Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu today previewed details about Apple's widely rumored trio of 2018 iPhones. Towards the end of the report, there are also a few details about the Apple Watch and iPad that we've highlighted below.

apple watch ipad mini
The first noteworthy tidbit is that Apple Watch Series 4 models will be compatible with existing bands, as they are said to have a similar physical size as Series 3 models and earlier. Gurman already said as much earlier this year, but there were some lingering concerns from MacRumors readers in our discussion forums.

Apple Watch Series 4 models are still expected to have up to 15 percent larger displays, as a result of slimmer bezels around the screen. They're also expected to have slightly longer battery life, along with new health and fitness features.

The second tidbit worth singling out is that the iPad mini won't be updated this year, according to Gurman. That information corroborates DigiTimes, which recently reported that "Apple so far has no further plan for the iPad mini series," which hasn't been refreshed since the iPad mini 4 launched in September 2015.

Apple's focus on the lower-cost 9.7-inch iPad may result in the iPad mini line being discontinued eventually, although Gurman hasn't specified.

We're likely just a few weeks away from Apple's usual September event at Steve Jobs Theater, with invites to the media likely to be issued this week. In addition to the new iPhones and Apple Watch Series 4 models, Apple is expected to unveil two new iPad Pros with Face ID, new AirPods, and AirPower pricing and availability.

Related Roundups: iPad mini, Apple Watch Series 9
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

TimUSCA Avatar
73 months ago
iPad mini: makes sense. With the new larger plus iPhone, can’t see much of a need.
Don't underestimate the number of children who use an iPad. And when it comes to parents footing the bill, the cheaper the better. There's a huge market for children that use iOS but certainly don't need an iPhone.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
73 months ago
No. The plus sized phones and the mini are completely different sizes. They do not compare at all. I have both and love the mini. Mine is old and I don’t want a full sized iPad.
Especially true now that the Plus aspect ratio is 19.5:9, which makes it all but unusable for most mini use cases. iPad mini is almost twice as large as the soon to be released X Plus:



Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
piker944 Avatar
73 months ago
Whew! Ordering the 4 to replace my original Apple Watch and definitely wasn't wanting to purchase all new bands.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThunderSkunk Avatar
73 months ago
The iPad Mini either does not sell well (and Apple believes would not sell any better with a spec bump) or it sells well enough as-is that spec-bumping it would likely not boost sales significantly and would erode margins (if kept at the same price). So it will continue to limp along as-is.
The mini was the best selling ipad while Apple kept up with updates. Their response to those sales numbers was to not update it further, and year after year, let sales diminish. Eventually they'll be able to point to low sales as reason to discontinue it, but it's entirely a choice they've made regardless of sales. Instead of updating it, or adding Pencil support, they've created several new larger, cheaper ipads and pushed those instead, entirely missing the appeal and utility of the Mini, like everyone else in this thread who thinks a plus sized iPhone is an equivalent device. It is not.

It's somewhat obvious they never looked into how people use minis, and mistakenly regarded the model as the budget ipad, then sought to make more profitable replacements for it that were all-around cheaper to build than a full featured iPad squeezed into the more convenient 7.9" frame. Add it to the Macbook Air, the Macbook Pro 17", the Air Ex/TC, Cinema Display line, etc. The most useful & popular devices Apple built, all on the fire.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mollyc Avatar
73 months ago
With the bigger iPhone size, iPad m

Expected news. Current size iPhone is an iPad mini with the same exact iOS [emoji23]
No. The plus sized phones and the mini are completely different sizes. They do not compare at all. I have both and love the mini. Mine is old and I don’t want a full sized iPad.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gotluck Avatar
73 months ago
they dont want to update the mini because it cannibalizes the plus

unfortunate because i vastly prefer non plus phone + mini combo
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...