iPad 4 and Mini Release Date in China Arrives As Screen Production Winds Down

Apple's China store may have launched its Wi-Fi only iPad Mini and fourth-gen iPad in late 2012, but in response to overwhelming demand, the Cupertino-based company has held off releasing the cellular versions of both devices until today. While consumers can finally purchase the coveted tablets, they should expect a two-week ship time across the board, reports CNET.

As Samsung struggles to tear market share away from Apple, it appears that the iPad line of devices faces competition within its own ranks. Insiders close to Sharp's iPad screen production plant in Japan recently told Reuters that the manufacturing of the iPad 4's display had nearly come to a stop.

"The sources didn't say exactly why production had nearly halted. Among the possibilities are a seasonal drop in demand, a switch to another supplier, a shift in the balance of sales to the mini iPad, or an update in the design of the product," writes Reuters. Only time will tell which of these conclusions proves true.

The iPad mini features a Dual-Core A5 Processor, Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology, a 7.9-inch diagonal LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, a 1024 x 768, fingerprint-resistant coating, a front-facing 1.2 Facetime HD camera, and a 5-megapixel iSight Camera. The LTE device is available starting at $459 for the 16GB, $550 for the 32GB, and $659 for the 64GB version.

The iPad 4 ships with a 9.7-inch Retina display with 2048x1537 resolution and fingerprint-resistant coating, a dual-core A6X processor, a Lightning connect, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera with FaceTime HD, and a 1.2-megapixel rear camera. The tablet's battery lasts for 9 hours of internet use and cellular use, or 10 hours of Wi-Fi and music apps. The iPad comes in black and white and further diverges into Wi-Fi only devices and Wi-Fi+Cellular tablets. Available at 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB, the iPad can be nabbed for as low as $499 or as high as $829, depending on which version you purchase.