We already know there’s a new iPad mini coming. Apple acknowledged this less than a week ago. It’s feature-packed and powered by the same A17 Pro chip used in the iPhone 15 Pro lineup. Not only is this a highly anticipated device, but it also has the potential to offer the best value for money as far as Apple intelligence is concerned.
One of the iPad’s biggest selling points is its focus on Apple Intelligence, even though the service launches on October 28, five days after the iPad mini’s release. It will not be available at launch, but will be available to users. To access the features after the update, however, the biggest selling point is the price. At just $349, this tablet is the most affordable iPad with Apple Intelligence available today, and will likely be the cheapest for some time to come.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, key Apple Intelligence features will be available from December to March. Initially, Intelligence can only summarize notifications from different apps. While this is a useful feature, it lacks some of its luster when compared to something like Image Creation or Smart Reply.
Apple Intelligence will explain why iPad refresh waits are so long. The entry-level iPad was last updated in October 2022, but fans have been expecting the update for a long time. Analysts have suggested that the next move will be to release a series of iPads with the A16 chip, but if the plan was to include Apple Intelligence in the next release, Apple could use a more powerful and smaller chip. I might have waited until it was available. It may have been possible to add Apple Intelligence to the iPad mini before this, but it would be cost-prohibitive.
Either way, it’s nice to see advanced features included in an entry-level device, especially one that costs just $349. The iPad may be small, but it’s packed with powerful features that will only grow as Apple Intelligence rolls out.
