The iPad mini is kind of like the bigfoot of the Apple world. People love to talk about this mystical device, but no one ever has anything more than sketchy anonymous sources and guesses – the distant, blurry photographs of tech journalism. It’s gotten to the point where it’s almost not worth reporting on these rumors unless there’s a major leak or they come from a reputable news source. In fact, it is only for that reason that I’m talking about it now.

Bloomberg published a report claiming that Apple has plans to release a smaller, cheaper tablet some time this year, citing “two people with knowledge of the plans.” Most of the information is nothing new – 7 to 8 inch screen, cheaper price tag, October announcement… you know, the usual.

According to Stern Agee analyst Shaw Wu, “[an iPad mini] would be the competitors worst nightmare. The ball is in Apple’s court.”

One thing about the report that really stuck out was the fact that Bloomberg is claiming this smaller iPad will not have a Retina display. Woah woah woah… I don’t think so. Apple is all about insanely beautiful and crisp displays. The company has totally decked out their iOS line with Retina graphics and has even fitted the newest MacBook Pro with a Retina screen. Releasing a new device that falls short of the display standard Apple has set for itself would be a major step backwards.

In fact, the only reason I can think of that Apple would want to release any iOS gadget without a Retina display would be to keep the price down. But, here’s the thing: Apple doesn’t do that. Apple is a luxury electronics manufacturer. Just look at their solution to the netbook, the MacBook Air, which is priced  higher than many full-sized PCs. There’s no way Tim Cook would want to put out a subpar product to compete against the 7-inch tablets out there, especially with the market dominance of the 9.7-inch iPad.

I’ve always thought that the iPad mini rumors were unlikely, but to suggest that such a device wouldn’t have a Retina display in this stage of the game is ridiculous.

Do you guys agree, or are you expecting an iPad mini with a standard display on store shelves before the year is over? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter @TiP_Jake.

Via: Bloomberg