Today saw the return of rumors relating to Apple's iPad mini and I am absolutely here for them. Rumors of a redesigned iPad mini aren't new — but with this round, it seems more real than ever. And, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, it's coming this fall.
The iPad mini has always been my most favorite of iPads, even if I can't quite articulate why that is most of the time. Those who know me will point to my unusually small hands as the reason wielding a big boy iPad isn't my cup of tea, but that's not it. It's just cute and portable and lovely. I really dig an iPad mini, and I can't wait to be able to recommend one again. And probably buy one again, too.
Recommending anyone buy an iPad mini hasn't been easy of late. It was last refreshed in 2019 which means it's using a relatively old chip inside. It's speedy, sure, but it isn't competing with the best Apple silicon that's around in 2021. I'm hoping that'll be fixed soon enough.
More importantly for many, the iPad mini refresh is set to make it look like a modern iPad again. An iPad Air-like design and the removal of the Home button will see to that. Smaller bezels will hopefully allow for a slightly larger screen without making the device any larger, too. Or make the chassis smaller — either way, I think I'll take it. Throw in some funky colors and Apple will have a winner.
One thing that Apple got right in 2019 was the addition of Apple Pencil support and this new design could make the iPad mini the single best note-taking device ever made. Sure, other iPads support Apple Pencil, but they're just so big. And yes, the old iPad mini supported it too but, well, look at it. There's a big circle at the bottom of the screen taking up valuable space. It'd be nice to get support for the second generation of Apple Pencil as well, but we can't get too greedy now, can we?
No, a new iPad mini is the kind of thing that should be in every school bag and every business suitcase. Hopefully Apple can keep the price to a point that makes that viable, too.
Still need something bigger? That new iPad Air is sweet — and there are some great iPad Air deals to be had.
