Product Listing Suggests Retina iPad Mini Could Launch on November 21

A product listing for the Retina iPad mini with a release date of November 21 has appeared on Target.com, suggesting Apple's new tablet could make its debut on the Thursday before Thanksgiving. Thus far, Apple has not provided a prospective release date for its iPad mini with Retina Display, offering up only broad November launch plans.

retina_ipad_mini_space_gray_silver
While the November 21 launch date listed on the Target website could be a simple guess by the company, it is a logical release day for the tablet because it falls before Thanksgiving and more importantly, before Black Friday, which is a major shopping holiday in the United States.

A late November launch also gives Apple an opportunity to focus its attention on the iPad Air for the majority of the month. It is unclear, however, why Apple would choose to launch the Retina mini on a Thursday, as product releases typically fall on a Friday.

target_retina_ipad_mini_nov21
Apple's Retina iPad mini, which includes an A7 processor, is said to be in very short supply. According to a recent report, stock of the Retina iPad mini will be "ridiculously tight" until early 2014.

Though supplies of the Retina mini will be low, Apple is said to have a large quantity of iPad Airs available for purchase, which will likely alleviate some of the demand for the smaller tablet. Apple's iPad Air will go on sale this Friday, with online orders beginning at 12:01 AM in the United States and at varying times in other countries.

(Thanks, Tony!)

Related Roundup: iPad mini
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

cababah Avatar
140 months ago
There is no official word. There many well educated guesses, all pointing to the same answer: 1mb

Ouch. Definitely getting the Air then. It has 1000x more RAM :)
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gooberwilson Avatar
140 months ago
Thanks Target for that information! :cool:
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
140 months ago
It's been a hard choice but I think that the easiest way to differentiate the iPad Air from the iPad mini has been obvious all along. Focus on your main use.

Mostly using it for consumption stuff like browsing, reading books, light app use? iPad mini is more portable, easier to hold longer and carry around. Using an iPad for work, need to type often or draw on its screen? The larger screen on the iPad Air is better for work, specially if you plan on using it as a laptop replacement.

Content consumption versus production is the key to the choice between the Air versus the mini. It's not a flawless method but it's very useful.

I've replaced my MacBookPro 17" with a top spec iMac 27" and was looking at a MacBookAir for mobile use but have held off because of a hunch that the iPad would get powerful enough by this generation to run desktop class apps. I wasn't wrong: iLife and iWork are now featured matched to the Mac, Logic has its companion app and Aperture is a good candidate for one as well. I think that an iPad Air can fulfill the role of a MacBookAir for most practical purposes.

So iPad Air it is for me. Friday! :)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SmileyBlast! Avatar
140 months ago
if mini doesn't have 1gb of ram, then I'm going back to full sized ipad

I think all the specs for the iPad Mini and the iPad Air are supposed to be identical except for the product size.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
140 months ago
iPad is a consumption device plain and simple. (...)
The Air is great, but not for productivity!

Tell that to all the doctors, farmers, airline pilots, on site engineers, photographers, musicians, store/cafe/restaurant/food truck/name-a-small-business owners who depend on iPads to make their work easier and better performing each and every day.

iPads have grown to replace laptops for many professionals. If there are outdated websites that don't run on webkit, then they either need to catch up or find themselves replaced by competing products.

As a photographer, I will use an iPad in the studio in a client's hands as I shoot so they can see the results instantly and make suggestions. I will use an iPad in the field, making quick edits for use on my client's social media and for backing JPGs to my Dropbox. If Aperture X does for iPad what Logic X did, in the studio, I will use an iPad to quickly control the heads up display sliders and curve graphs via touch to make it so much faster to optimize a photograph.

Consumption device my ass. :rolleyes:

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kycophpd Avatar
140 months ago
I am actually switching from a mini to an air for this release cycle. I love my mini but I have always said an 'in between' would be perfect for me. So I am picking up an iPad Air Friday. If it is still too big for my needs, my wife will hopefully appreciate her Christmas present of a nice slightly used Air! The delay of the release helped push me over the edge into trying this new slimmer model.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)