Tim Cook may have promised last year that Apple was going to “double down” on secrecy, but recent iPhones and iPads have all been heavily leaked prior to their official announcements over the past couple of years. And the leaks have only continued for the widely-expected fifth-generation iPad and the second-generation iPad mini. With Apple’s annual October event reportedly scheduled for the 22nd, we’re looking back through all of the rumors to piece together what we can expect Apple to announce on the iPad front later this month.iPad mini with Retina display

The iPad mini made quite a splash when it was announced in 2012. It brought the company’s stupendously successful tablets down to a smaller, easier-to-hold form factor as well as a more affordable price (by Apple’s standards, at least). Despite its success, rumors of an iPad mini with a high-resolution Retina display began even before the original tablet launched, and after Apple’s announcement that it’d ship with a 1024 x 768 resolution screen, expectations only intensified.

A Retina display-equipped iPad mini now seems inevitable. In August, both The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on such a device, and they said that it was likely that it’d use the same 7.9-inch screen size as the current tablet. If Apple decides to stick with its developer-friendly model of quadrupling the screen resolution when jumping up to Retina, the device will likely have a 2048 x 1536 resolution.

However, there has been some debate over when Apple could ship a Retina iPad mini. Reports haven’t pinned down a specific date; the consensus seems to be that the device will be announced at the October 22nd event and ship in time for the all-important holiday season, but there have been hints of supply issues. Reuters reported earlier this month that supply will be very limited this year, while supply chain analysts IHS iSuppli concluded that Apple wouldn’t be able to launch until the first quarter of next year. If a 2014 launch is accurate, it’s unlikely that Apple will announce the tablet this month, as the company typically puts its products on sale soon after they’re revealed. However, even if Apple can get supply in order for this year, the government shutdown could throw a wrench in the company’s plans: much of the Federal Communications Commission’s staff has been furloughed and can’t approve new devices.

Keep reading…

Read also:

iPad Mini 2 – a round up of all the rumours (Telegraph.co.uk)

iPad mini 2 vs. Nexus 7: Key Tips for Buyers (Gotta Be Mobile)

Apple iPad 5 release date, price and specs rumours (PC Advisor)

Explore: 730 additional articles.