So it turns out the iPad Mini might not be dead after all. There are rumors…
Kuo says that Apple will launch a new version of the iPad mini, which has not seen an update in several years. Kuo says the device will feature an upgraded processor and a lower-cost panel.
Kuo does not know, however, if Apple will announce it during the media event or launch it sometime later in the year/early next year, but if an updated model is in the works, it makes sense for it to launch alongside the iPad Pro.
Obviously, the iPad Mini 5 did not launch at the event yesterday, but it may be due for a refresh in the spring.
If that is the case, then Apple may be on a 4-year refresh cycle for the less popular product lines. It had been about 4 years since the Mac Mini got an update. I believe come March 2019 it will have been 4 years since the iPad Mini 4 was released. Maybe that is the move going forward?
There’s also this post from The Verge.
When it does arrive, though, Kuo says that the new iPad Mini will get “an upgraded processor and a lower-cost panel,” which would seem to position it as a smaller option for those considering Apple’s entry-level iPad model rather than a miniature version of the iPad Pro. An iPad Mini update has been a long time coming — Apple last updated the device with the iPad Mini 4 back in 2015.
Personally, I think it just needs a processor update and Touch ID. No need for a crazy camera or Face ID. I just want an updated device I can read and play a few games on before bed.
The current iPad doesn’t have a fully-laminated display, but the Mini 4 does. Despite what the report from The Verge says, I hope that the new screen is laminated.