Apple may introduce the new iPad mini with resolution of 2,048 by 1536, and that would increase the device's production cost by more than US$12/unit. If the prices and specifications of all other components stay the same, the new iPad mini with a Retina display will carry component costs above US$200/unit.
Despite the fact that no one knows when Apple will introduce new tablet products, most believe the new generation of iPad mini will upgrade the resolution from the series' present 1,024 by 768 to the fourth generation iPad's 2,048x1,536.
According to iSuppli, the price of the 7.9-inch panel is around US$32/unit and the total material cost of entry-level iPad mini is around US$188/unit. If iPad mini adopts the Retina display, the dots per inch (DPI) will be higher and the brightness of the backlight modules will have to improve. This also means the number of LEDs used will increase, and therefore market observers believe the total cost for iPad mini will increase by more than 30% if it is equipped with the 7.9-inch Retina panel.
Apple's share in the tablet market began to decrease in the third quarter of 2012 and by the fourth quarter, the market share slipped to around 44% from 70% in the beginning of the year.
Market observers believe the global demand for tablets in 2013 is close to 180-240 million units and the 7-inch segment will account for 45-60% of total shipments. Eyeing this market segment, firms such as Acer and Asustek have introduced new models with retail prices around US$149-159/unit. In addition, the Nexus 7 by Google and Asustek is reportedly to be reintroduced with Full HD panels while the price stays the same at US$199/unit in the second quarter of 2013.
Furthermore, Samsung and Acer both plan to introduce 8-inch tablets in the second quarter to compete with the iPad mini. Acer's 8-inch tablet will be priced around NT$6,000/unit (US$202/unit).
