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A9? A new tablet in 2019 with a processor in 2015?

If the processor can perform adequately and is priced appropriately then I see no issue. The A9 is still a solid performing chip. I don’t think many people will be trying to run photoshop for their job using an iPad mini. The mini, even more than the iPad and iPad Pro is a media consumption device. The A9 can handle these types of tasks just fine. I’d like to see it get an A10 but I don’t see much issue using the A9 (again assuming price is below $250).
 
Apple will not provide the headphone jack.
It actually requires a DAC, power amplification circuit, the jack itself and all the other cabling.
It is so much easier to provide the digital output via lightning or USB-C.
 
Well the HomePod has the A8 chip so it wouldn’t surprise me IF Apple put at the A9 chip in the iPad Mini, more so for battery life than anything else.

True. Like I said, at this point, I welcome any update. My iPad mini 2 is dying. Since I don’t currently own an iPhone, I use my iPad mini as my mobile device. I would love to transfer my grandfathered unlimited AT&T data plan from my mini 2 to a new iPad mini. So I welcome this news. Still, I am hoping for the best update possible.
 
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Apple will not provide the headphone jack.
It actually requires a DAC, power amplification circuit, the jack itself and all the other cabling.
It is so much easier to provide the digital output via lightning or USB-C.

And cheaper to produce.
 
That has to be old... This guy reporting it'll have an A9? That seems.... wildly outdated for a brand new product.

It makes sense as this is supposed to slot below the $329 iPad.

Also, it would be the new gateway iOS product, replacing the iPod. At $249, it would be tough from a marketing standpoint to slot in anything newer than A9.
 
I think they'll make a new iPad mini but without the 3.5'' jack and I hope it will feature a better SoC than the A9, at least an A10 so it will receive more iOS updates. I'm fine with it not having the latest and greatest but the A9 is too old
 
This is definitely an old prototype-- in hindsight, though, would have been nice to have a more flush cellular antenna on these older models. This is a real tease!
 
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If the processor can perform adequately and is priced appropriately then I see no issue. The A9 is still a solid performing chip. I don’t think many people will be trying to run photoshop for their job using an iPad mini. The mini, even more than the iPad and iPad Pro is a media consumption device. The A9 can handle these types of tasks just fine. I’d like to see it get an A10 but I don’t see much issue using the A9 (again assuming price is below $250).


Agreed. A9 is what was in the 2017 iPad. It still runs very adequately. For a budget iPad mini I think it's ok.
If it's not a budget mini then it should not have a budget processor though.
 
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The previous case leak for the supposed iPad mini 5 doesn’t match this new chassis leak tho. The camera for one thing, and the mic hole for another. So who knows.
 
Would it actually surprise anyone if this new iPad many was just thrown together with old leftover iPhone 6/7 parts inventory?

What are they going to do? Stretch the case?

No, that's not how it works at all.
 
A9 is such a joke. Apple is crawling into a hole to die if they think they are going sell a 3.5 year old processor in a new product.

that detail there is enough to say this is an old prototype, not an actual leak of a 2019 product. ...at least I hope so.
 
It makes sense as this is supposed to slot below the $329 iPad.

Also, it would be the new gateway iOS product, replacing the iPod. At $249, it would be tough from a marketing standpoint to slot in anything newer than A9.
I guess it just depends on the price point. For $199 I think thats fair, but even $249 is only $80 cheaper than the current iPad offering. Best Buy even had the current gen iPad on sale for $250 over the Christmas period. I wasn't really thinking about it being entry level, I was thinking more on par spec wise with the current iPad. Your idea of it being more entry level makes more sense though.
 
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A9 is such a joke. Apple is crawling into a hole to die if they think they are going sell a 3.5 year old processor in a new product.

that detail there is enough to say this is an old prototype, not an actual leak of a 2019 product. ...at least I hope so.

Even when you consider the scratched up Apple logo, it really doesn't look like something new.
 
I like the looks but an A9 doesn't seem realistic (maybe from a logic board of a not produced 5 way back when). Expecting an A11 since this is a new refresh but lower end - just like the updated regular iPad that is coming.

Case looks great though - no easy bending issues to be seen here, that's only for the expensive people's iPad's. /s
 
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