Has Apple given up on the iPad mini?
Is the iPad mini still relevant in 2021?
I remember when the first iPad mini was annouced. I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. It felt like the first proper redesign since the iPad was launched. It has thinner bezels, chamfered edges, and with the new size of the iPad mini, it could be held in one hand with ease.
To middle school me, this was the perfect device. It had all the flexibility and capability of the iPad, but in a compact size and a cheaper price point. Even today, I still love the idea and size of the iPad mini. However, it doesn’t seem like Apple cares about it anymore.
The first generation of the iPad mini came out back in 2012, and nine years later, we are now on the fifth generation of the iPad mini, but there isn’t much of a difference. We’ve gotten the spec updates that keeps the iPad’s power relevant and able to power most of the apps that are on the App Store, they’ve added support for the Apple Pencil and they have added Touch ID, but they haven’t done anything substantial to the iPad that makes it unique. Even during its press conferences and events, Apple doesn’t really announce that they have done anything new that they have done to the iPad mini and at the most just throws in a “FYI” in their presentations.
