The new iPad Pro (2024) and iPad Air 6 are long-awaited updates to Apple's largest tablets, but the launch event was worryingly quiet for the iPad mini. Does that mean Apple's smallest tablet is on the chopping block? Not necessarily, according to the latest rumors, although his future remains uncertain.
We confirmed with Apple that the current iPad mini 6 is the same model as before Apple's iPad 2024 event and is the same price. So despite the big changes we saw in its bigger siblings, including an M4 chip for the iPad Pro, Apple hasn't given its 8.3-inch tablet any kind of upgrade.
This is a bit disappointing for fans of the compact tablet, but all is not lost. Last month, Bloomberg's reliable Mark Gurman claimed that Apple is “also working on new versions of the lower-end iPad and iPad mini,” but that they won't arrive “before the end of the year at the earliest.”
This echoed an earlier report from respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claimed that mass production of the iPad mini 7 had simply been “delayed” rather than cancelled. These remain the last credible rumors we've heard about an iPad mini 7, so there's still a chance we'll see it arrive later this year, even with just a minor processor upgrade.
That said, Gurman predicted that Apple's low-end iPad would be “a reduced-cost version of the 10th-generation model starting in 2022,” and that's what happened at yesterday's event (albeit sooner than he predicted). . Apple has killed off its ninth-generation iPad and slashed $100 off the price of the 10th-generation version.
As things stand, the iPad mini is still alive with rumors still predicting that an updated iPad mini 7 is in the works. But since it's the only iPad-related product in the Apple store that doesn't have a “new” label, its future still seems a little uncertain.
Is the iPad mini still relevant?
The iPad mini is now clearly caught between Apple's larger tablets and the increasingly larger iPhone. The iPhone 16 Pro series, for example, is expected to grow in size this year to include 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays (on the Pro and Pro Max models).
Apple's reluctance to give the iPad mini 6, which arrived in 2021, even a small specs update also suggests that interest in the compact tablet has waned. But the tablet also continues to have something of a cult following, with many considering it to be an ideal size for taking notes and watching movies on the go.
The current iPad mini is also a great size for reading books and playing games, so an upgrade to future-proof specs with a new processor (likely the A16 chip in the iPhone 14 Pro and Max) would probably be enough to keep Apple happy. the fans. An M1 chip would be even better, of course, but it could raise the price too much.
Right now, this remains the most likely scenario based on the latest speculation, even if Apple's iPad 2024 event has understandably put a dent in those hopes. Still, while Apple's new tablets seem certified dead for the top of our best tablets guide, the iPad mini lives on: the iPad mini 6 is still a solid option, especially if you choose a cheaper refurbished version, Yes I need a compact tablet.
