New iPad mini with Retina coming but supply likely low, report says

The good news: Apple is likely to announce an iPad mini with Retina display soon. The bad news: There won’t be many available.

A Reuters report Wednesday said the device is in the works but that Apple is struggling with supply constraints, which could limit the iPad mini’s availability or even delay its release until early next year.

According to the report’s unnamed sources in Apple’s supply chain, Retina screens for the iPad mini are “only now” going into production. The report says it is unclear why the start of production was delayed but that it may be because Apple’s supply partners had a tough time meeting the company’s strict specifications for the Retina display, including stringent “power-saving requirements.”

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With Retina display now a standard on the iPhone and the larger-sized iPad, users are expecting the iPad mini to come with the technology too.

Apple, which has not spoken on the matter, has not yet announced a media event for the iPad mini or any other product, but one report says the company is pinpointing Oct. 15 as the day it will unveil its new devices. New iPads are expected among those gadgets.

Last year, the company unveiled its latest line of iPads, including the first iPad mini, in late October before beginning to sell the tablets in November.

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