Gruber quotes from a Wall Street Journal story:

Apple routinely tests various designs and has been known to make changes late in the design process, so it isn’t clear whether the proposed new product will make its way to market. However, an iPad Mini with a retina display appears more likely, particularly after Google Inc. released its latest Nexus 7 tablet last week with a high-resolution screen.

And then points out in commentary on the WSJ’s review of the new Nexus 7 and it’s sub-par battery life and the aforementioned rumor of a Retina iPad mini:

We demand magic — a retina iPad Mini with no decrease in battery life, but no increase in thickness, weight, or price. And they need to produce at least 20 million of them by Christmas.

Right. And if Apple chooses price, size, weight, and battery over screen resolution (an increase of which would undoubtedly cause one of those other attributes to suffer), the punditry will rise up and eviscerate Apple and its failure to “innovate.”

My gut says this fall is too soon to expect a Retina iPad mini.