing for the new model.

Ritchie also touched on the next-generation iPad Mini, stating that he was unsure if Apple was going to make it have a Retina display. He doesn't believe Apple will release a new iPad Mini that doesn't have as good battery life as the current model. If it is released in April with the fifth-generation iPad, it might come with a slight specifications bump, or some other kind of upgrade aside from a Retina screen.