X

iPad 5 set to outpace iPad Mini 2 shipments, KGI says

Expect to see plenty of iPad 5s in the fourth quarter but not many second-generation iPad Minis, an analyst predicts.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
Brooke Crothers
iPad Mini.  The iPad 5 may see much greater than the second-generation Mini this year.
iPad Mini. The iPad 5 may see much greater pickup than the second-generation Mini this year. Apple

Shipments of the iPad 5 will dwarf the iPad Mini 2 in the fourth quarter of this year, according to a report from a widely cited analyst.

The iPad 5 is estimated to see shipments of more than 10 million units in the fourth quarter compared with about 2 million for the iPad Mini 2, according to a research note from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple blogs such as MacRumors and 9to5Mac reported on Kuo's note this morning.

He describes the Mini 2 as the "so-called Retina iPad Mini."

As CNET reported last week, the availability of the iPad Mini Retina is expected to be limited in the fourth quarter. Reuters had a similar report today.

Both the iPad 5 and new Mini could get a camera upgrade too, according to Kuo.

We predict Apple (US) will launch new iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 (so-called Retina iPad Mini) in 4Q13. As the tablet market becomes increasingly competitive, Apple could upgrade the camera as a selling point for the new iPad in a bid to increase competitiveness. We expect the upgrade will include 8MP rear camera, up from 5MP, and larger aperture. Lens module ASP will rise 10-20 percent on this optics spec upgrade.

The 7.9-inch Retina Mini is expected to have a 2,048x1,536 resolution display like its larger cousin, the 9.7-inch iPad. Packing that many pixels into a smaller screen will boost pixel density to about 324 pixels per inch, significantly higher than iPad 4's 264 pixels per inch.

The iPad 5 could outship the Mini 2 by more than four to one in the fourth quarter.
The iPad 5 could outship the Mini 2 by more than four to one in the fourth quarter. KGI Research via 9to5Mac