Apple Announces New iPad Min, With A New Look, USB-C And More

 Apple has introduced a new iPad mini. It sports a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display in four finishes. It packs the new A15 Bionic chip and delivers up to 80% faster performance than the previous generation.

A new USB-C port allows faster connectivity, and new cellular models with 5G are available. The upgraded table also boasts new advanced cameras, Center Stage, and support for the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) .

NEW ALL-SCREEN DESIGN

The new iPad mini comes in a new array of finishes — pink, starlight, purple, and space gray. It features a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with narrow borders, all while keeping the same compact footprint. With advanced technologies such as 500 nits of brightness, a P3 wide color gamut, anti-reflective screen coating, True Tone, and full lamination, images and video will be vibrant and come right up to the surface of the glass, according to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. New landscape stereo speakers, combined with the new display, deliver a great movie-viewing experience, he adds.

The all-screen design is enabled by moving Touch ID to the top button of the tablet.

A15 BIONI CHIP

The iPad mini gets a huge performance boost from the new A15 Bionic chip, with its incredibly efficient design that delivers all-day battery life, says Joswiak. According to Apple, the 6-core CPU delivers a 40% jump in performance, and the 5-core GPU delivers an 80% leap in graphics performance compared to the previous generation.

Advanced machine learning (ML) functions are powered by a 16-core Neural Engine and new ML accelerators in the CPU, delivering 2x faster ML tasks than its predecessor. Combined with the CPU and GPU, the Neural Engine enables apps to deliver next-level experiences, such as image recognition and natural language learning, notes Joswiak.

BACK CAMERA

The back camera now features a 12MP sensor with Focus Pixels and a larger aperture to capture sharp, vivid photos. The back camera also features a True Tone flash, perfect for capturing images in low light. With a new ISP in A15 Bionic, users will purportedly see natural-looking photos with Smart HDR, which improves image quality by recovering details in shadows and highlights.

5G is now available on the iPad mini, allowing the tablet to reach peak speeds of up to 3.5Gbps. Combined with continued support for Gigabit LTE and eSIM, iPad mini offers flexibility when users need to get connected. Wi-Fi 6 ensures faster Wi-Fi connection, as well. iPad mini now features a USB-C port for up to 5Gbps data transfer. That’s 10x faster than the previous generation.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

• The new iPad mini is available to order beginning today on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 28 countries and regions, including the US, with availability beginning Friday, September 24.
• Wi-Fi models of iPad mini are available with a starting price of $499 and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at $649. The new iPad mini, in 64GB and 256GB configurations, comes in pink, starlight, purple, and space gray finishes.
• iPadOS 15 will be available beginning Monday, September 20, and ships for free with the new iPad mini. iPadOS 15 will be available as a free software update for iPad mini 4 and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and all iPad Pro models.
• The Apple Pencil (2nd generation), available for purchase separately, is compatible with iPad mini for $129.
• The new Smart Folio for iPad mini is available for $59 in black, white, dark cherry, English lavender, and electric orange.
• Customers can buy any Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad model directly from apple.com/store or at an Apple Store and get up to $200 (US) back from T-Mobile/Sprint or Verizon with activation. Terms apply. For eligibility requirements and more details see apple.com/shop/buy-ipad. Customers can also trade in their current iPad and get credit toward a new one.
• You can engrave the iPad with a mix of emoji, text, and numbers, all for free, at apple.com/store or in the Apple Store app.
• Apple provides customers with a number of services in store and online that make its retail experience uniquely Apple. With personalized support and advice from Apple Specialists, convenient delivery and pickup options, free engraving, and special ways to save with Apple’s carrier offers and great trade-in values, Apple ensures the best way to buy Apple products is from Apple Store locations and apple.com/store.

Apple Introduces New iPad Air And iPad Mini

Apple has introduced a new iPad Air and an iPad mini. The new iPad Air in a 10.5-inch design has Apple Pencil support and the A12 Bionic chip with Apple’s Neural Engine. With the chip, Apple says the iPad Air delivers a 70% boost in performance and twice the graphics capability. Plus, its Retina display with True Tone technology is nearly 20% larger than the previous version with over half a million more pixels.

Apple today also introduced the new 7.9-inch iPad mini. With the A12 Bionic chip, it purportedly delivers three times the performance and nine times faster graphics. The advanced Retina display with True Tone technology and wide color support is 25% brighter and has the highest pixel density of any iPad. It also gets Apple Pencil support. Interestingly, both of the new tablets work with the original Pencil, not the Apple Pencil 2.

With advanced front- and back-facing cameras, iPad mini and iPad Air take gorgeous photos and capture clear and stable 1080p HD videos, according to Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. The upgraded cameras with exceptional low-light performance and HD video recording are great for document scanning and connecting with friends and family on Group FaceTime calls, and with advanced sensors, help enable immersive AR experiences, he adds.

The new iPad mini and iPad Air can be ordered today and will be available next week. They come in silver, space gray and gold finishes in 64GB and 256GB configurations. The new iPad mini starts at $399 for the Wi-Fi model and $529 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model and the 10.5-inch iPad Air starts at $499 for the Wi-Fi model and $629  for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model from apple.com, in the Apple Store app and Apple Stores, and is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary). Sold separately, the Apple Pencil costs $99. Smart Keyboards and Smart Covers are also available.

A New iPad Mini Is Rumored For 2019

A report from China Business News (as noted by AppleInsider) Apple is preparing a new version of the iPad min for 2019.

The report says a new, low-priced model of the 7.9-inch iPad mini is slated for the first half of 2019, with the supply chain starting production for the model in late December. The article also claims that a new version of the 9.7-inch tablet is coming next year, but will have a larger screen (more than 10 inches) in a narrower frame. 

A new 9.7-inch tablet is a given in my opinion, a new iPad mini, not so much. I feel like the mini is in that weird gray area, most people have a plus model, so why would they get the mini when they have that ? Only time will tell to see what Apple actually does. Thoughts ? 

Apple Rumored To Phase Out The iPad Mini From Its Lineup

According to a BGR report. Apple is planning to phase the iPad mini out of its lineup due to, decreased sales due to bigger smartphones such as the iPhone 7 Plus.

Quoting unnamed sources, the article says the mini has been “sized out of its own category” and has seen ever-decreasing sales. It’s uncertain if Apple plans to continue selling the iPad mini for a period of time without further updates, or if it will pull the device at some point in the near future.

The first generation iPad mini was announced on October 23, 2012 and was released on November 2, 2012. 

Target Offering $100 Gift Card With Apple Watch On Black Friday

Apart of Target’s Black Friday deals, every purchase

of an Apple Watch during Black Friday will entitle you to a free $100 Target gift card. The deal will be available with any model of the smart watch. Aside from the Apple Watch, Target will also be offering Black Friday deals on certain iPad models. The retail chain will be giving out a $150 Target gift card with every purchase of the iPad Air 2 (starting at $499), a $100 Target gift card with the  iPad mini 4 (starting at $399), and a $80 Target gift card with the iPad mini 2 (starting at $269). Note that Target’s Black Friday deals will start early as stores are scheduled to open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

The iPad Mini 4 Isn’t How Apple Advertised

When Apple announced the iPad mini 4 they advertised the device as a scaled down iPad Air 2, although the device has an A8 chip rather than the A8X found in the iPad Air 2. According to Ars Technica the A8 runs at 1.5 GHz, slightly faster than the 1.4 GHz A8 used in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Like the iPad Air 2, the iPad mini 4 also carries 2 GB of RAM. With the iPad mini 4 using a slower chip than the iPad Air 2 while still driving the same display resolution and similar other internals, performance won't be quite as good on the iPad mini 4. (The chart below is from Ars Technica)

Apple Removes The iPad Mini 1 From The iPad Line Up

Apple has quietly pulled the original iPad mini from the Apple Online Store this week. The nearly 3 year old iPad mini was announced in October 2012 as a smaller 7.9-inch version of the iPad, but the tablet has since been succeeded by the iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3, the latter featuring a Retina display, Touch ID and 64-bit A7 processor. Apple dropped the price of the iPad mini to $299 in October 2013 and further discounted the tablet to $249 in October 2014, but the device was a hard sell given the iPad mini 2 starts at $299 with newer features. Apple's remaining tablet lineup for sale includes the iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 2, and the company is widely rumored to introduce a larger 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" targeted at professional users later this year.

Phorm - A Different Way To Type On A Touch Screen

Tactus Technology is introducing a interesting new keyboard case today called Phorm that promises to bring tactile feedback to the typing experience while still using the touch screen keyboard. Phorm uses microfluids to raise a segments of a screen protector kept on with a frame and protective case to apply physical keys that appear and disappear at the swipe of switch. The goal is to improve typing speed and accuracy when typing with the iPad without requiring a keyboard you have to charge or pair with your tablet. Check out the video below to see Phorm in action. While the Phorm case adds tactile feedback to typing for use in portrait mode, it’s not designed to support tactile typing for landscape typing with the larger keyboard. The case is also only designed for use with Apple’s stock keyboard. Tactus is only targeting the 7.9-inch iPad mini with its first run of Phorm cases for Apple hardware while Phorm keyboard case won’t yet support the 9.7-inch iPad lineup, but that includes all three generations of the iPad mini. Anyone interested in Phorm for other devices including the iPhone 6 and iPad Air can vote on the company’s website.

Is The Nokia N1 An iPad Mini Wannabe ?

Microsoft announced the Nokia N1, with a 7.9-inch screen, 2048×1536 resolution, and aluminum design. The N1 will be released in China early next year for $250. It has an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a 5 megapixel front facing camera, with 32GB of storage. The Nokia N1 has a weight and thickness of 318g and 6.9mm and on the inside the Nokia N1 has a 64-bit, 2.4GHz Intel Atom quad core processor. Nokia hasn’t made it clear if the Nokia N1 will be a China only product or see a release outside of China.

Apple May Discontinue iPad Mini To Focus On Rumored iPad Pro

Looks like Apple may be planning to discontinue its iPad mini lineup in order to focus on the upcoming larger-screened "iPad Pro," according to reports. According to the reports Apple will cease updating the iPad mini next year, making the new iPad mini 3, released in October. A preference towards larger screen sizes, the introduction of the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus, declining iPad sales, and is a fierce competition in the tablet market are said to have led to Apple's alleged decision to discontinue the tablet. Apple has been known to pull resources away from products that are not selling well. For example, Apple has been investing fewer resources in the iPod touch, a device that no longer receives regular updates. The 5th generation iPod touch was released in 2012 and while the device received a major update at that time, only a few changes have been made since then, tweaking storage capacities and prices. It's possible the iPad mini could go the way of the iPod touch, remaining in the product lineup but receiving few updates.  The "iPad Pro" is rumored to have a screen size between 12.2 and 12.9 inches. It's said to be slightly thicker than the iPad Air 2, coming in at around 7mm, and it may have stereo speakers and an ultra HD display. A release date for the iPad Pro remains unclear, as Apple was said to be targeting an early 2015 launch but pushed back production in order to focus on the iPhone 6 Plus. Below is concept art of the iPad pro. 

iOS 8.1.1 To Adress Issues With iPhone 4s And iPad 2

Apple has recently released the first beta build of iOS 8.1.1 to developers. The first update to iOS 8.1 will include bug fixes, but the this release notes suggest a far more interesting development: the update promises to improve performance on the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, two of the oldest devices that support iOS 8. We'd also expect improvements for the original iPad Mini and the 5th-generation iPod Touch, which are internally similar to the 4S and iPad 2.

Apple Announces Media Event For October 16

Apple has recently announced a keynote address for Thursday, October 16th to take place at the Town Hall auditorium on its Infinite Loop Campus in Cupertino, California. The event will begin at 10 AM Pacific time and 1 PM Eastern Time. Apple is expected to announce new models of the iPad Air and iPad mini, with features including Touch ID, a thinner chassis, and design cues from the iPhone 6. Also expected to be announced is a release date for OS X Yosemite, the tenth iteration of OS X.

Next Generation iPads To Have Gold Color Option

According to Bloomberg, Gold could be a new color option or the next generation of iPads. The next generation iPad Air is to be unveiled by Apple at a special media event in October, along with an updated version of the 7.9 inch iPad mini with Retina display. The addition of a gold color choice for Apple’s iPad is expected to boost the tablet’s sales, which have been experiencing a decline in the past year. The option has proved quite popular among iPhone buyers since its introduction to the iPhone line with the debut of the iPhone 5s last year as well as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus