iPad mini 2024 replace: when AI is extra vital than what customers truly need

In a full plethora of {hardware} updates this fall, Apple additionally shocked us with a brand new iPad mini. That’s proper — the extra-small iPad, which is lighter than an iPad Air and solely barely larger than an iPhone 16 Professional Max apparently sells effectively sufficient to warrant an replace, whereas the great previous iPhone 13 mini is left within the mud.OK, cool — I do discover it a cute little pill, though I can’t think about myself getting sufficient worth out of it, so I’m not tempted to personal one. Had Apple added a couple of upgrades with the brand new mannequin, perhaps I’d’ve thought twice about it… However was there truly an improve?

What improve?

The iPad mini (2024) seems, feels, and operates just like the one from 2021, often known as iPad mini sixth gen. Its design is just about like a contemporary iPad Air, simply… smaller.

Over the previous few years, Apple has finished lots to make iPadOS much less of a punchline to a “What does it do?” joke, and extra an working system that walks the road between cellular and desktop. To various success and differing opinions — I’m not right here to argue that proper now.

However does the iPad mini profit from any of these enhancements? Nicely…

We get Apple Intelligence

It looks as if the improve was finished for one factor and one factor solely — to offer the iPad mini a extra highly effective Apple A17 Professional processor (identical as within the iPhone 15 Professional), and thus make the small pill suitable with the brand new and upcoming Apple AI options.

Yeah, the identical AI options which were met with lukewarm reception and no person can nonetheless work out if and the way they’re helpful.

Which may be a bit harsh, nevertheless it’s coming from a spot of desirous to see precise iPad mini upgrades.

The iPad mini updates that the group wished

One would’ve hoped to see Apple try to sort out the jello scrolling impact of the iPad mini. Because it’s such a tiny pill, which makes use of the “all display entrance” design, Apple was fairly restricted in the way to place and make the most of the LCD display driver (controller).

Lengthy story brief — scrolling up and down on the iPad mini “squishes” the image momentarily, making it really feel a bit wobbly. Therefore why it was dubbed the jello scroll.

To be truthful, most individuals that love the iPad mini for what it’s have discovered to like with that admittedly minor oddity. It comes with the territory of getting such a small but comparatively highly effective pill, with stereo audio system and all that.

However the hope was “Apple will certainly… certainly work on enhancing that with the subsequent iteration, proper?”.

Nah, of us, the brand new iPad mini (2024) has not been touched hardware-wise. Apparently, Apple believes that giving us… AI is sufficient of an improve, no precise perfecting of the {hardware} is required!

Then, there’s the added insult of not including Stage Supervisor help.

OK, I get it, the iPad mini is just not priced excessive sufficient to be bought as a “critical iPad”, nevertheless it’s additionally not as low cost because the $350 base iPad, proper? The iPad mini (2024) begins at $500, which is sort of steep contemplating that its measurement actually limits its usefulness to a handful of functions.

It could’ve been very a lot appreciated if the iPad mini (2024) was capable of help Stage Supervisor when hooked as much as an exterior monitor. As it’s proper now, connecting it to a giant display offers you a display mirror of no matter’s on the iPad.

That’s a little bit of a slap within the face in late 2024. The iPad Air and iPad Professional can provide you a desktop atmosphere, which is admittedly not as handy as engaged on a laptop computer or PC. However it could actually enable you to out in a pinch.

Digital nomads that love utilizing the iPad mini for its portability have been quietly hoping for non-obligatory Stage Supervisor help on the brand new iPad mini — the A17 Professional processor can deal with it. Adventurous powerusers have truly gotten it to work (sorry, such mods will not be tremendous protected or steady, so we might relatively not hyperlink to them).

However no… we don’t get that. We do get some AI options, although!

So, why was the iPad mini (2024) made?

I used to be a bit cynical all through this text, however I do consider there’s but one more reason why Apple up to date the iPad mini.You’ll have observed that Cupertino has lastly determined to wash up the mess of various Apple Pencil variations which have amassed through the years (Pencil Gen 1, Pencil Gen 2, Pencil Gen 1 however USB-C, Pencil that appears like a pencil, and so on. and so on.).

Now, there are solely two fashions — Apple Pencil (USB-C) and Apple Pencil Professional. And that’s good!

Nevertheless, the brand new Apple Pencil Professional requires a unique array of magnets for latching onto the iPad, and I do consider that this was one other driving drive behind rapidly updating the iPad mini. Positive, on one hand, it was the AI, on the opposite — Apple wanted to refresh the mini rapidly and painlessly, so it could actually clear up older stylus fashions and streamline its tablets and equipment portfolio.

And that, I consider, is an efficient factor. Promoting a tool with A17 Professional that purposefully doesn’t make use of the A17 Professional — not a lot.