iPad mini 4 To Be Upgraded To iPad Air 2 Spec.?
There’s a certain inevitability about making Apple product predictions this time of year.
Come September, we can pretty reliably count on the release of refreshed iPhones, along with the iOS 9 release. The new iPhones will almost certainly be called iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Less of a lock but still highly likely will be an upgrade to Apple’s A9 system-on-chip, and possibly a camera upgrade as well.
Then about a month later in late October the iPad can be anticipated to get its major annual model change, although there’ some intrigue and uncertainty about whether there will also be an unveiling of a 12-inch iPad Pro model.
Japanese Apple-watcher blog site Macotakara, citing anonymous industry insider sources, reports a high possibility that the the iPad Pro will indeed be rolled out this fall along with an iPad Air 3 and an iPad mini 4 that is rumored to be a smaller version of the iPad Air 2 with an A8X SoC, an 8 megapixel camera, possibly a fully laminated display with antireflective coating, and its thickness pared down to the same 6.1 mm as the Air 2 with the other two dimensions remaining the same as the minis 2 and 3.
Photo Courtesy Apple
That would seem to imply a downgrade in battery life. My iPad Air 2 gets significantly poorer battery life than my old iPad 2, and while some of that could be attributed to the Air 2’s Retina display, I’m convinced that the thinner form factor has a lot to do with it.
Macotakara also says the iPad Air 3 will retain the Air 1 and 2’s form factor, but be A9 powered, restoring spread between iPad Air and iPad mini performance.
That suits me, although it won’t be enough to make me even consider upgrading from my not yet a year old Air 2, since it will be supported bameray iOS 9’s new Slide Over and Split View productivity features.
Photo Courtesy Apple
I am happy that there apparently will be an iPad mini 4, since some have been predicting it’s on the bubble, being cannibalized by the popularity of the iPhone 6 Plus. After the mini 3’s bizarrely minimal specification upgrade from the mini 2, consisting of Touch ID and a Gold color option, an enhancement to A8X power and a better 8 mpxl camera would give mini owners a meaningful reason to move up.
Photo Courtesy Apple
For the full Macotakara report, see:
http://www.macotakara.jp/blog/rumor/entry-27541.html