If you’re hanging your hat on rumours Apple will launch an iPad Fold to replace the iPad mini in the line up, one leading analyst is here to snuff out that hope.
According to the reliable Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is working on a next-generation iPad mini that will not fold in any way shape or form. That next device will not arrive until 2024 either, according to Kuo’s tweet on Tuesday.
Kuo reckons the standard mini will remain in-play because the price of a potential folding device would be too high. That’s not to say Apple won’t release a Fold per se, but it’s unlikely to be a replacement for the iPad mini, Kuo believes.
In the tweet, he wrote: “I think it’s unlikely Apple will replace the iPad mini with a foldable iPad in 2025, which may be contrary to what some media previously predicted. It’s because a foldable iPad will have a markedly higher price than an iPad mini, so such a replacement is not reasonable.”
Apple last relaunched the iPad mini in 2021. That brought a long-awaited redesign for the diminutive tablet that finally ditched the chunky bezels and added support for the Apple Pencil 2 and integrated the super-speedy A15 Bionic chipset. It also introduced 5G to the range for the first time.
The £479 asking price felt like a bit much for the 8.3-inch (up from 7.9-inches), but it did arrive with a more premium design than the standard 10.2-inch iPad Apple sells for much less.
Apple doesn’t mess with the iPad mini very often so it makes sense the upgrade might not arrive until 2024. Whether Apple does launch an iPad Fold to go alongside that device in the years to come remains to be seen.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
