Apple Mini Gets An AI Upgrade 3 Years After Last Facelift — Price Starts At $499

Apple Inc. AAPL on Tuesday unveiled the upgraded version of its iPad Mini, marking the first significant upgrade to the compact tablet since 2021.

What Happened: The revamped iPad Mini is now open for pre-orders and is set to be available in the market from next Wednesday, Oct. 23.

The device has a starting price of $499 for the Wi-Fi model and $649 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. It is equipped with a new A17 Pro chip, offering a 30% faster CPU and a 25% faster GPU. The Neural Engine of the device is also twice as fast as its predecessor.

The updated Mini is compatible with the new Apple Pencil Pro and provides a base storage of 128GB, a substantial upgrade from the previous 64GB.

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The device also includes a faster Wi-Fi 6E chip and a quicker USB-C port. The only design modification is the addition of new purple and blue models.

Apple’s focus on AI and Apple Intelligence is reflected in this upgrade, with the company stating that the new device can execute hardware-accelerated ray tracing, potentially improving the appearance of high-end games.

Apple's first batch of Apple Intelligence features is set to roll out in U.S. English later this month via a free software update with iPadOS 18.1. These features will be available on iPads equipped with the A17 Pro or M1 chips and newer models.

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Why It Matters: Earlier this year, Apple refreshed the rest of its iPad lineup, including the Air and Pro models, and lowered the price of the base model to $349.

This launch also comes after speculations about the imminent launch of new models due to inventory shortages of several Apple products.

Previously, it was reported that Apple could unveil its first M4-powered Macs on Nov. 1. The anticipated lineup includes a 14-inch MacBook Pro with the standard M4 chip, as well as higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros featuring the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.

Cupertino might also release a refreshed iMac with the M4 chip and an updated Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro options.

Looking ahead to early next year, Apple could introduce 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with M4, a new iPhone SE, 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Airs, new Magic Keyboards for the iPad Air, and a refreshed AirTag.

Mac Studio and Mac Pro models with M4 chips are also in the works, with the Mac Studio likely arriving in mid-2025, followed by the Mac Pro later that year.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.