Apple iPad Mini 2 Rumors Suggest 7.9-Inch Retina Display, Fall Release

Apple iPad mini 2 rumors are floating around, again. According to CNET, Apple is reportedly working on a new iPad mini with a 7.9-inch Retina display, and according to Santa Clara, Calif.-based NPD DisplaySearch, Apple will begin production on its iPad mini "2" in the next two months with its release date to follow shortly thereafter, most likely in September or October.

"We should see the start of mass production of the panels in June or July," NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET.

Confirming previous rumors, Shim said the iPad mini 2 will release with the same 7.9-inch frame as its predecessor, but with double the display density and four times the resolution; compared to the 1024 x 768 pixels at 163 ppi of the original iPad mini, the iPad mini 2 is said to measure 2048 x 1536 pixels at 324 pixels per inch (ppi).

"We're going to start to see a bunch of tablets [coming out] with a pixel density over 300," Shim told CNET, adding that Amazon and Google are working on 300-plus ppi displays for their new Kindle Fire and Nexus tablets, respectively.

"At a certain point it will be hard to discern that improved image quality," he said.

LG Display will reportedly lead the way in terms of manufacturing the iPad mini 2 prior to its release date, with other manufacturers like Taiwan's AU Optronics pitching in, according to International Business Times. Meanwhile, Samsung, which had helped manufacture previous iPhones and iPads, is reportedly not involved with any current or future generation iPad mini tablets which isn't surprising when one considers the intensifying rivalry between the two computer giants.

In all likelihood, Apple will release the iPad mini 2 at the original price points of the iPad mini, but lower the price of the first iPad mini to appeal to more consumers, according to IBT.