The iPhone didn’t kill the iPod immediately, the MP3 player was cheaper, so it stuck around for a few years. Now that Apple is preparing to enter a new product category, foldables, there are rumors that it will kill a product from an old one – The Elect reported that Cupertino is planning to discontinue the iPad mini after its foldable tablet hits the market.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo disagrees with this assessment, and the reasoning is simple: the foldable iPad will come at a “significantly higher price” than the mini. The iPad mini (2021) itself had to go up in price recently as the electronics market hasn’t returned to normal yet.
The latest iPad mini was launched in 2021 and it probably won’t be the last
Kuo adds that a new iPad mini is under development, which will carry a faster chipset. The 2021 model was launched with the then current Apple A15 Bionic. The new mini is expected to arrive in late 2023 or in the first half of 2024 and by then the A16 and A17 chipsets will be available (which one will be used in the list probably depends on yields and prices).
Apple is considering moving iPad production to India as almost all of its factories are located in China and have been affected by every wave of COVID (including this one).
As for the foldable, analysts believe Apple will start with an iPad-sized device as it would be easier to build (and less risky) than an iPhone-sized device. Current plans are reportedly targeting a 2024 launch. It could be huge as there are reports that Apple is working with Samsung and LG to develop foldable OLED displays up to 20.25 inches.
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