Sometimes it’s the mistakes that indicate whether a nifty product is en route.
A recent Best Buy listing noting an unspecified iPad mini model on clearance “soon,” per the company’s website, could hint at an upcoming iPad mini model in the near future.
The placeholder listing is for an Apple product with a “MINI WIFI” model name, and it is in the “tablets” section on Best Buy’s online store. Altogether, this strongly suggests that the listing will be for an iPad mini. The device will apparently be available for a clearance price of $359.99 in the U.S., down from a regular price of $599. However, the iPad mini currently starts at $499, so the listing appears to have a pricing error.
There’s a chance the listing could be the current iPad mini 6, and the iPad mini 7 could be en route.
Back in September, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman indicated that an updated iPad mini was “on deck” for an Apple event in October, alongside the first M4-based Macs. Gurman offered a more vague timeframe in his latest report this week, which stated that Apple was working on a new iPad mini that would “potentially” be released “by the end of 2024.”
The iPad mini 7 is rumored to incorporate a faster chip, upgraded front and rear cameras, a fix for “jelly scrolling” screen tearing in portrait orientation, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, along with new color options.
Apple released the current iPad mini in September 2021, with new features at the time including a larger 8.3-inch display, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, the A15 Bionic chip, 5G support on cellular models, a 12-megapixel rear camera with Center Stage support, compatibility with the second-generation Apple Pencil, and more.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.