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Apple Unveils New iPad Mini With A17 Pro Chip and Apple Intelligence

F27 said:
Interesting to see if there is an October event now, or maybe they are putting all non Mac announcements in press releases to have more time to focus on just them. Hope a new Apple TV 4K comes in another press release.
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I have to be honest their updates in the last year or so have made me really lower my expectations even for what comes at events.

They simply aren’t taking big swings anymore and the one thing they did take a swing on has been a total flop
 
F27 said:
No M1 is a big mistake, a new iPad without at least that is almost already obsolete at launch because there are already certain features and apps that at a minimum require it. Very odd decision unless it’s now considered an iPad SE rather than Mini which used to mean high spec, small size.
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A17P marginally outperforms M1 while using less power, making it better suited for this form factor.
 
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F27 said:
No M1 is a big mistake, a new iPad without at least that is almost already obsolete at launch because there are already certain features and apps that at a minimum require it. Very odd decision unless it’s now considered an iPad SE rather than Mini which used to mean high spec, small size.

Interesting to see if there is an October event now, or maybe they are putting all non Mac announcements in press releases to have more time to focus on just them. Hope a new Apple TV 4K comes in another press release.
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I think using the M1 would have resulted in heat dissipation problems since the M1 SoC generates more heat than the A17 Pro SoC. Apple should have waited until there was enough A18 production and used that SoC instead on the new iPad mini.
 
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SactoGuy18 said:
I think using the M1 would have resulted in heat dissipation problems since the M1 SoC generates more heat than the A17 Pro SoC. Apple should have waited until there was enough A18 production and used that SoC instead on the new iPad mini.
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A17 Pro is a really powerful chip that only a year ago was going into devices that cost substantially more than an iPad Mini. Coupled with doubled RAM of the SoC, and doubled storage, I truly believe the new iPad Mini will deliver outstanding performance for many years into the future. $499 is a steal.
 
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xraydoc said:
There are clearly certain products Apple cares about, and certain products it doesn't. The iPad mini has long been one it doesn't really care about, especially when one thinks about how long the wait between the mini 5 and mini 6 was.
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mini 4 to mini 5: 3.5 years
mini 5 to mini 6: 2.5 years
mini 6 to mini 7: 3 years

The wait between the mini 5 and mini 6 was actually the shortest in that time, but it’s effectively been a 3-year upgrade cycle since 2015. Had the mini 5 come out half a year earlier, it would be exactly 3 years.
 
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dumastudetto said:
A17 Pro is a really powerful chip that only a year ago was going into devices that cost substantially more than an iPad Mini. Coupled with doubled RAM of the SoC, and doubled storage, I truly believe the new iPad Mini will deliver outstanding performance for many years into the future. $499 is a steal.
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Did you mean to say 'stealing'?
 
Aoligei said:
60Hz and 120Hz is absolutely something people will notice.



Label 102Hz screen as Pro only feature is something “Only Apple can do”.
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Majority of users don't care and don't notice 60Hz on an ipad/iphone. That's who Apple is targeting. That is why Apple makes the decisions they do.

People who care about specs, make up the minority of Apple customers.
 
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I LOVED my iPad mini’s, but it was such a long wait to get “meh” features. I love that this starts at 128GB, but not running the newest chip, not incorporating FaceID, no OLED display, it just doesn’t do it for me anymore. We picked up an 11” iPad Pro for my wife for $550, and it’s got everything you’d want. If the iPad mini was $399 MSRP, that would be better, or $329 like the original. I was really hoping to get an “iPad Mini Pro”, at the $499 price. I might’ve jumped on that one.
 
AlexESP said:
I’d say he’s far from being the biggest evangelist of the iPad - he’s definitely not the target audience of the product and it’s been clear for a long time.
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I’d say he’s someone who would like to be the biggest fan of the iPad. I think a lot of his criticisms are spot on (especially with respect to iPad Pro).
 
smoker68x said:
Because shelling out $500 (or more) for a device that you’ll be using for a while, you should be getting much higher specs.
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but how high?

m2 air is already way overkill and it would last enough time

a17 pro is nearly a m1 and people still use their old ipads without it slowing down that much compared to the apps.

this current sepc will easily last 4 years or more (unless some issues arise which we cant tell rn)
 
danielristic said:
The craziest spec change no one seems to have picked on is that it's no longer compatible with Pencil 2, only Pencil Pro.
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That’s not crazy, it’s expected since the magnet layout changed and the same thing happened on the Airs and Pros.
 
Now I can begin the wait to grab a discounted mini 6. I have a 5 and use it mainly for reading Kindle and Apple books, checking some Gmail and some light web surfing. I'd keep the 5 but the battery is really starting to go so a new 6 might be in the offing. A new 7 would be overkill for what I use it for.
 
Does it have stereo audio?, I’m shocked that my ninth generation iPad is still is mono, the iPhone 7 had stereo a long time ago. o_O
 
macduke said:
Anyone else kinda want an "iPad Pro Mini" of sorts that has tiny bezels, 9" display, OLED, and 120Hz? I feel like that would be a great size for content consumption when traveling or to throw on the coffee table as a lightweight couch computer. Then we would have 9", 11", and 13" Pro models starting at $699, $999, and $1299.

I don't even want to do anything "Pro" with it, I just want a great display in a really portable size.
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OLED is scheduled for the next update in 2027. Personally I prefer the old mini 1-5 form factor. It just (barely) fits in various pockets/bags I have while the screen is less narrow than the 6/7. A 9” would be too large.
 
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klasma said:
Not in a small form factor. The form factor is the only reason the mini exists and is being bought in the first place.
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I, too, love my mini and dearly wish it was seen as a 'pro mini' but instead its seen resolutely as an 'air mini' and thats just the way it is sadly.
 
dmr727 said:
The thing that bums me out is that (AFAIK) nobody is building a premium mini tablet outside of Apple, so I can't even get pissed and buy a Samsung. 😂
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The Lenovo Legion Y700 looks decent, 8.8 inch 144hz 1600p display. If I didn’t have an iPad Mini already I’d probably consider it.
 
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