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iPad Mini Retina rumor arrives early

Days after the iPad Mini lands at stores and doorsteps, here's a report out of China about a future Retina version of the 7.9-inch tablet.

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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A Retina version of the iPad Mini next?
A Retina version of the iPad Mini next? Apple

Just days after the iPad Mini landed at stores and doorsteps, we have a tantalizing rumor from the Asia supply chain about a future Retina version of the 7.9-inch tablet.

Chinese-language DoNews said in a story dated November 7 that iPad Mini display maker AUO is working on a 2,048x1,536 pixel resolution display for the next iPad Mini.

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That would be the same resolution of the 9.7-inch Retina display on the third- and fourth-generation iPads. And would translate to a 300-plus pixel density (versus the iPad 4's 264 pixels per inch) because you're packing the same number of pixels into a 7.9-inch display.

Just a wild rumor? Well, you don't really need a chatty source in the supply chain to speculate about a future Retina version of the iPad Mini.

After all, the non-Retina iPad Mini is sandwiched between two marquee Apple Retina products -- the 4-inch iPhone 5 and 9.7-inch iPad. (Not to mention two MacBook Pro Retina models.) So, it wouldn't be ludicrous for Apple to begin making plans for a Retina Mini.

And one of the most consistent criticisms of the iPad Mini is its grainy 163 pixels-per-inch display. So, Apple would be remiss if it didn't address this shortcoming at some point.

But don't get too excited. The report claims the Retina-class display aimed at the Mini wouldn't appear until next year, probably the latter half.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

[Via SlashGear ]