Apple surprised everyone yesterday by introducing an updated iPad mini. What was less surprising was the package itself. It has the same look and feel, but it’s doused in a few new colors and riding atop the might of A17 Pro silicon to enable Apple Intelligence.
“Built for Apple Intelligence,” says the company in its press headline. The tablet’s 8.3-inch screen has been blessed with support for Apple Pencil Pro, which bestows tricks like pressure recognition for strokes, hover, barrel roll, haptic feedback, and Find My support.
The asking price is still $500 for the Wi-Fi variant, while the cellular version will have you spending $649. Thankfully, the base storage capacity is now 128GB, not 64GB. That’s the end of the story for upgrades, and it leaves me awfully confused about what the point of the new iPad mini is — and who should buy it.
The new iPad mini doesn’t fix anything.
In hindsight, that also means the iPad mini doesn’t improve on any meaningful aspects that also held back its predecessor. Ever since Apple introduced the sixth-generation iPad mini with its flashy redesign, I’ve often asked myself a question: “Just how fast do I want my small tablet to be, and how deep should I dig into my wallet for it?” Yes, it’s small. A darn near perfect size for reading e-books. Maybe a bit of video watching and some casual games. The build quality is astonishingly great, too.
As far as creative work goes, I am not sure how many people go for the iPad mini as a serious work machine. Maybe, as an on-the-go, stop-gap slate. Or maybe an enthusiast hoping to get a feel for tools like Procreate before jumping to something like the iPad Air or Pro.
Earlier this year, while testing a Wacom tablet with a 13-inch OLED screen, I asked architects and fashion designers about their take on the thin slate. They loved the sleek machine but said it’s still not the best size for serious sketching or illustration work.
Battery life is purely subjective as far as the mini tablet goes. For me, I regularly went past a whole day on the 2021 model. But my use-case scenario was “conditional” at best. A bit of reading, a couple of short OSINT lessons, and checking emails.
I don’t see how the 2024 iPad mini will change any of that. The silicon is fast. I reckon it goes toe-to-toe with the best that Android has to offer. I am just unsure what I will get out of all that firepower. Future-proofing? Certainly.
Then comes the question of Apple Intelligence, which many see as the Trojan Horse that would redefine the iOS and iPadOS experience. So far, that hasn’t happened in whatever little capacity Apple Intelligence has arrived.
Interestingly, despite all its pitfalls, there’s an audience ready to lap up the iPad mini. It has a legion of ardent fans. Most of them adore its small form factor, and this tiny tablet just works for them for whatever utility it delivers.
I am just not sure the 2024 iPad mini offers anything meaningful to that audience — or to those still sticking to the older version with bezels as thick as a cocktail sausage. Why run to the nearest Apple Store for the new one when the old horse is still kicking and galloping?
