Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Unreleased iPad Mini With Redesigned Cellular Antenna Appears in Photos
Photos of an unreleased iPad mini with hardware different than that of any previous generation of the tablet were shared on Twitter today by a person using the pseudonym Mr. White. The same user has shared many photos of what appear to be early prototypes of Apple products along with components in recent months.
The photos, spotted by 9to5Mac, depict a rose gold iPad mini with an antenna band that forms the shape of a rounded rectangle. The current iPad mini 4 has a similar antenna design, but the rounded rectangle is filled in with plastic to ensure proper transmission of signals from the wireless chip inside.
Apple later improved its antenna design and only required a narrow band for cellular connectivity on 2017 iPad Pro models. This suggests the iPad mini in the photos could be a new model in development.
Beyond that, the iPad mini in the photos looks identical to the iPad mini 4, with a headphone jack, side volume controls, Lightning connector, two speakers along the bottom, and so forth. The tablet also lacks a LED flash next to the rear camera, consistent with every previous iPad mini generation.
Last month, an alleged case for the so-called iPad mini 5 surfaced with a vertical cutout for the rear camera, suggesting the new model might have a rear camera, LED flash, and center microphone cutout. The case also had cutouts for four speakers, however, a feature that feels too premium for the lower-priced iPad mini. In other words, the case might not necessarily be for a future iPad mini.
Back in October, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple plans to launch a new iPad mini, and the China Times reported that the tablet will launch in the first half of 2019. If true, the new model will likely be a modest upgrade to the iPad mini 4, perhaps with a faster processor and a few other minor improvements.
The iPad mini 4 was released in September 2015 and remains available for purchase for $399 and up in the United States.
The anonymous Mr. White shared photos of an alleged iPad mini 5 logic board a few months ago along with a diagnostics report indicating that the tablet will have a TSMC-manufactured Apple A9 chip used in iPhone 6s models. The iPad mini 4 is powered by the Apple A8 chip found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
All this said, the iPad mini shown in photos today could be an older prototype that may or may not ever be released. Apple prototypes all sorts of different devices and configurations internally that don't always see the light of day.
If a new iPad mini is on the horizon, though, March has been a common release month for iPads in recent years.
The photos, spotted by 9to5Mac, depict a rose gold iPad mini with an antenna band that forms the shape of a rounded rectangle. The current iPad mini 4 has a similar antenna design, but the rounded rectangle is filled in with plastic to ensure proper transmission of signals from the wireless chip inside.
Apple later improved its antenna design and only required a narrow band for cellular connectivity on 2017 iPad Pro models. This suggests the iPad mini in the photos could be a new model in development.
Beyond that, the iPad mini in the photos looks identical to the iPad mini 4, with a headphone jack, side volume controls, Lightning connector, two speakers along the bottom, and so forth. The tablet also lacks a LED flash next to the rear camera, consistent with every previous iPad mini generation.
Last month, an alleged case for the so-called iPad mini 5 surfaced with a vertical cutout for the rear camera, suggesting the new model might have a rear camera, LED flash, and center microphone cutout. The case also had cutouts for four speakers, however, a feature that feels too premium for the lower-priced iPad mini. In other words, the case might not necessarily be for a future iPad mini.
Back in October, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple plans to launch a new iPad mini, and the China Times reported that the tablet will launch in the first half of 2019. If true, the new model will likely be a modest upgrade to the iPad mini 4, perhaps with a faster processor and a few other minor improvements.
The iPad mini 4 was released in September 2015 and remains available for purchase for $399 and up in the United States.
The anonymous Mr. White shared photos of an alleged iPad mini 5 logic board a few months ago along with a diagnostics report indicating that the tablet will have a TSMC-manufactured Apple A9 chip used in iPhone 6s models. The iPad mini 4 is powered by the Apple A8 chip found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
iPad mini 5 / 4 A9 Chip pic.twitter.com/7ZGdEhujC6
— Mr·white (@laobaiTD) November 17, 2018
All this said, the iPad mini shown in photos today could be an older prototype that may or may not ever be released. Apple prototypes all sorts of different devices and configurations internally that don't always see the light of day.
If a new iPad mini is on the horizon, though, March has been a common release month for iPads in recent years.
Related Roundup: iPad mini 5
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Buy Now)
[ 129 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
23 weeks ago
Somebody finally bought a decent camera for taking pictures of leaked Apple products!
But if you're as resistant to change as I am, I've fixed the photo:
But if you're as resistant to change as I am, I've fixed the photo:
23 weeks ago
That has to be old... This guy reporting it'll have an A9? That seems.... wildly outdated for a brand new product.
23 weeks ago
While great news that the mini is resurrecting, I’d favor the rectangular new iPP shape.
(yes, with reinforcements, bigger speakers and headphone jack...if Apple VPs have to be hinted)
(yes, with reinforcements, bigger speakers and headphone jack...if Apple VPs have to be hinted)
23 weeks ago
Will it bend?
Spoiler: Yes it will bend, just like every other thing made out of aluminum on the planet.
23 weeks ago
As an iPad mini 2 owner, I welcome ANY update to the mini at this point. But I can’t deny that as an artist, I was kinda hoping the mini 5 would get the flat edged design with Apple Pencil 2 support. It may come eventually if this update sells well. Or perhaps the iPad mini 5 will be like the last two versions and not be updated again for years and years...if ever.
So I will upgrade my iPad mini 2 and buy the mini 5 no matter what. It’s still a great size iPad for slipping into my cargo pants pocket when I wanna travel light. Hoping this leak is not accurate tho. I would love to be able to use the Apple Pencil 2 I got for my 11” iPad Pro with it.
Guess we’ll find out soon enough.
So I will upgrade my iPad mini 2 and buy the mini 5 no matter what. It’s still a great size iPad for slipping into my cargo pants pocket when I wanna travel light. Hoping this leak is not accurate tho. I would love to be able to use the Apple Pencil 2 I got for my 11” iPad Pro with it.
Guess we’ll find out soon enough.
23 weeks ago
If it doesn't bend then it won't match all the Apple's high quality manufacturing process.
23 weeks ago
even the A10 processor would be totally uninteresting. Give us a Mini Pro with A12 and pencil 2 !!
Ok. Don’t complain when it costs $699
[ Read All Comments ]
Belkin today announced that its InvisiGlass Ultra Front and Back Protection for the latest iPhone models is now available for purchase from Apple.
The InvisiGlass Ultra Front and Back...
Apple this morning released the second beta of watchOS 6, the software that runs on the Apple Watch. The second beta comes two weeks after Apple first unveiled the new update at the Worldwide...
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 13 update to developers, two weeks after first unveiling the tvOS 13 software at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Designed for the...
Aspyr has announced that today is the last day of sales for its 32-bit Mac games, in anticipation of Apple's upcoming move to 64-bit only apps on macOS Catalina later this year.
After...
Amazon is offering the latest MacBook Pro at a new all-time-low price, with savings of up to $199 off original prices. Across the board these are the best deals available online from the major...
MacRumors and Twelve South's latest partnership offers our readers an exclusive chance to save 12 percent off their entire purchase on TwelveSouth.com. In the past, our exclusive Twelve South...
In iOS 13, Apple has extended the system's built-in screenshot feature to include the ability to save a full web page as a multi-page PDF.
Don't expect this option to appear when...
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Twelve South to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a prize pack that includes a BookBook vol. 2 for iPad Pro, an AirFly, and a set of...
