New rumors circulating are suggesting that the next iPad mini’s production costs will increase by about 30% because of the new rumored pixel density of the display. The new resolution, according to rumormongers, could increase costs by more than $12/unit, and would have a ‘Retina’ resolution of 2,048×1536. Comparatively, the first generation iPad mini’s resolution is 1,024×768.
Many consumers were upset by the iPad mini’s lack of Retina display. The decision to increase the display resolution will let Apple’s smaller tablet compete with Android-based products, as well as Apple’s own full-sized iPad.
In order to increase the Retina display, the next iPad mini will need more components to increase the DPI and brightness of the backlight and improve the GPU performance, raising the cost by more than 30%. Market observers say that the 7-inch section of Apple’s lineup will account for 45-60% of total tablet shipments in 2013.
The release date for Apple’s 2013 iPad mini generation is still unknown, but rumors are suggesting either early spring or late fall.
Image Credit: AppleScene
