We marked October 22 on the calendar and canceled our appointments. We were almost certain that Apple would hold its second fall keynote that day and unveil new Macs and iPads. But then, just when we were waiting for an invite, Cupertino sent us a press release with details about the 7th generation iPad mini… and nothing else.
To be clear, I think it’s good news that we finally have a new 8-inch tablet three years after the last update. And Apple was clear about the key innovation in its announcement: the iPad mini 7 is designed for Apple Intelligence, which is why it gets the A17 Pro processor from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro. (Granted, considering we still have to wait a while for Apple Intelligence to be available in the EU and probably even longer for Apple’s generative AI to work in German, this doesn’t knock my socks off. But I welcome it for my American friends.)
Nothing else has changed. Even the front camera remains in portrait format, although this is a less obvious design error on the mini than on larger iPads since it’s used more as a selfie camera. The colors are also slightly different, with pastel shades somewhere between the trendy iPad 10 and the serious iPad Pro. But color is rarely a reason to buy.
Where does that leave the iPad?
The new iPad mini will certainly find a market, just like its predecessors. This line has had unexpected successes in certain professions: for example, it is popular in aviation, saving crews from having to carry heavy manuals into the cockpit. In medicine, the compact tablet fits neatly into the pocket of a lab coat and provides doctors with all the information they need during their visits. Thanks to the iPad mini, there is no longer any need to print x-rays.
In fact, anyone who sets their Kindle’s text to the largest size should consider the iPad mini for reading books. Graphic novels in particular benefit enormously from the mini’s ultra-sharp, high-contrast screen. The new iPad mini is also highly recommended as a notepad and drawing board for people in school, university or professional training.
But the first serious question raised by the 7th generation iPad mini particularly concerns the latter target group. Where is the standard iPad?
Apple hasn’t updated the vanilla iPad since 2022, but it was a memorable (if controversial) launch. The Lightning connector has given way to a USB-C port, the home button has disappeared in favor of a larger screen and Touch ID has been integrated into the on/off switch, like the iPad Air and the iPad mini. More surprisingly, Apple took the opportunity to experiment with a new camera position on the long edge. This was apparently well received by customers, despite the arrival of an annoying new adapter for the 1st generation Apple Pencil. But last year there was no new iPad at all, which is unusual for a device that Apple has updated every year since its return in 2017.
So what stopped Apple from launching the 11th generation iPad this month, alongside the new iPad mini? Of course: that’s the problem with Apple Intelligence.
The chip in the 10th generation iPad was a generation older than that in the contemporary iPad mini, even though the iPad itself was a year younger. This makes sense, given the price gap. But if Apple were to maintain this system and launch an iPad 11 with a chip a generation older than the A17 Pro in the new mini – probably an A16 – then where would that leave Apple Intelligence? This would not be supported. Apple Intelligence requires 8GB of RAM, which means it needs an A17 Pro or higher or an M-class chip.
That leaves Apple with only three options for the 11th generation iPad, none of which are appealing. Install an A16 and manage without Apple Intelligence? Surely not: Apple wants training data for its new AI platform, and that means attracting as many users as possible. Use the M1 instead? This might be confusing for customers, but it’s doable. Wait another year to launch the 11th generation iPad? This may be the best option, because many of the iPad’s target markets, in schools and the public sector, simply don’t need a new model every year.
And the Mac?
There is a second important question raised by the 7th generation iPad mini. Where does this leave the Mac? Especially the MacBook Pro M4 and the Mac mini M4 (Pro). When will they be announced?
We expected a detailed keynote in October with news about the Mac and iPad. With the tablet apparently covered by the announcement of the new iPad mini, will Apple offer a Mac-only show? And if that was the case, surely it would have been time to mention the new iPad at the end of the event? The press release calls everything into question.
What we do know is that a Mac event is definitely needed: the Mac mini M4 (Pro) is almost as late as the iPad mini 7, and the MacBook Pro M4 has already appeared on the Russian gray market. But with time passing from the originally planned date, we may have to push back our expectations to October 28.
Then again, maybe Apple will introduce the new machines on Halloween, like last year. We put it on our calendars. And we better cancel our appointments, just to be safe.
This article was originally published on our sister publication Macwelt and has been translated and localized from German.
