Gurman: Apple event in October will include new iPad Mini

In his report today outlining his expectations for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 event, which takes place on Monday, BloombergMark Gurman briefly mentioned that a new iPad mini is “in the pipeline” for another Apple event in October.

Gurman expects the new iPad mini to be unveiled at the October event alongside the first Macs with M4 chips, including the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac. The M4 chip was first used in the iPad Pro earlier this year.

Apple has not yet confirmed an event in October this year. In 2023, the company will hold a virtual event on October 30 to unveil MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips.

Gurman did not reveal any new features planned for the seventh-generation iPad mini, but previous rumors have suggested upgrades include a faster chip, improved front and rear cameras, a solution to “jelly-scrolling” screen tearing in portrait mode, support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, and new color options.

Ming-Chi Kuo, supply chain analyst at Apple, had previously stated that mass production of the next iPad mini would begin in the second half of 2024. So several credible sources agree that the device will be updated later this year.

Apple released the current iPad mini in September 2021. New features at the time included 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.

Gurman said several “new iPads” would be unveiled at the October event, so the entry-level iPad may get an update then as well.