iOS Devices

Report: Upgraded spec, lighter iPad Mini expected later this year, ‘almost bezel-free’ Retina version next year

Seth Weintraub | Jul 15 2013 - 2:32 am PT

If today’s Digitimes report is to be believed, Apple has a spec-updated iPad Mini due later this year, in time for the holidays. Details are, of course, scant but a slightly updated version of the current iPad mini which is expected to be ‘lighter, thinner and equipped with improved specifications’ is said to be targeted for a 2nd half of 2013 release.

I’m not sure how much sense it makes to change the size of the iPad Mini at this point but some improved CPU/GPU would be appreciated – almost as much as a $30 price drop, which might make more strategic sense.

According to the report, the 2048×1536 pixel Retina version of the iPad Mini won’t come until early 2014 with production ramping up at the end of 2013. That’s a change from last months Digitimes’ report which expected the Retina iPad for the holidays.

Perhaps most interesting here is that Apple is said to be working on a bezel-less design for the Retina Mini which could either make the device smaller or the screen bigger in the same form factor. Apple would also have to increase the battery size and GPU considerably as it did when the iPad 3 went Retina.

Apple is reportedly aiming to use Retina panel technology equipped with 2,048 by 1,536 resolution in the next generation 7.9-inch iPad mini. Apple is also said to be revising the design of the chassis to give the next-generation iPad mini an almost bezel-free look.

Additionally, the sources said that Apple’s upcoming fifth-generation iPad is expected to use thin-film touch screen technology, which will be able to reduce the weight of the device by 20-30%. The device will also feature a slimmer bezel design to allow a bigger viewing area.

Oh and that Septmber iPad 5 that Digitimes reported last week?

The fifth-generation iPad 5 is expected to start production in small amounts during July 2013 followed by volume shipments of 2-3 million units in August and September. As of October, shipments of the device are expected to increase another 25-30%, the sources believe. Digitimes previously claimed that the new iPad 5 could weigh in at under one pound (for comparison, the iPad mini weighs 0.68 pounds)

Back in January, we posted photos of shells for the next full-sized iPad, above, making claims of a slimmer, iPad-mini like bezel unsurprising.