Apple insider says decline in iPad mini inventory might lead to something new

A tweet written by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman notes that inventories of the iPad mini are low at Apple Stores. Additionally, he writes that inside Apple, the device is constrained. Gurman, as close to being a Cupertino insider as any journalist, points out that the iPad mini hasn't been updated since 2021 and says that Apple is due to push out a new model soon. This new model, he adds, could be updated so that it can support Apple Intelligence.

For the seventh-generation iPad mini to support Apple's AI initiative, it will have to be equipped with the A17 Pro application processor (AP) or one of Apple's M-series chips. Considering that the sixth-gen model is powered by the A15 Bionic, it seems that an upgrade to an AI-compatible chip is likely. The 6th-generation model, released in 2021, brought Face ID to the device.

While Apple did move the Face ID components and the front-facing camera to landscape from portrait on this year's releases (11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro and iPad Air), the iPad mini is designed to be held in portrait mode which makes it likely that Apple decides not to follow suit on this device. We would like to see Apple add a ProMotion display and its 120Hz refresh rate to the next iteration of the iPad mini. After all, the display on the last release suffered from jelly scrolling which is when one side of the display moves faster than the other side.

The jelly scrolling only appeared with the iPad mini held in portrait mode. If Apple does add the ProMotion display to the seventh-gen iPad mini and the faster refresh rate doesn't eliminate the issue entirely, it should at the very least reduce the severity of the issue.

The sixth-generation iPad mini features an 8.3-inch LCD display with a 1488 x 2266 resolution. In addition to the 12MP front-facing camera, the device sports a 12MP single rear-facing camera. A 5078mAh battery keeps the lights on. Since this model did come with a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, Apple won't have to make any changes in that area.

Apple could introduce the seventh-generation iPad mini during the September 9 Glowtime event. If that's the case, the mini tablet would join the iPhone 16 series, the Apple Watch Series 10, the Apple Watch SE 3, and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. The rumor mill also calls for two new fourth-gen AirPods to be introduced during the event. One would have the traditional basic specs while a more expensive model would include Active Noise Cancelation.

If a new iPad mini doesn't show up during the event on September 9th, it could be announced later during another event, or unveiled via a press release.