Sketchy Report Claims No New iPad Air in 2015, One Last iPad Mini

[DeeGee48]

They don't need a new iPad Air this year. The new iOS 9 SOFTWARE makes the Air 2 NEW! Additionally, things like Force Touch will be EXCLUSIVE to the Pro to get as many sales as possible for the new product. This is standard Apple operating procedure as we all know by now. And it's okay, because the Pro, Air 2, and mini 4 will be an awesome and POWERFUL lineup with iOS 9! I figured this out as soon as 9 was demoed at WWDC.

 

[gluckett]

They don't need a new iPad Air this year. The new iOS 9 SOFTWARE makes the Air 2 NEW! Additionally, things like Force Touch will be EXCLUSIVE to the Pro to get as many sales as possible for the new product. This is standard Apple operating procedure as we all know by now. And it's okay, because the Pro, Air 2, and mini 4 will be an awesome and POWERFUL lineup with iOS 9! I figured this out as soon as 9 was demoed at WWDC.

I highly doubt that.

 

[unobtainium]

I bought an iPad when they first came out, and sold it after a while because I just wasn't using it. I gave iPad another chance when the Retina model was released, but again got rid of it because I rarely used it. On a whim, I bought an iPad mini w/ retina display a few months ago and it has quickly become my most-used Apple product. I'm not sure why but it's a pleasure to use.. Maybe because it can be held in one hand. Getting rid of the Mini would be a huge mistake.

For those who have suggested that the 6+ is a mini replacement -- it's not. The Mini is a perfect size -- any smaller would be less ideal for reading, etc. Additionally, I don't want to walk around with a 6+ in my pocket. The 6 is big enough.

 

[WLS]

Definitely will buy a new mini if it comes out. If it is to be the last then even more reason to get the best of them and hold on to it. I did that with my 160GB iPod classic; I use it just in my car and since it was discontinued a few months later it is actually worth as much or more than I paid for it. Now I have to decide what to do about the Touch, buy and hold or pass on it for the new mini. Since the new Touch will be around and on sale for Black Friday it makes sense to wait till October and see which one fits my needs best.

 

[EddyBlowsCook]

I would have bought a iPad but Apple refuses to put a phone app on the iPads

 

[bbfc]

They don't need a new iPad Air this year. The new iOS 9 SOFTWARE makes the Air 2 NEW! Additionally, things like Force Touch will be EXCLUSIVE to the Pro to get as many sales as possible for the new product. This is standard Apple operating procedure as we all know by now. And it's okay, because the Pro, Air 2, and mini 4 will be an awesome and POWERFUL lineup with iOS 9! I figured this out as soon as 9 was demoed at WWDC.

Force touch will be added to all iPads and iPhones, and all trackpads.

 

[loon3y]

Pro: Work + Enthusiasts that want a bigger tablet

Air: Work + Home + Very Good for Streaming

Mini: Work+Home+Commute.


Im Bi-Costal, i stay in NYC and LA for work, (also Seoul, Shanghai, Chennai)

In huge cities with great public transportation i see much more people in NYC, Shanghai, Seoul, use Minis, because its easier to whip them out when you're commuting and its easier to do every day commute with.

Besides that I'd go with an Air all the time. I like my tablet full-sized.


They're not getting rid of anything.

 

[Rava]

I'd be really disappointed if they got rid of the mini. My Ipad Mini 2 is probably the best tech buy I've made in the past 10 years. It's great for reading at home and is portable enough that I stick it in my purse everytime I go out. The full size Ipad is nice for somethings, but feels cumbersome compared to the Mini.

I don't understand the mentality that the Iphone 6 plus makes the Mini uneeded. That assumes everyone has or wants a phone as big as the plus which is definitely not true. For me the Iphone 6 is as big as I'd ever want a phone, and if they released a newer 4" phone I'd consider dropping down a size. Not everyone wants a phablet, the mini is great for those of us who prefer portable phones.

 

[2IS]

Well,can just suggest any other ideas?..aside from putting OSX on ipad since it's clearly not designed for touch.You can now get iWork for free,Office for iPad,split screen multitasking,Apple and IBM are creating iPad apps for various industries etc.I mean,what else would you expect an iPad to do?

Apple needs to do with the iPad what they did with the iPhone and iOS 9. Copy what other people are doing. In particular the Surface and Surface Pro. They run circles around the iPad in terms of productivity. Heck, a Note 4 is more productive that a full size iPad is. If you really needed me to illustrate what more can be done with an iPad, you're just as unimaginative as Apple is in this market segment. Pretty bad considering it takes no imagination since others are already doing what "can be done" so lets not play the ignorant card for the sake of fanboyism and pretend the iPad is already being all it can be.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

How exactly would you want to update the Air 2, if the 6S will be mostly a little improvement with force touch? Unless Apple introduces Force Touch to the Air 2, there's nothing more to stand out. Yet they took 1 full year to include Touch ID in the iPad line, so they'll likely do the same with the Air 2 regarding Force Touch.
People don't upgrade iPads nearly as fast their iPhones, so there's no need to really upgrade the already great Air 2.
The report doesn't seem "sketchy" to me at all.

It's all about consumer perceptions. If a consumer sees a top end product (esp. electronics) is a year old they are less inclined to buy because it's "stale." It's why companies constantly update even if its just new colors or a new logo or something else nebulous. Even expensive cars get annual tweak between major model updates, switching up ext. colors, interior trims, available options, etc. Most of the iPad updates have been incremental, not sweeping.

 

[psac]

I'd be really disappointed if they got rid of the mini. My Ipad Mini 2 is probably the best tech buy I've made in the past 10 years. It's great for reading at home and is portable enough that I stick it in my purse everytime I go out. The full size Ipad is nice for somethings, but feels cumbersome compared to the Mini.

I don't understand the mentality that the Iphone 6 plus makes the Mini uneeded. That assumes everyone has or wants a phone as big as the plus which is definitely not true. For me the Iphone 6 is as big as I'd ever want a phone, and if they released a newer 4" phone I'd consider dropping down a size. Not everyone wants a phablet, the mini is great for those of us who prefer portable phones.

I totally feel the same way (except for the purse part.)

 

[Luis Mazza]

It's all about consumer perceptions. If a consumer sees a product is a year old they are less inclined to buy because it's "stale." It's why companies constantly update. Even expensive cars get annual tweak between major model updates. Most of the iPad updates have been incremental, not sweeping.

Yes, that's true for some products, but the iPad might be in another category, like the Mac Pro and iPods, which are updated on longer cycles.
Apple said last year that the iPad is a new product category and they're still analyzing consumer's behavior regarding that product.
Last week I received a questionaire about my iPad, with many questions trying to understand how I use it, how many people have it in my house, etc.
They'll have to take risks to test the market and reserve momentum for a new size and possibly new features, like USB, so they can update the iPad further next year, or even early next year.

 

[n8cousins]

I find it hard to believe Apple would release the Pro, presumably with Force Touch, and not update the Air with Force Touch as well. There's no friggin' way.

 

[macduke]

Given the information in this article and other things I've read, this is what I think they might do:

iPad Air 3 with Force Touch. Aesthetically exactly the same. A9-series chip with three cores like the A8X but a little faster. Possibly a better quality 8MP camera like recent iPhone models.

iPad Mini 4 gets Force Touch and an A9-series chip with two cores like the A8 but a little faster, 2GB of RAM and the 8MP camera in the iPad Air 2.

The iPad Pro gets Force Touch, A9X-series chip with four cores, maybe 20% faster clock than the iPad Air 3, 4GB of RAM, and official stylus support (pressure, maybe tilt) for digital painters, designers and photographers. Might have USB-C for additional limited accessory support, much like the iPad has limited accessory support for downloading external camera photos.

iPhone 6S gets an A9 chip similar to the iPad Mini 4, but maybe clocked slightly lower, along with Force Touch, faster LTE and an upgraded camera system and 4K video recording.

The iPhone 6S Plus will pretty much have the same exact chip as the iPad Mini 4 along with Force Touch, faster LTE and an upgraded camera system and 4K video recording. Not sure what the differentiators might be on the Plus at this time. Perhaps it will remain the only iPhone line with optical image stabilization? Though both lines are rumored to have the same 7.1mm thickness this time, which means they should be able to put it into both. But will they?

I think all new models will get an upgraded Touch ID sensor that recognizes fingerprints faster. Furthermore, all models are likely to see their color options tweaked like we saw from the iPhone 5 to the 5S and iPad Mini to Mini 2. Possibly tweaked to be more in-line with the Apple Watch. I think nearly all models will get an upgraded 1080p FaceTime camera. Nearly all models will see improved battery life.

All models really need a bump in base storage capacity to 32GB. However it's probably unlikely they would do that until 128GB chips are cheaper because they probably want to retain that big up-sell. They'll probably wait until they can do 32/128/256GB for a decent price, and that will probably be possible in autumn 2016. However they may add a 256GB iPad option, just as they used to have 16/32/64/128GB options before switching to 16/64/128GB last year.

This all being said, many of these changes aren't too exciting. I would be excited about the iPad Pro if it turned out as I've said here, however I would probably wait a year until there is more pro-level software available that can really take advantage of it. It's a shame Apple killed off Aperture because something like that on the iPad Pro would have been killer. Anyway, the iPad needs something more to take it to the next level and get people excited about it. It has kind of stagnated in recent years. Personally for me, going from the iPad Mini 2 to the iPad Air 2 was a big jump because of the performance increases. But the extra RAM just made it more stable and retain apps and tabs in memory. It got the iPad back up to par. Now what are they going to do for normal users? Split screen software features are nice but I hope they really embrace the possibilities with Force Touch UI to take iOS to the next level and make it a true productivity powerhouse. I think it's very possible we may someday look back on Force Touch as a landmark moment, possibly up there with the keyboard, the mouse, the click-wheel and capacitive touch.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

While I prefer the iPad Air and most likely the iPad Pro, a several people I know are very happy with their iPad Mini.
I would say there's still a market demand for the Mini.

 

[XTheLancerX]

I'm going to be angry if they don't update the Air this year. This is the year I wanted to upgrade my iPad, and I don't want to have to get a device that's already been out for a year. Sure, the iPad Air 2 is very capable, but it still is a year old, with a couple issues I was hoping would be alleviated with a refresh, like battery life and speaker vibration.

 

[MacBH928]

This doesn't sound right. New features in iOS 9 requires more processing power, not last year's technology. Lets not forget the iPad needs a push and its a main product not an Apple TV.

 

[gotluck]

I would have bought a iPad but Apple refuses to put a phone app on the iPads

dont believe hangouts/google voice works in canada?

but hangouts lets you do free voip calls (and you have a real phone number to receive too) on ipad.

 

[Solomani]

This rumor comes from some Chinese site, most likely taking clues from suppliers in China. If they know something about parts, they might deduce upcoming products. But how the hell do they know or figure out that Apple will make "the last Mini". How the hell do they know that information? How do they come up with BS rumors about Apple's strategic long-term product plans? Do they have spies listening to Apple execs in Cupertino? Wiretap?

 

[kingtj]

You know.... I agree with all of this, yet I'd still say it's all too subjective to make a determination to keep or cancel a product over it.

For example, the iPhone 6+ really is an iPad substitute for a LOT of buyers. That may, in fact, be the #1 reason people paid more for the bigger 6+ vs. the 6. One of my co-workers just bought a 6+ and the first words out of his mouth were, "I really never used the iPad I had, but now I have one device I'll really carry with me everyplace that can do what the iPad was supposed to do for me before."

On the other hand, I think some of the iPad Mini buyers may be getting them for their kids in situations where they don't want to buy them an actual cellphone. It used to be, this was the primary market for the iPod Touch, but I think it's shifting. The kids see the advantages of the bigger screen display on the tablet and don't generally care so much if the device fits in a pocket like a traditional cellphone. (A lot of them will just stick it in a backpack.) Their parents like the lower price of the iPad Mini vs. the regular size models though, and they know kids usually have good enough eyesight not to mind reading things on a smaller screen.

I bought an iPad when they first came out, and sold it after a while because I just wasn't using it. I gave iPad another chance when the Retina model was released, but again got rid of it because I rarely used it. On a whim, I bought an iPad mini w/ retina display a few months ago and it has quickly become my most-used Apple product. I'm not sure why but it's a pleasure to use.. Maybe because it can be held in one hand. Getting rid of the Mini would be a huge mistake.

For those who have suggested that the 6+ is a mini replacement -- it's not. The Mini is a perfect size -- any smaller would be less ideal for reading, etc. Additionally, I don't want to walk around with a 6+ in my pocket. The 6 is big enough.

 

[subjonas]

to a lot of people it's supposed to be a surface pro competitor. many people have held off on succumbing to a windows machine in the hopes that apple will give us something not only on par, but better. iOS would kill the pro. KILL.

clearly not many people on MR agree with me here, but i know plenty of folks who would be very disappointed. and finally buy a surface pro (cause it does what it should and does it pretty well).

I'm all for a Mac tablet, but not because I want a hybrid device--I just want a (somewhat mobile) Mac with pen input for pro digital art. I don't care about touch or iOS apps, although it would need to support touch for logistical reasons. But that's where the problem comes in. Neither OSX nor its applications are designed for touch (and won't be any time soon), therefore it would make for a less than optimal user experience. And we all know Apple is not prone to release anything that it doesn't believe is a great user experience. And I honestly don't think Apple cares enough about my niche demographic to try to create such a device anyway, even with the existence of the SP3. I think most people want a hybrid device so that they can have a productive and casual device rolled into one. But Apple has been very clear about what it believes regarding hybrids.
That said I am still looking forward to the iPad Pro announcement. Though it won't replace my Mac (+ Cintiq), it could make a great ancillary device, on a couple conditions--decent apps and (free) seamless file transferring support between the iPad Pro and my Mac, and of course pressure sensitive pen input. I think that's as best as someone like me can hope for realistically.

 

[theluggage]

I don't understand the mentality that the Iphone 6 plus makes the Mini uneeded.

The 6+ makes the market for the iPad (particularly a mini) smaller because people who do buy a 6+ are less likely to want a tablet as well.

If the size of a product's market reduces, Apple will lower its priority when allocating R&D.

I have a full-sized iPad which I used to carry around. Then I got a 5.5" phablet (not an iPhone actually, a Galaxy Note) - result: I no longer carry the iPad around, although I do use it around the house for web browsing, but on the move the phablet completely trumps it because the phablet is big enough to browse a desktop website or read a book, but small enough to fit in a pocket. Plus, you don't need two devices with mobile data contracts.

 

[subjonas]

iPhone 6+ is closer in size to the iPad Mini than the iPad Mini is to the iPad Air.

How do you figure that? iPad Mini is 33% smaller than iPad Air. iPhone 6 Plus is 43% smaller than iPad Mini.
43 > 33

 

[tampageek]

Get rid of the Mini and I stop buying iPads

Getting rid of the mini is stupid. That was my first  device and led me into the Apple ecosystem - because it was affordable and it impressed me enough to buy other  products.

The fact that Apple may even be thinking about getting rid of the mini indicates confusion or misunderstanding of the retail market or some combination of both. One has to ask...what is Apple's long term plan here? Do they want to make ever-shrinking devices i.e. 12-inch MacBook and bendable iPhones? Do they only want to sell more expensive devices? because a giant iPad probably won't be in the $400-$600 range. Are they so worried about other products cutting into their iPhone profits that nothing else matters?

If Apple just wants to be a iphone company because that's where their profits are highest, we could be witnessing a replay of what can happen without Steve keeping everyone's head turned in the right direction. In the past, it was never only about making money and pleasing stockholders. Now I can't help but see shades of a profit and fashion-first mentality taking over, with function and superior quality kicked to the curb.

With as much money as  has, it's ridiculous for them to cut successful product lines, even if ipad sales in general are lower.

Perhaps all these market analysts need to factor in the cost of constantly upgrading in a shrinking middle class. Could sales for PC's, iPads and laptops, etc., be falling because fewer people can afford to buy them? And if so, why cut off the company's more affordable devices?

Dumb decisions have killed off lots of giants. I really hope Apple doesn't become one of them.

 

[Trius]

I dunno... I'd still prefer to use an iPad Mini for certain things.

These two devices aren't exactly interchangeable in my mind:

Agreed. Another problem are the web developers tailoring their websites based on what device you're using. If it weren't for the fact that the iPad is a "tablet" and the iPhone is a "phone" I would have replaced my iPhone 6 and iPad Mini with a 6+. I use a website at work that works beautifully on the iPad, but is trash on the phone due to the mobile interface it forces you to use.