190: Major iPad Mini Redesign Coming Soon/What’s Next for the iPad

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I’m ready to dive into Apple’s most interesting iPad right now, because the next iPad mini looks like the most pro‑leaning overhaul it has ever had.

Set the stage: what’s actually changing on the mini, and why now?

Apple seems to be flipping the usual playbook by giving the mini the new design first, then handing it to the Air a year later; think thinner body, slimmer bezels, a slightly larger 8.7‑inch OLED screen, and a feature list that feels closer to a shrunken Air than a base iPad.

Mini refreshes can feel sleepy, but an OLED screen is a real jump; do you actually use a mini day to day?

I owned the 2021 mini, loved its playful, iPod‑touch vibe, but sold it because I did not reach for it enough; it shines for reading and light content because it is so easy to hold.

I keep trying to make it my e‑reader at home, but it is almost too capable and I get distracted, which is exactly why Kindles keep people focused.

That portability is the real hook; the bigger iPads are great on a long flight, but the mini is the one you actually toss in a bag, and this thinner, slightly larger OLED version should feel even more like a mini Pro.

Does that all add up to a higher price, like an extra hundred dollars?

I expect it to land around six hundred dollars because OLED adds cost, and Apple is also switching to a vibration‑based speaker design that paves the way for the first IP‑rated water‑resistant iPad and likely ditches the classic perforated grilles.

iPads already seem fairly splash‑tough and certification is pricey, but true water resistance would make poolside or bath reading much less stressful; I have dropped an iPad in water and it survived.

Apple gear often outperforms its official ratings, but I still want this direction, and I would love to see a water‑resistant MacBook someday.

Sales‑wise, does a better mini move the needle, and how does it stack up against other iPads?

The Air generally feels like the mainstream pick while Pro units are pricier niche buys, and the mini is its own thing because of size; it is not the tablet you choose for heavy creative work with a keyboard attached.

Recent estimates put mini around nine to ten percent of iPad units, sitting behind the base iPad and Pro in share.

Either way, the big story is that the Air should mirror the mini’s redesign next, and that could eat into Pro demand because an OLED Air that gets thinner and nicer to hold covers most use cases.

At this point, the only headline‑making iPad move left is a foldable.

If a 13‑inch iPad Pro could fold down to mini size, I would buy it instantly; it solves portability, opens laptop‑style angles on a table, and finally gives the Pro a clear reason to exist at a higher price.

We have seen PC concepts with glass keyboards, and aside from OLED, everything else feels like small annual nudges.

The last decade brought M‑series chips, Stage Manager, MiniLED to OLED, and big thinness gains, but we are hitting peak iPad until a foldable arrives, possibly late in the decade; meanwhile Air and even MacBook Air could get OLED and maybe high refresh, pushing many of us down from Pro.

If the Air gets OLED and high refresh, almost no one needs a Pro anymore.

Once the Air adds faster I O and better external display support, there is little left to separate, while iPhone and Mac still have obvious levers like variable aperture, touch screens, cellular Macs, and water resistance.

Battery life on iPads already cruises through long flights, though more is always welcome.

Real battery breakthroughs would be huge across categories, but the iPad is a slower‑moving product that is less central to Apple’s bottom line than iPhone.

The lineup naming still bugs me; it should be a simple base model with a mini size option, then Air in the middle, then Pro at the top.

At this rate the Pro could merge into Air if features keep trickling down, and the next Air will be the default pick for almost everyone.

It already is my go‑to recommendation.

Even power users will be happy once the Air fixes display quality, bezels, and thickness; the foldable iPad now seems likely to trail a foldable iPhone, so Pro risks drifting in limbo.

Speaking of, I am not convinced the foldable iPhone ships this year given the slips we keep hearing about.

A delay into December is possible and not unprecedented, since Apple has staggered big iPhone launches before.

If it lands late, Apple still needs a September story beyond the standard phones, which likely means watches, but those updates feel light.

Series 12 sounds like another tiny step, and we just lived through a year where the stainless Series 11 without cellular was effectively the same as the 10.

I swapped to Series 11 mainly for the size because the Ultra is too big for me.

My Series 8 still feels fine, and year‑over‑year Apple Watch changes are now the smallest of all Apple products.

Back to iPads for a beat: the new mini and Air will be fun to cover, but I will probably keep using my Pro.

The iPad is wonderful yet least essential for me; I would give it up before my Mac, iPhone, AirPods, or Watch.

Travel keeps the iPad in my bag as a plane and hotel TV, but at home it mostly sits.

Entry‑level iPads remain incredible value and will feel fresher with a faster chip and Apple Intelligence, even if many of us still rank them last in daily necessity.

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