A folding iPad would be too expensive to replace iPad Mini, according to Apple analyst
A folding iPad would be too expensive to replace iPad Mini, according to Apple analyst
An iPad Mini 7 with updated internals is expected by early 2024, however
Rumors of a folding replacement to the iPad Mini don’t hold water, according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who speculates it would be too expensive to feasibly take over the spot of the iPad Mini 7 in the lineup.
Several rumors this year suggested a new folding iPad would replace next iPad Mini, but Kuo says instead that Apple is working on an incremental update to its popular 8.3-inch tablet, the primary draw of which will be a new processor, due to ship sometime in late 2023 or early 2024.
It sounds like Kuo expects the new iPad Mini 7 will otherwise be unchanged from the iPad Mini 6, which shouldn’t surprise, given the tiny tablet just saw a major redesign with the current model, which released in late 2021. It brought with it USB-C, as well as the new flat-sized design language which marks nearly all of Apple’s currently-produced tablets and phones (the company still sells the 9th generation 10.2-inch iPad, which retains the old design language).
The new iPad Mini, if it comes in 2023, could be joined by a massive new 16-inch iPad, which rumors suggested in October could be in the offing. Aimed at professionals, that tablet would be the biggest Apple has ever created, and one of the largest tablets on the market, period. Big or small, either tablet could likely hold a place within our best iPad list.