AppleInsider Staff
According to NPD DisplaySearch, Google may beat Apple to the high-resolution 7-inch form factor tablet market with a revamped Nexus 7 in the second quarter of 2013, while the Cupertino company is expected to launch a Retina display-toting next-generation iPad mini in either the third or fourth quarter.
The research firm told CNET on Friday that supply chain checks point to a possible third quarter production for the so-called "iPad mini 2's" Retina display, suggesting the device won't be available for some time.
"When would the Mini be available? Could be third quarter or fourth quarter," DisplaySearch analyst Paul Semenza speculated, citing the company's supply chain data.
The estimate is in line with a previous report from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said in January that he expects a Retina version of Apple's small format iPad to be introduced in the middle of the third quarter.
As for specs, Semenza believes the mini's display should boast a resolution of 2,048-by-1,536 pixels, which he said is "the typical step up when you go to Retina," an estimate heard before from the rumor mill. If Apple stays with a 7.9-inch screen, the pixel density would reach 324 pixels per inch, almost identical to the 326ppi panel used in the iPhone 5. By comparison, the current iPad mini employs a 1,024-by-768 display with a pixel density of 163ppi.
Google is thought to be readying a follow up device for the Nexus 7, Semenza said, citing checks with Asian parts suppliers. The updated tablet will supposedly up screen resolution to 1,920-by-1,200 pixels, which is in line with Apple's Retina-level panels at a pixel density of 323ppi.
If the analyst is correct, Google will be looking at a second quarter release for the upgraded Nexus 7, while the next-generation iPad mini could be unveiled in the second half of the year. The timeline is roughly the same as 2012, when Google launched its small form factor table a little over two months ahead of Apple's mini.
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…the mini's display should boast a resolution of 2,048-by-1,536 pixels, which he said is "the typical step up when you go to Retina,"
It's easy to predict something that doesn't require predicting.
The current 8" Mini has 36% more screen area and a full 42% longer battery life than the 7" Nexus. It also has an actual metal shell. And yet the plastic Nexus 7 is 30% larger by volume (46% thicker!) and 10% heavier. Now add higher res screens to both--screens that need more power, especially for the higher-end GPUs you need to drive all those extra pixels. I wonder which of the two can best afford that GPU power, without ruining battery life and/or making an even bulkier device? It wouldn't surprise me if neither Apple NOR Google can crack that engineering problem this year... but Google will probably release something anyway--even if it has to be slow and/or even bulkier than the current Nexus. (Remember how the iPad 3 got heavier with retina.) One challenge Apple faces that Google does not: Apple has to achieve massive yields, because people want iPads. If the better screen can only be made in small quantities, then it won't boost sales, it will shrink sales! (They can keep a current-res Mini around as well, but history shows that demand will be for the newer models.) Google doesn't have that problem: they may not be able to get Apple-size quantities of high-res screens made, but that's OK: they don't have Apple-size demand to fill. That could help Google move sooner than Apple.
[quote name="nagromme" url="/t/156503/apples-retina-ipad-mini-to-follow-debut-of-high-res-googles-nexus-7-report-says#post_2294680"]The current 8" Mini has 36% more screen area and a full 42% longer battery life than the 7" Nexus. It also has an actual metal shell. And yet the plastic Nexus 7 is 30% larger by volume (46% thicker!) and 10% heavier. Now add higher res screens to both--screens that need more power, especially for the higher-end GPUs you need to drive all those extra pixels. I wonder which of the two can best afford that GPU power, without ruining battery life and/or making an even bulkier device? It wouldn't surprise me if neither Apple NOR Google can crack that engineering problem this year... but Google will probably release something anyway--even if it has to be slow and/or even bulkier than the current Nexus. (Remember how the iPad 3 got heavier with retina.) One challenge Apple faces that Google does not: Apple has to achieve massive yields, because people want iPads. If the better screen can only be made in small quantities, then it won't boost sales, it will shrink sales! (They can keep a current-res Mini around as well, but history shows that demand will be for the newer models.) Google doesn't have that problem: they may not be able to get Apple-size quantities of high-res screens made, but that's OK: they don't have Apple-size demand to fill. That could help Google move sooner than Apple.[/quote] It's already at 32nm but a newer Apple A-chip with the Rogue 6 GPU from Imagination Tech, and other power and weight cost savings in the display, touchscreen, and backlight might make it more of natural transfer than we saw with the iPad 2 to iPad 3 transition.
How many nexi (nexuses?) have sold/shipped so far?
[quote name="jungmark" url="/t/156503/apples-retina-ipad-mini-to-follow-debut-of-high-res-googles-nexus-7-report-says#post_2294689"]How many nexi (nexuses?) have sold/shipped so far?[/quote] Dictionary lists only [I]nexus[/I] and [I]nexuses[/I] as the plural form. I prefer the same name for the plural.