Apple decides to get ahead of the times and launch immediately the awaited new version of the iPad mini, equipped with a new chip, new colors and ready for the arrival ofartificial intelligence in the next year. The ultraportable tablet had been waiting for an updated version for some time but, after its absence during the September event, it was almost certain that it would be presented in the last week of October, when the new ones should be announced iMac mini and MacBook Pro equipped with the M4 chip. So let’s see what this new, more powerful, AI-ready tablet will look like and what it will look like compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro.
Small but even more powerful
According to Bob Borchers, Apple’s VP of marketing, “There is no other device in the world like the iPad mini. It offers all the beauty of iPad even in our most compact design, with an incredible value for money”. Apart from the exaggerations of advertisers, the arrival of the A17 Pro chip is certainly welcome, given that the powerful SoC used so far only on the iPhone 15 Pro is a clear step forward compared to the A15 Bionic. According to the benchmarks announced by Apple, the CPU performance is higher than 30% while the 5-core GPU has a 15% improvement over the previous generation. Users who hoped to see on the iPad mini anything other than the M4 chip available on the iPad Pro will certainly be disappointed at least the A18 of the iPhone 16 but the chip will certainly be able to handle professional applications, photo editing and much more. Confirming Apple’s interest in the gaming sector, the press release boasts of new functions designed for games but a large part of users will certainly be more interested in productivity uses.
To make the “small” Apple device even more useful for business users, the introduction of Wi-Fi 6E, around twice as fast compared to the previous generation, it seems like a good move, like the possibility of having a eSim instead of the physical card on Cellular models, which have both Wi-Fi and 5G available in more than 190 countries and territories. For those who use the iPad as an additional screen at the desk, the fact that the USB-C port is twice as fast in data transfer it will certainly be a big step forward. iPad cameras have never been particularly high-performance but, at least on the new mini, they will be able to exploit artificial intelligence to identify documents directly from the Camera app, avoiding having to use a dedicated scanner.
Pencil Pro and smart functions
Artists and designers will be eager to use the Pencil Pro with the new mini, given the new features available to users, such as rotation to more precisely control the angle of the stroke or brushstroke or the possibility of checking the orientation of the chosen tool even before touching the surface of the screen. Attached to the magnetic dock, it looks like it ideal tool for this new tablet, which is also compatible with normal Pencils. The smart functions of iPad OS are certainly interesting, such as the integration of the Pencil in the Calculator app to solve equations more naturally, or the Smart Handwriting option for make it more readable real-time graphics. Also interesting is the Transcription function, which will allow the iPad to detect a lesson or conversation and synchronize transcripts with audio, making it possible to immediately jump to the right point in a video. Add in the redesigned Control Center, improvements to the Photos app that makes the most of the larger screen size, and the new mini instantly becomes more interesting.
To make the most of the potential of the new tablet, however, we will have to wait for the launch of Apple Intelligencewhich should be available in Italian during 2025. Although it is not yet clear which of these functions will be available in the territory of the European Union due to the ongoing dispute with Apple, the Cupertino company says it is certain that its flexible approach between remote and local computing capacity could make the difference for the end user. We’ll have to wait for the launch of iPadOS 18.1 to see how it will work Apple Intelligence on models equipped with the A17 Pro or M1 chip and later. Apple talks about “pleasant, intuitive and simple experiences”the possibility of rewriting, correcting and summarizing texts automatically but above all the integration into the communication system new Siri. Communicating with the virtual assistant will be “even more natural and flexible”especially when it comes to questions about how to use Apple devices or simply search for a photo from your archive typing a description summary. As far as we understand, it will take a few months before we see all the functions designed by Apple for its AI, while the integration of ChatGPT in iPadOS 18 should be simplerincluding new privacy protection tools.
Available immediately
If Apple boasts that the new iPad mini was made with the 100% recycled aluminium but also gold, tin and rare earths in various components, plastic-free packaging will certainly be appreciated by users who are more sensitive to environmental issues. The new iPad mini is already available for reservations from October 15th on the official website or on the Apple Store app in 29 countries and territories, including Italy. The new model of Apple’s portable tablet arrives in four colors: apart from the classic galaxy and space grey, there will also be the colors blue and purple. The price is in line with previous versions: €609 for the Wi-Fi version e €779 for the Cellular version with 5G, both with 128 GB of storage space. Deliveries and free sales in various physical and online stores are expected starting from Wednesday October 23.
As per Apple tradition, to have 256 or 512 GB the price goes up well over 1,000 euros but still the step forward compared to the 64 GB of the previous version is welcome. The Education discount is still available, dedicated to university students but also to teachers and staff of each institute: in this case we will start from €549. Also available immediately is the Apple Pencil Pro, which will cost €149 and the new Smart Folio, the magnetic cover in various colors at €69 as the trade-in program that Apple dedicates to users who own older versions of its products.
The improvements to one of the most interesting tablets on the market are interesting but the doubt remains on the availability or otherwise of Apple Intelligence: right at the end of the official press release, Apple confirms that “not currently available on iPad in the EU”a bad blow that could limit the appeal of Apple products in the Old Continent.