We’re only a few weeks out from Apple season – that magical time of year when Apple unveils a bunch of new hardware – and there are already rumors about what moves Cupertino could make next.
Apparently, Apple is planning on killing the iPad Mini.
This rumor comes from Chinese publication UDN, via Phone Arena. It also comes with a side of salt, from which a large grain needs to be taken.
This rumor comes on the heels of likely the most unimpressive iPad Mini update ever. At a press event last month, Apple unveiled two new iPad models – the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3. Only one of those featured any sort of real upgrades at all.
And it wasn’t the Mini.
The new iPad Air 2 is thinner and faster with a prettier screen and a better camera. The new iPad Mini 3 is not.
Basically, the iPad Mini 3 is barely an improvement over the last-gen iPad Mini. Physical specs? Same. Processor? Same. Display? Same. There is a Touch ID on the new iPad Mini, and you can get one in gold – so there’s that.
The new iPad Mini sure seemed like an afterthought, and people are reportedly not impressed. According to a report from ecommerce firm Slice Intelligence, 93 percent of all iPad pre-orders are for the iPad Air 2. So, only 7% of Apple fans who’ve decided to spring for a brand new iPad have chosen the iPad Mini 3.
The new rumor sees Apple putting all of its focus on the much-discussed but still unseen 12.9-inch iPad model – set to debut in 2015 after it was delayed in the face of iPhone manufacturing issues.
Plus, there’s now a 5.5-inch iPhone that might just be cannibalizing the 7.9-inch iPad Mini.
Once again – rumor, rumor rumor. But it’s an interesting one. Do you really see a place for the iPad Mini in Apple’s future repertoire, especially with the introduction of those giant new iPhones?
Image via Apple