While many, including me, were a little less than impressed with the new iPad mini and its lacklustre upgrades, I recently spoke with some of the people behind the tablet to learn some of the reasoning behind this iPad’s minimal upgrade.
I spoke with Tom Boger, senior director of Mac and iPad marketing at Apple, and Kurt Knight, senior director of platform product marketing. In my meeting, Boger talked more about iPad hardware, while my questions about Apple Intelligence were fielded by Knight.
The Apple Intelligence side of the equation is the most interesting since it’s so new. This really feels like one of the main reasons for upgrading to this mini since, with the A17 Pro chip, it should be future-proofed enough to run Apple’s AI features as they continue to roll out for the foreseeable future.
Right now, the features are aimed at being useful additions to everyday tasks. In contrast to Google’s take on AI, Apple is trying hard to bake it into its products so that no matter what app you’re running, you can still access things like writing tools, notification summaries, and soon, a smarter, more aware Siri. For instance, while you need to be in Google Docs to use Gemini for Workspace, if you’re on an Apple product, you can use Apple Intelligence writing tools in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Apple’s Pages or any other app or website with a text box. It’s an interesting strategy that’s more tied to Apple’s hardware, which also allows Apple’s AI use to be localized to its chip’s neural engines most of the time, keeping things more secure.
One question I was curious about is if AI is such a big focus for this iPad, why not upgrade it to an M1 chip? Boger explained that the A-series of chips has better performance per watt, which in turn allows the iPad to have a better battery life than if it used an M-series chip.
He also mentioned that the ultra-portability of the iPad mini makes it perfect for people who need the power of an iPad on the go. People like doctors with large lab coat pockets, pilots in confined cockpits, and other jobs requiring you to move around a lot can get a lot out of an iPad mini. Beyond that, the more powerful chip means that a lot more of the pro-level apps those types of people use should run better and have more headroom for updates in the future.
On the flip side, the mini is versatile, and it’s a great experience for gamers and people who like to read a lot on their iPads. However, I will say from my experience that it runs iPad games really well; console games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage struggle a little more. However, there is no denying that it’s the perfect size for gaming on the go.
Near the end of our chat, I asked about the screen backlash, and Boger mentioned that the screen’s colour is up to industry standards, and in Apple’s experience, people love it. I do agree with him in some regards. For instance, my mom uses an iPad mini 5th generation, and when she saw the new one, she really thought it was a huge upgrade. Others likely feel the same way. However, I still think Apple could push the brightness and replace the panel with something that has less ghosting, and a lot of the backlash would disappear.
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