iPad Mini 4 Rumored to Be Smaller Version of iPad Air 2, A9-Based iPad Air 3 Still Possible for 2015

[MacRumors]

Apple's fourth-generation iPad mini could be a miniaturized version of the iPad Air 2, according to Japanese blog Mac Otakara. The report claims that the iPad mini 4 will adopt some of the same features and specifications as the iPad Air 2, including an 8-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera, ultra-thin 6.1mm design and possibly a fully laminated display with anti-reflective coating.

Mac Otakara claims that Apple may release the new iPad mini alongside an A9-based iPad Air 3, contrary to a sketchy report last week from Taiwan's Economic Daily News that said no new iPad Air will be released in 2015 and that the iPad mini 4 could be Apple's last 7.9-inch tablet as the company focuses on its larger-sized iPad Air and much-rumored "iPad Pro" in the future.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a respectable track record at reporting on Apple's upcoming product plans, recently issued a note to investors that also claimed the iPad mini 4 will essentially be a smaller version of the iPad Air 2. Kuo did not make any predictions about the iPad Air 3 or the "iPad Pro" in his note, but he has mentioned the latter 12.9-inch tablet in previous notes to investors.

Apple releasing a trio of new iPads later this year -- the iPad Air 3, iPad mini 4 and "iPad Pro" -- could help the company rebound from five consecutive quarters of declining iPad sales. Moreover, while Mac Otakara has a respectable track record reporting about Apple, there is not enough substantive evidence at this time to firmly suggest that all three tablets will actually be unveiled this autumn.

Article Link: iPad Mini 4 Rumored to Be Smaller Version of iPad Air 2, A9-Based iPad Air 3 Still Possible for 2015

 

[Technarchy]

I'd be okay with all the specs of the iPad Air 2 crammed down into the Mini...

 

[BreuerEditor]

Apple's fourth-generation iPad mini could be a miniaturized version of the iPad Air 2

Hasn't the iPad Mini ALWAYS been a miniature sized iPad???

 

[Fondaparinux]

>iPad Mini 4 Rumored to Be Smaller Version of iPad Air 2

Yeah... I think I got that from the 'mini'.

 

[KdParker]

Love to see more on this iPad Pro. (if it happens).
I could see this as a replacement for buying another laptop if the specs are good.

 

[Luis Mazza]

I think the Air 3 and Mini 4 will be coming in early 2016, with the pro later this year.
The original iPad had it's launch at the beginning of 2010. Only later Apple changed that and since then, maybe it has not being the best for the product.

 

[bushido]

god i hate the coating on my iPad Air 2. it is nearly impossible to remove the finger prints and its not as easy to slide over the screen compared to my old iPad 3 if that makes sense

 

[Serban]

ipad mini 4 miniature of ipad air 2 or 3? because the air 2 has the A8x and not the A9

 

[FSMBP]

I think the Air 3 and Mini 4 will be coming in early 2016, with the pro later this year.

I just hope Apple would move back to a Spring release for iPads. Releasing iPhones/iPads/iOS/OS X within 8 weeks of eachother every fall is overload (for consumers and Apple).

 

[rocknblogger]

god i hate the coating on my iPad Air 2. it is nearly impossible to remove the finger prints and its not as easy to slide over the screen compared to my old iPad 3 if that makes sense

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I love everything about my Air 2 except the coating on the screen.

 

[Luis Mazza]

god i hate the coating on my iPad Air 2. it is nearly impossible to remove the finger prints and its not as easy to slide over the screen compared to my old iPad 3 if that makes sense

Clean it with a proper cloth and that is a non-issue.
Source: I do it and it works.

 

[2457282]

very strange article. mini's have always been a smaller version of the ipad. all this article is saying is that they will bump the new mini specs to the level of the current ipad. Okay.


Tell me something interesting like what's going on with the ipad pro. PLEASE.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

No new iPad Air would not make any sense in a declining market. I bet we see the Air 3 with the A9

 

[koyoot]

What they meant is possibly that Mini 4 will be slimmer than Mini 3.

Ipad Air 3 with A9? Interesting. That means that A9 should have at least 3 cores and 2 GB of RAM. Back to A7 times where all lineup of Apple iOS devices had the same SoC?

Quad core, 2 GB with really fast and powerful GPU? I think its the time I will finally buy iPad Mini(4), and completely new iPhone(6S).

 

[kenosecon]

Hasn't the iPad Mini ALWAYS been a miniature sized iPad???

it means the new ipad mini will be an ipad air but the same size as the ipad mini of now with the same screensize as the ipad air

 

[nj-morris]

No rumours of Force Touch? I saw that it was rumoured for the iPad Pro. I was hoping it would come to both iPads.

 

[Jsameds]

Hasn't the iPad Mini ALWAYS been a miniature sized iPad???

Yes but the crux of the matter is which generation it's a miniature of. last time round everyone was expecting the Mini 3 to be a "Mini Air 2" since the Mini 2 was a "Mini Air 1".

That's why it was such a shock when they kept the specs the same as the Mini 2 and only added TouchID.

 

[0815]

Hasn't the iPad Mini ALWAYS been a miniature sized iPad???

it will be a miniature sized version of the previous generation iPad ... The new iPad mini will be a miniature version of iPad Air 2 while at the same time the iPad Air 3 will be released - so the mini will not have comparable components than the latest Air.

 

[H2SO4]

Love to see more on this iPad Pro. (if it happens).
I could see this as a replacement for buying another laptop if the specs are good.

Could never use it as a replacement myself.
Want to buy one but if I still can’t natively use it as a remote display over wifi for my Mac Pro I’m not interested.
Oh, and it needs a decent filesystem too.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Could never use it as a replacement myself.
Want to buy one but if I still can’t natively use it as a remote display over wifi for my Mac Pro I’m not interested.
Oh, and it needs a decent filesystem too.

I would like to use it with a mouse.

 

[kds1]

Could never use it as a replacement myself.
Want to buy one but if I still can’t natively use it as a remote display over wifi for my Mac Pro I’m not interested.
Oh, and it needs a decent filesystem too.

Oh, well you better go shop somewhere else. Apple doesn't design to your specifications.

 

[The Game 161]

Just got ipad air 2 so wouldnt get air 3 anyway

Not sure it's worth having ipad air 2 and a mini 4..along with a 6 plus S When it's out

 

[iPadCary]

What insane nonsense is this?!? The iPad Mini 3's "essentially" an iPad Air.
So the iPad Mini 4's being "essentially" an iPad Air 2 is "news"?!?
Balderdash, I say!

 

[thekeyring]

Am I the only one who wants to see "iPad Air" and "iPad mini" - drop the numbers and just sell the newest versions?

Or, at a pinch, refer to them in smaller print as "Third Generation" so Apple can sell last year's versions if it wants to?

 

[taptic]

MacRumors, you always manage to blow me away with new insights such as the idea that the word 'mini' might be significant in determining it's size!