It's certainly not the most outlandish conspiracy theory found on the web - no Tower 7 references, for one - but CNET's idea that Apple is just fine with the iPad Mini Retina's display manufacturing problems, in favor of iPad Air sales, is rather tenuous, at best.
The theory, expounded by CNET's Brooke Crothers, is that Apple - unintentionally as the situation might have aroused - is just hunkey-dory with the idea of iPad Minis with Retina display being in short supply for the holiday shopping season.
The theory goes like this: Apple can't get enough displays for its iPad Mini with Retina. This is due to manufacturing issues chiefly from Sharp not managing to create its IGZO displays up to Apple's Retina standards, as they are prone to burn-in issues.
So Apple will have a limited supply of the second-generation iPad Mini with Retina Display (something that Apple fanbois have been clamoring for). That supply will be enough to "satisfy a long standing hunger for an iPad mini Retina (consumers and analysts would howl in protest if it didn't), but [Apple] can also continue to nudge consumers who can't get one because of limited supply to the potentially less-popular iPad Air," writes Crothers.
As much of an unintentional strategy as this may seem, it would be insane to think Apple would not be interested in successful iPad Mini Retina sales during the holiday season, for several reasons. First, the display shortages behind the iPad Mini Retina are certainly unintentional and frustrating to Apple: After Sharp's inability to reach Apple's standards for Retina displays, Apple is reportedly turning to Samsung to make up the difference. This is not the action of a complacent designer who doesn't care about sales.
And secondly, while it's true that the first-generation iPad Mini cannibalized sales of certain iPad models, Apple now faces serious challenges from other tablet manufacturers. For example, Samsung just beat Apple for the first time in nine consecutive JD Power awards for highest customer satisfaction ratings for tablets. And Samsung is getting more and more confident about its ability to out-sell Apple on the tablet market, as it continues to compete with Apple globally in the smartphone market as well.
Also, Google has released the Nexus 7 2, or 2nd generation Nexus 7, which is likely to beat Apple's iPad Mini Retina among Android fans, and comes very, very close to Apple's iPad Mini Retina in its chief improvement - display resolution, which is the top improvement Apple is showing on its iPad Mini with Retina Display.
On top of that, what was once seen as an also-ran, Amazon, has produced a new line of tablets called the Kindle Fire HDX, which has produced a tablet whose display has actually out-tested Apple's competitor in all-around display quality.
With all of these competitors available by the shopping season, it's ludicrous to think that Apple would welcome a shortage of its new iPad Mini - which has been redesigned to address the problems Apple fans found in its first incarnation - in the face of all of this small tablet competition.
Apple may want its new iPad Air to succeed, but no rational IT company would re-cannibalize one of its products to make that happen.