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LG reportedly says 'no 2014 delay' on iPad Mini Retina

LG Display now seems to be saying that a 2013 iPad Mini Retina is a possibility. That contradicts what analysts have been saying.

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.
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Brooke Crothers
Now LG Display is saying the iPad Mini Retina is on track for this year, according to an Asia-sourced report.
Now LG Display is saying the iPad Mini Retina is on track for this year, according to an Asia-sourced report. Apple

LG Display (LGD) is making progress on iPad Mini Retina panels and does not expect a delay until 2014 for the rumored Apple tablet, according to an Asia-based report.

The South Korean display maker is "making new headway" in producing Retina panels for use in the next-gen iPad mini, according to Digitimes, citing industry sources.

This will allow LGD to hit Apple's "expected October release date," the report said.

If this newest rumor sounds contradictory and confusing, it is. Analysts and their supply chain sources have been saying for a while now that the Retina Mini will be delayed, possibly until 2014.

In fact, Digitimes reported last week that Apple hadn't even decided whether to go Retina for the Mini because of display supply issues.

Citi Research and NPD DisplaySearch have both said that they are anticipating a 2014 Mini Retina release. Both also expect an updated non-Retina version of the Mini to appear this year.

But it's important to remember that the status of suppliers can vary dramatically quarter to quarter or even month to month. So, what seemed impossible one month may not be so impossible the next.

The Digitimes report added that a thinner, lighter 9.7-inch iPad with a Retina display is coming and LGD should ship between one to two million panels a month in the third calendar quarter for that model.