The first of a number of imminent Apple product updates arrived this week with the seventh-generation iPad mini, but what else is still in store

The timing of the new release has taken many by surprise. Apple’s smallest iPad has a faster processor, more storage and support for Apple Intelligence.

Naturally, the mini 7 is mainly here to support Apple Intelligence features, which it can pull off thanks to its A17 Pro chip (from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro series) and 4GB of RAM. Apple has also doubled the tablet’s base storage (which now starts at 128GB) and added support for the Apple Pencil Pro.

Just like iPhone 16 models, the new iPad mini is likely to launch without Apple Intelligence, but the features should be available on the

The new iPad Mini packs more power and storage — as well as a slew of Apple Intelligence features — into the same great ultra-portable design.

Apple just announced, in a somewhat understated fashion via a press release, a new iPad Mini. It’s the first upgrade for Apple’s smallest tablet since 2021. The new Mini starts at $499. It’s up for pre-order now and goes on sale next Wednesday.

We marked October 22 on the calendar and canceled our appointments. We were almost certain that Apple would hold its second fall keynote on that day and unveil new Macs and iPads. But then, just when we were expecting an invitation, Cupertino sent us instead a press release with details of the 7th-gen iPad mini… and nothing else.

The new iPad Mini 7 might be the most affordable device with Apple Intelligence, but it still has some annoying limitations.

Apple on Tuesday launched its new generation of the iPad mini packed with AI features including writing tools and an improved Siri assistant, as the iPhone maker races to boost its devices with artificial-intelligence capabilities.

The first iPad mini (2024) benchmarks have been shared. Does it perform better than the previous model? How about when compared to last year's iPhone Pro?