A Mini Surprise Fall iPad Drop
Tim Hardwick
Everyone knew this refresh was coming – though everyone also assumed it would be at an upcoming fall product event. Does Apple dropping this via press release mean we're not getting an event – perhaps just a video? – or does it simply mean that event will simply be focused on new M4 Macs?
Overall, the update to the iPad mini would seem to be a good one – as tends to be the case when you wait three years between product refreshes. The A17 Pro chip (from last year's iPhone 15 Pro line) should be a nice jump over the A15 (Bionic) found in the last mini. And it supports the new Apple Pencil Pro. Slightly better WiFi (6E) and more storage space, now starting at 128GB and topping out at 512GB for the first time.
Aesthetically, it should look the same, aside from a couple new colors (Blue and Purple – and the new 'Safe' Smart Folio cover looks particularly nice). And it will be the same weight and size as the last model. Still no Face ID, but Touch ID is still baked into the power button (which I still wish Apple would bring to other devices – perhaps via the Camera Capture button?!).
The one element Apple is touting here: Apple Intelligence. This seemingly implies the device will have 8GB of RAM – up from 4GB in previous versions. Of course, Apple Intelligence isn't available yet, except in beta testing – and won't be until a few days after this new iPad mini ships. At least they're closer to the marketing mark this time than they have been with the new iPhones!
I have long loved the iPad mini. I find it to be nearly the prefect form factor for an iOS/iPadOS device. At least until there's one that folds...