New iPad Mini 2 Release Date Rumors Claim Apple Shortages Due To Retina Display

The new iPad Mini 2 rumors claim shortages will challenge Apple during the iPad Mini 2 release date.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, a Google Nexus 5 vs iPhone 5S vs Samsung Galaxy S4 grudge match has a result you may find surprising as an Apple fan.

Apple’s suppliers apparently can’t keep up with demand for the new iPad Mini 2. The original iPad Mini sold nine million units at launch but production estimates for the new iPad Mini 2 release date are falling between three and four million units.

The new iPad Mini 2 retina display is ironically being designed and manufactured by arch-competitor Samsung. And it turns out the retina display may be the reason for the iPad Mini 2 shortages according to Rhoda Alexander, director of tablet research at IHS:

“Apple is being rather vague about the exact availability date of the new iPad mini with Retina Display, simply stating the product would ship later in November. The company has good reason to be coy about the exact release date, given that supply of the new mini is going to be ridiculously tight in the fourth quarter. The heart of the problem is supply constraints on the new Retina panel.”

As a comparison, the Google Nexus 7, which was released earlier this year, boasts a Retina-type setup with a 323 ppi 7-inch display. But the 2,048 x 1,536 resolution display is actually not that big a deal for practical purposes.

For example, the 1080 HD resolution featured in the Nexus 5 and Galaxy S4 is overkill for a screen that relatively “small.” When you look at your new iPad Mini 2 the “apparent” visual clarity is largely determined by the size of the screen, the screen resolution, and the distance between the display and your eyes. Even 20/20 vision cannot resolve sharpness above 229 pixels per inch according to scientists, so a seven inch screen with a 1080 by 1920 resolution has a 323 ppi which is way beyond what is necessary for a tablet. That means a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution display really is only necessary for full size tablets like the iPad Air and notebooks and laptops that will benefit from a retina display.

iPad Mini 2 Release Date

The new iPad Mini 2 release date is also up in the air according to rumors. But so far November 22 seems the most likely date for multiple reasons. Apple plans on shutting down for Thanksgiving and they tend to be operating at a lower level throughout December due to the holidays. Black Friday is also started earlier for some retailers, so if they don’t launch the new iPad Mini 2 before Thanksgiving then Apple will lose many sales. But it’s also possible November 21 is the iPad Mini 2 release date due to a leaked product listing at Target.com.

iPad Mini 2 Features

So what features will come with the new iPad Mini 2? Obviously, like the iPad 5 there will be iOS 7 and the new 64-bit CPU is extremely likely considering how Apple is pushing developers to begin making 64-bit apps even though none of their products have more than 4 GB of system memory (not recognizing more than 4 GB is a limitation of 32-bit CPUs).

Another Apple rumor claimed a new iPad Mini 2 fingerprint scanner, which also included the iPad 5, but now that rumor is claimed to be unlikely.