Retina iPad mini has made its first appearance in the underbelly of the Internet where mockups and fake pictures mix freely with truth and actual product specifications. CNET
reports that a Chinese website has posted what it claims is a picture of Retina iPad mini.
In case you've been living a rock, it's worth reiterating that Apple introduced the iPad mini alongside the fourth generation iPad at a special event in San Jose, California on October 23rd last year. The iPad mini features a 7.9-inch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance and 10 hours of battery life.
With the 'bigger' iPad featuring a Retina display of 2048x1536 resolution, many found iPad mini's 1024x768 display rather underwhelming. Speculation about Apple releasing a Retina iPad mini has been rampant almost since the day the iPad mini was announced. Most analysts and technical experts full expect Apple to release the Retina iPad mini, and now it has made its first alleged appearance.
The picture on the Chinese forum
features an iPad mini-like device pictured from the bottom. The speaker grill can be seen, as can be the Apple branding on the back, which is, strangely, in a shade of blue. The pictured device is visibly thicker than the current iPad mini, which adds credence to the fact this could be a Retina version, since the Retina iPad was famously thicker than the iPad 2. On the other hand, that blue colour sticks out like a sore thumb, since no Apple devices feature that particular shade.
We're sure we'll see a lot more leaks between now and the actual launch. Keep your seat belts on. This could be a bumpy ride.