Apple just announced a modern, faster iPad Mini

Apple just announced it in a somewhat tactful way via press releasemodern iPad Mini. This is the first update to Apple’s smallest tablet since 2021. Prices for the modern Mini start at $499. His you can pre-order now and will go on sale next Wednesday.

The modern Mini is mainly about changes in specifications: it runs the modern A17 Pro chip, which, according to Apple, has a 30 percent faster processor, a 25 percent faster graphics card and a neural engine twice as quick as the previous model. The device also supports the modern Apple Pencil Pro, which is a nice touch for mini-toting artists, and comes with 128GB of memory on the base model instead of 64GB. (These AI models need all the available space.) The Wi-Fi 6E chip is faster, the USB-C port is faster, and everything about the iPad Mini is the same as before, only faster this time.

The only real change to the modern Mini’s appearance is the colors. This year, Apple has become more colorful with many of its products, and the Mini is available in modern purple and blue models. However, they look muted rather than spirited in photos, so don’t expect any striking modern colors on the iPhone 16.

The last-generation Mini has undergone quite a major overhaul, with a modern design and USB-C port, and a number of specification improvements. Considering this was the first redesign since the original Mini in 2012, it’s not particularly surprising that this Mini looks very similar to the last Mini. A huge spec escalate also makes sense: because Apple is banking on AI and Apple Intelligence, it needs all the power it can get on basically every device in its lineup. Apple also mentioned in its release that the modern device can support hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which should improve the appearance of some high-end games, but this is clearly an AI-focused update.

The Mini has always been an oddity in Apple’s tablet lineup, much like the iPhone SE: it has fans who love it for its smaller size, but Apple has always made it clear that it doesn’t actually have many such fans. Yes, pilots love iPad Minis, but it seems clear that most people prefer a huge screen to a petite one.

Earlier this year, Apple updated the rest of its iPad line, adding the super-powerful M4 chip to the Air, redesigning the Pro, and lowering the price of the base model to $349. The Mini, as in the past, looked like a strange tablet, which made some wonder whether Apple actually planned to continue producing the Mini. However, it seems that Apple is simply elated that the Mini has a slightly different update rate than other tablets.