The long wait for a new iPad mini is reportedly finally nearing the end. An updated version will supposedly launch in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The last update to the diminutive tablet was a major one, but it was also two years ago.
A new iPad mini 7 for 2023
The iPad mini 6 from 2021 dumped the Home button to make room for an 8.3-inch screen, up from the old 7.8-inch one. It also dropped Lightning in favor of a USB-C connector, and support for Apple Pencil 2 was added.
As good as it is, an improved version of the tablet from September 2021 is allegedly on the way. A prediction of “a new small-size iPad in the fourth quarter” came Monday from Taiwan’s Digitimes.
What new features?
No details of the 2023 model were revealed. Another redesign is probably unlikely, but a strong possibility is a faster processor. The current version runs an Apple A15, while newer iPhones run either an Apple 17 or A16.
Whether the $499 price will change is anyone’s guess.
The 2023 iPad mini 7 might be on the agenda for an October Apple event along with new MacBooks and an iMac, all with the M3 processor.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
