“First introduced in 2012, Apple’s iPad mini was a welcome alternative to the much larger, thicker, and heavier 9.7-inch iPad,” Jonathan S. Geller reports for BGR. “There was no 5.5-inch iPhone Plus, so the iPad mini made a great choice for light reading and effortless web browsing, email, and gaming.”
“The market doesn’t stand still, however, and we’re now looking at a redesigned iPad Pro to be launched this summer that should offer everything the current 9.7-inch iPad features, but in a smaller footprint with a larger 10.5-inch display,” Geller reports. “On the other side, there’s the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, which is large enough to negate the need for a tablet for many users. The device you take everywhere, that’s always with you, that has the best camera, and that has everything else you need. The device that you already own.”
Geller reports, “Therein lies the problem, and that’s why we have heard from a source close to Apple that the iPad mini is being phased out.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Not surprising. After we got our 5.5-inch iPhones in September 2014, the iPad mini made even less sense than it did when it was launched.
A full powered iPad mini with built in LTE radio can replace any iPhone with VoIP technology. Apple is stupid to ignore it and is leaving money on the table.
If I could use an iPad mini as an iPhone (data plan and phone specific apps like Fitness) I would never buy another iPhone.
This is only a rumour. I highly doubt that Apple would discontinue iPad mini.
I agree. Relaunch it as the IPhone Mega.
Totally Agree.. …. it completes the lineup.! why leave the gap.. and let the competition make the sale.
A lot of people, including my wife love that size and its convenience.
Just get rid of the bezels on the 8.9″ iPad Air and you have something that’s ALMOST as small as the 7.9″ mini. I don’t want a 10.5″ but I’ll take an 8.9″ with no bezels.
DavGreg – I am currently doing just that. I quite using my iPhone 7+ in favor of the iPad Mini, but am currently using the iPad Pro because I was going to wit a month to get the iPad Mini. I’ll wait to see what happens. If the Mini is discontinued, I will buy the iPad Mini 4.
I can’t argue with the decision as a business matter, but I still love the mini and am very disappointed.
I have an air 2 and a mini 4 and for a large class of activities the mini4 is my favorite device.
Remember folks when, prior to its launch we were being told this is the size that will dominate as opposed to the apparently far too big standard tablets. Remember that hwen you hear the often mindless predictions from the so called experts let alone the keyboard warriors. It’s much more difficult to predict even 5 years of do ahead than either would have you believe.
Ipad Mini is wife sized. She loves it. I still like the original size. We both have 7 plus.
He was so small, so young.
Sniff, sniff.
The iPad mini is still too heavy to be a good reading device. They’d be better off having a reduced function iPad mini that came it at half of the weight or less. My arm gets tired holding it up in bed, but it does allow larger, more words on the page, than my iPhone 6+.
Yeah, I know I’m talking Kindle, but for reading only, they seem a better fit. I was just hoping for an Apple/Kindle.
I have iPod 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4. The iPad mini is the only one that doesn’t delight me. In fact I don’t ever want to pick It up.
Discontinuing the iPad mini makes perfect sense to me.
Seems u wasted a lot of money. Lol. IPod? Omg why bother. iPad why bother useless devices at any size. By a MBP and be done with it
Posted on the day I said to myself, “this thing is great for reading. Why do I not use it every day?”
Good riddance. Its a limited version of a fundamentally limited product and Apple doesn’t have the resources to do more than two things at a time. Job one is iPhone, by dictate. Nobody can figure out what job 2 is. Everyone has been too busy decorating their new offices to keep ipads, ipods, or any other hardware up to date.
Where are the new desktop Macs? Where are the Airports? Where are the displays? Where are the servers? Where are the student laptops and the workstations? Where have ya been Timmy?
Why should I be forced pay a $100 a month phone fee so I could have a small iPad for reading emails?
Nonsense, the 7.9″ form factor is still a winner, but it being priced over the newer model is also nonsense….
iPad Mini Pro please, do not abandon us who like small iPads