A New iPad Mini Is Coming, But Apple May Have Trouble Justifying It

Last October, Apple released the iPad mini 7 with the A17 Pro chip. It was the first major update to the compact tablet since the sixth generation from 2021. Apple upgraded the seventh-gen model with a more capable chip, 8 GB of RAM, and Apple Intelligence capabilities. In addition to that, the multitasking features on iPadOS 26 made it even more useful — not just as a content machine, but also as a portable on-the-go computer.

However, as enticing as the iPad mini is, Apple is struggling with the growth of its iPad business. In the last quarter, the company attained a revenue of $6.6 billion, down from $7.2 billion over the same period last year. The most affected business is the iPad lineup, which shows that people are finding it hard to justify the price of the company's tablets. Apple might have an even harder time justifying a new iPad mini, especially due to its price point.

In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says there's "absolutely" a new iPad mini on the way. While the journalist doesn't add a timeframe for this release, he questions whether customers are "clamoring for it," especially due to its $500 price point. While the iPad mini has been considered a great option for a portable tablet, it seems like the small form factor is working against it, especially with rumors of an iPhone Fold launching next year. With that, the journalist suggests that a cheaper alternative might make more sense for Apple instead of a premium one, especially with its rival products costing a lot less.

I've had a few iPad mini models through the years, and while the form factor was interesting at first, it was never a good Amazon Kindle replacement; it was too small for video streaming on planes, and using split view wasn't very enjoyable due to the cramped screen. I prefer having a bigger iPad Pro with accessories than a device I can't fully take advantage of.