The fall season is always an interesting period for Apple’s fans, as the company is typically surrounded by lots of rumors around that time, many of them about potential new devices coming out. And while Apple themselves always prefer to stay quiet on those issues, and it’s rare to see the company directly addressing any of their rumors, this has never stopped their fans from discussing the possibilities.
Right now, most of the attention is focused on the iPad Mini 5, which is expected to be officially announced by the end of this month. After that, the device is rumored to arrive to the market by March next year.
Of course, none of this is confirmed by Apple themselves yet, and knowing how many rumors about their products have turned out to be false in the past, fans should take this with a grain of salt. But it’s about time for a new iPad Mini, and the market seems to be in a good state for such a release as well.
The exact features of the tablet are unknown of course, but rumors indicate that Apple may have taken some inspiration from the recently revealed iPhone 7. Among other things, the new iPad could continue the company’s trend of removing the headphone jack from their devices.
This was a highly controversial move when they announced the change for the new iPhone, and many industry experts are closely focused on Apple right now, curious what steps the company will take next. If they have been paying attention to all the backlash, they might want to reverse their decision and restore the 3.5mm jack for future devices.
But if the company releases another device with a similarly absent headphone jack, this is probably a good indication that the trend is here to stay, and they are actively considering its integration into the rest of their devices.
Because of this alone, some see the release of the iPad Mini 5 as an important one, as it could signify certain things about the future of Apple’s lineup. The new tablet might also come with some innovative hardware improvements, according to some rumors, making it a hot talk as soon as it’s announced.
That last bit would be a little confusing however, as the iPhone 7 itself came without much in the way of innovation. In fact, many saw the device as a rehash of the iPhone 6 with a new name and minus the headphone jack.
In that context, it would be strange to see Apple putting more creative effort into the design of the iPad Mini 5, a device which is arguably lower in their rankings compared to the titan that is the iPhone. It’s also possible that Apple had some ideas for the iPhone 7 which they could not implement in time, and the iPad Mini 5 is their next chance to reveal them to the world.
Other rumors indicate that the iPad Mini 5 is actually not going to come at all, as Apple are consolidating their lines and are possibly going to remove that model.
This rumor has been roaming around in Apple’s circles for quite a while now, but we don’t really know what to make of it anymore. It started with the iPod, with claims that the device is going to be phased out in favor of the iPhone, but that didn’t happen.