The current sixth-generation iPad mini was a hit for Apple: users and testers praised the new compact tablet, which the company launched in September 2021 after a (very) long wait and had been thoroughly revised. Since then, however, nothing has happened – and in the worst case it will remain so until next year. That’s what the usually well-informed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo assumes. In Tweets from this week writes Kuo, who works for TF International Securities in Taiwan, that Apple is likely to overhaul the iPad mini in the first quarter of 2024, i.e. then start mass production.
(About) two years without revision
That would mean Apple wouldn’t touch the iPad mini for over two years – sadly returning to a pattern that had been maintained for a long time. In the meantime, observers thought that the series had been completely buried. Then in autumn 2021 a model with a new form factor (8.3 inches), full-surface display, Touch ID sleep/wake button, USB-C and 5G support came onto the market. The small tablet also supports the current Apple Pencil 2.
Currently you have to ask yourself whether the purchase is still worthwhile. The hardware is now slightly dusty internally. Neither an M1 nor an M2 are in it, instead Apple uses the A15 chip from the iPhone 13. (However, this still runs in the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, i.e. the group’s current smartphones; the 14 Pro models come with the faster one A16.) Apple could treat a new iPad mini to a current M2, for example – but it remains uncertain whether this is intentional.
iPad mini 7 rumors
Corresponding rumors recently came from Korea. It was about the installation of Apple’s ProMotion technology for a refresh rate of up to 120 Hertz. An iPad mini 7 could potentially also get improved screen technology. Otherwise, the form factor, which is still very new by Apple standards, is unlikely to change much.
However, it could be that Apple sees a future in a different design. According to Kuo, a foldable iPad should be on the market for the first time in 2024. This could combine a larger display with compact external dimensions (when folded). However, Apple is more likely to market such a device in the upper class than at the comparatively affordable price of an iPad mini. This currently starts at 650 euros if you buy from Apple; in retail the tariffs are lower.
(bsc)
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