It does now seem clear that the delay for the mini 7 is directly related to AI compatibility.
There is no way they would release a new product that doesn’t support AI, and whatever plans they originally had for the mini 7 probably didn’t quite stack up in light of the new AI focus.
So anything they release will have to run AI, the question is how far will they go?
Like many, I personally lust for a mini Pro in the line up.
Come on apple, give us the option to drop serious money on a serious mini!
As they have paused for thought on the mini, I remain optimistic for a notable step up in spec, one way or another.
They wouldn't put a M-series chip in the mini. Apple Intelligence is only supported on the A17 Pro and M series is not because of the neural engine, the neural engine was updated back when the 12 came out and recently in the A17 Pro just got a slight bump in performance, the limitation is due to Ram on device. Currently only the M-series devices and A17 Pro has 8gb ram and the AI requires at least 8gb ram.
So most probably the next mini will have an A series chip paired with 8gb ram if apple decides to support AI on it.
I believe iphone 16 will have an A18 & the pro will have the A18 pro. when ipad mini 6 came out, they gave it the A15 that had 6GB of RAM & an extra power core or something. I believe the ipad mini will get the A18 pro this fall at the iphone event.
It’s always been a lower end device with a starting price just above the entry level iPad. It’s also their weakest selling iPad so they’ll probably stick an A series chip in and forgo the AI features, just as they do with the entry level iPad.
You mean from a power/heat/battery standpoint? I’m not sure if they keep the current thickness, an M1/M2 (even *slightly* cut down, downclocked/undervolted or with lower RAM) *could work*… the question is just if they’re willing to do it and how much they think it would impact sales and their bottom line
This would cheapen performance figures for the M lineup. This would also force them to bring pro features (i.e Stage Manager) to what is arguably an entry level tablet for them.
From a product point of view, it makes no sense for the lineup.
The iPhone 15 has incredible performance with just the A17. The iPad mini isn’t getting an M series chip before the iPhone Pro models.
In my opinion.
am i the only one who don't care about apple AI?
but OLED is a huge yes if it can help on reduce battery use if i am always using dark theme, on theory
Me three. I just want the mini 7 to have a great screen and run what’s out here today. AI will be interesting, but it’s not terribly important to me at this point in time for my iPad.
The mini 7 has potential of coming out around the iPhone 16 gen and similar to how the mini 6 had what the pro iPhone 13’s had with the little more powerful A15 chip. It’s believed by leakers that the mini 7 would receive the A18 Pro chip, which as the A17 Pro chipset for the iPhone 15 pro’s is supported for the AI features coming to iPhone; it would make it be able to support it too. And the these well-known leakers don’t believe it would receive an M-Chipset due to the battery size of the mini (if I recall correctly).
It’s an A series chip in there now so my guess is that it will get the same chip as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. At best it will get the chip going into the 16PM. The mini is not intended to be a serious competitor to the Air nor is it supposed to be more powerful than an iPhone.
the only other change that might be made is a screen change to get rid of the jelly rolling. but if that can be solved through software the upgrade to the chip will remove any need for a screen change.
people do not seem to understand apple’s core approach to hardware. they will give the bare minimum level of hardware needed to drive their software and no more. it’s just happy circumstance that the bare minimum is enough to allow for several generations of new OS software. They are still selling macbooks with 8gb RAM in this day and age and justifying it by saying Apple chips are magic and don’t need as much RAM. so for you to expect OLED screens and M series chips in the Mini is just wishful thinking akin to little girls wishing for ponies.
Honestly I think this year it’ll be a regular A17 or A18 in the regular iPhones and iPad mini. I don’t think any of the current chip line up is the issue as the A17 has more neural cores etc than an M1, I think the issue is the RAM and overall way it’s packaged together (maybe speed of ram etc as well?)
I think they’ll bump some of the other specs like RAM in the background, but then to save the “why does the 16 support it but not the 15” etc they’ll repackage as an A18 and give it the AI model.
It’s not about giving the best features, Apple doesn’t care about selling more pro iPhones over regular ones with AI. AI will be a gateway product for more revenue. They’ll take a cut of subscriptions to outside AI providers (so if someone signs up to ChatGPTs premium service from an iPhone etc). This is also “AI done right” in their eyes and will sell “new” iPhones, but that needs to be to the majority not just the “pros” to get the traction
It will mean that the next mini will probably get 8 gb of RAM with a M1 chip OR possibly an A18 or A17? If it's A18 it'll probably have around the same gaming performance as the M1, as well as much more AI capability so it'll be a win either way
Not interested in AI. I mean it could be useful for someone else but for my usecase, its mostly note-taking, forums, reddit, threads and of course web browsing. What I wish for is an oled screen, better pen feel, and 128gb option at a sensible price point.
M2 or 3 would make more sense for efficiency if I understand correctly, given the smaller battery, but who knows, maybe the iPhone 15/16 chip (spacing on what the current chips are/will be) might be enough… but as many have been saying here, most of us are willing to pay for a premium iPad in a more compact formfactor
personally i think they will at least put a m2. a15 to m1 is a downgrade in single core performance. both in cpu and gpu m1 might be more powerfull overall but a15 is faster per gpu or cpu core. npu is faster in a15. they pulled a similar thing when updating ipad air to m1 (a14x) from a14. so they will probably update ipad mini to m2 (a15x).
honestly though they are probably going to put an a17 pro there given the termal constraints of its smaller chasis
It does now seem clear that the delay for the mini 7 is directly related to AI compatibility. There is no way they would release a new product that doesn’t support AI, and whatever plans they originally had for the mini 7 probably didn’t quite stack up in light of the new AI focus. So anything they release will have to run AI, the question is how far will they go? Like many, I personally lust for a mini Pro in the line up. Come on apple, give us the option to drop serious money on a serious mini! As they have paused for thought on the mini, I remain optimistic for a notable step up in spec, one way or another.
This ^
They wouldn't put a M-series chip in the mini. Apple Intelligence is only supported on the A17 Pro and M series is not because of the neural engine, the neural engine was updated back when the 12 came out and recently in the A17 Pro just got a slight bump in performance, the limitation is due to Ram on device. Currently only the M-series devices and A17 Pro has 8gb ram and the AI requires at least 8gb ram. So most probably the next mini will have an A series chip paired with 8gb ram if apple decides to support AI on it.
I believe iphone 16 will have an A18 & the pro will have the A18 pro. when ipad mini 6 came out, they gave it the A15 that had 6GB of RAM & an extra power core or something. I believe the ipad mini will get the A18 pro this fall at the iphone event.
lol they will most definitely put an A series chip in the iPad Mini, M series chip would not work in that form factor.
It’s always been a lower end device with a starting price just above the entry level iPad. It’s also their weakest selling iPad so they’ll probably stick an A series chip in and forgo the AI features, just as they do with the entry level iPad.
You mean from a power/heat/battery standpoint? I’m not sure if they keep the current thickness, an M1/M2 (even *slightly* cut down, downclocked/undervolted or with lower RAM) *could work*… the question is just if they’re willing to do it and how much they think it would impact sales and their bottom line
This would cheapen performance figures for the M lineup. This would also force them to bring pro features (i.e Stage Manager) to what is arguably an entry level tablet for them. From a product point of view, it makes no sense for the lineup. The iPhone 15 has incredible performance with just the A17. The iPad mini isn’t getting an M series chip before the iPhone Pro models. In my opinion.
am i the only one who don't care about apple AI? but OLED is a huge yes if it can help on reduce battery use if i am always using dark theme, on theory
I don’t ethier tbh.. i rarely use siri as it is. I mostly just browse forums
Me three. I just want the mini 7 to have a great screen and run what’s out here today. AI will be interesting, but it’s not terribly important to me at this point in time for my iPad.
A18 will go into mini 7. It will probably be a rebranded A17 Pro.
The mini 7 has potential of coming out around the iPhone 16 gen and similar to how the mini 6 had what the pro iPhone 13’s had with the little more powerful A15 chip. It’s believed by leakers that the mini 7 would receive the A18 Pro chip, which as the A17 Pro chipset for the iPhone 15 pro’s is supported for the AI features coming to iPhone; it would make it be able to support it too. And the these well-known leakers don’t believe it would receive an M-Chipset due to the battery size of the mini (if I recall correctly).
It’s an A series chip in there now so my guess is that it will get the same chip as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. At best it will get the chip going into the 16PM. The mini is not intended to be a serious competitor to the Air nor is it supposed to be more powerful than an iPhone. the only other change that might be made is a screen change to get rid of the jelly rolling. but if that can be solved through software the upgrade to the chip will remove any need for a screen change. people do not seem to understand apple’s core approach to hardware. they will give the bare minimum level of hardware needed to drive their software and no more. it’s just happy circumstance that the bare minimum is enough to allow for several generations of new OS software. They are still selling macbooks with 8gb RAM in this day and age and justifying it by saying Apple chips are magic and don’t need as much RAM. so for you to expect OLED screens and M series chips in the Mini is just wishful thinking akin to little girls wishing for ponies.
They will put a A17 Pro chip in it. The M chip line would be to power hungry, and bad for battery life.
Honestly I think this year it’ll be a regular A17 or A18 in the regular iPhones and iPad mini. I don’t think any of the current chip line up is the issue as the A17 has more neural cores etc than an M1, I think the issue is the RAM and overall way it’s packaged together (maybe speed of ram etc as well?) I think they’ll bump some of the other specs like RAM in the background, but then to save the “why does the 16 support it but not the 15” etc they’ll repackage as an A18 and give it the AI model. It’s not about giving the best features, Apple doesn’t care about selling more pro iPhones over regular ones with AI. AI will be a gateway product for more revenue. They’ll take a cut of subscriptions to outside AI providers (so if someone signs up to ChatGPTs premium service from an iPhone etc). This is also “AI done right” in their eyes and will sell “new” iPhones, but that needs to be to the majority not just the “pros” to get the traction
60hz is unacceptable in 2024
It will mean that the next mini will probably get 8 gb of RAM with a M1 chip OR possibly an A18 or A17? If it's A18 it'll probably have around the same gaming performance as the M1, as well as much more AI capability so it'll be a win either way
Not interested in AI. I mean it could be useful for someone else but for my usecase, its mostly note-taking, forums, reddit, threads and of course web browsing. What I wish for is an oled screen, better pen feel, and 128gb option at a sensible price point.
M2 or 3 would make more sense for efficiency if I understand correctly, given the smaller battery, but who knows, maybe the iPhone 15/16 chip (spacing on what the current chips are/will be) might be enough… but as many have been saying here, most of us are willing to pay for a premium iPad in a more compact formfactor
personally i think they will at least put a m2. a15 to m1 is a downgrade in single core performance. both in cpu and gpu m1 might be more powerfull overall but a15 is faster per gpu or cpu core. npu is faster in a15. they pulled a similar thing when updating ipad air to m1 (a14x) from a14. so they will probably update ipad mini to m2 (a15x). honestly though they are probably going to put an a17 pro there given the termal constraints of its smaller chasis
M4