Apple is preparing its suppliers for the distribution of a new retina display iPad mini to be released by the end of the year, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Source close to the matter said the Cupertino, Calif. company will likely feature a high-resolution screen from its biggest competitor, Samsung. The move is an indication of Apple's difficult effort to separate itself from Samsung.
The report also said the second-generation iPad mini would be released before the end of the year, similarly to the November, 2012 release of its predecessor. The iPad mini 2 is expected to be the same size as the 7.9-inch first-generation model.
The sources also said Apple is considering offering the new iPad mini in multiple new back cover colors.
Apple uses screens from LG Display and Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp. for the current iPad mini, but the sources said there would be a switch to numerous different companies. Makers have been told the new tablet will feature screens from Samsung Display, Sharp Corp. and a return for LG Display.
Samsung was reportedly a late addition in order to ensure an appropriate supply of screens.
Apple is known to test numerous different features on its products, even this close to shipment. However, the tech giant may be feeling pressured to deliver on the next iPad mini given the release of Google's Nexus 7, a tablet with similar size and better resolution.
Samsung has risen to become the world's top smartphone maker with several devices compared to Apple's one smartphone. The two companies have a bit of an odd relationship that goes back more than a decade.
Samsung has made chips for slimmer iPods in the past and has even helped make processors for the iPhone. In 2011, Apple sued Samsung for copying its designs and the two companies are still fighting in court about products in key markets.
The iPhone maker may be without many options for high-resolution screens, Wanli Wang, an analyst with CIMB Group in Taipei, told the Journal. "There are not many display choices for Apple."
