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iPad mini 2 won't launch until 2014, report says

The next version of Apple's mini tablet won't go on sale until next year, in both retina display and non-retina version, a report claims.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
Joe Svetlik
2 min read

If you're holding out for the follow-up to the iPad mini, you might be in for something of a wait. The tiny tablet won't go on sale until next year, according to a report. And it'll come in two versions: one with a retina display, and one without.

Word was the iPad mini 2 would be with us around the autumn time -- around the same time as the next iPhone, in fact, and a year after the launch of the original, as is Apple's annual habit. But Chinese newspaper Economic Daily News (UDN) reports there are issues in the supply chain that mean the tablet has been delayed until next year.

Not far into next year though. The device should launch in the first quarter of 2014, according to UDN.

If true -- and as supply chains are highly complicated, it should certainly be taken with a pinch of salt -- it seems Apple would rather miss the highly lucrative Christmas season than risk having a shortage of tablets, and leave some customers wanting.

The newspaper also makes mention of a "general" and "retina" version of the iPad mini 2, hinting we might see two versions of the diddy device. The lack of a retina display was a bummer on the original tablet, as the screen just didn't quite match up to that of its bigger brother.

A new non-retina version would probably be cheaper, however, helping Apple compete with more affordable Android tablets such as the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7.

The 16GB iPad mini is a good £30 more expensive than the 32GB Nexus 7. Compare 32GB models of each, and the iPad mini is a whopping £110 pricier, which is certainly not to be sniffed at.

Apple is also rumoured to be readying a budget iPhone, possibly called the iPhone Light. This would go toe to toe with the likes of the highly wallet-friendly Nexus 4.

Do you think the iPad mini 2 will come out this year? What would you like to see from the device? Let me know in the comments, or on our retina-resolution Facebook page.