IPad mini survives another Apple product refresh

Being the geared as the center of multimedia activities and consumption in the entire Apple lineup, it is only logical for the iPad to undergo such change.

The iPhone 7 keynote was the ideal opportunity for Apple to quietly phase out its 7-inch tablet, but Tim Cook and company decided it was good enough to keep around until at least the next product refresh.

It has been widely speculated that the new iPad Mini 5 will be released alongside iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series. Despite the upgrade in storage, Apple’s iPad Pro comes with two variations which allows users to choose a device that has built-in LTE or not, while offering them in different display sizes as well, according to International Business Times. However, numerous credible sources expected a few more surprises from Apple’s live event, especially the next-gen MacBook Pro 2016, and an updated line-up of the current-gen iPad models. Tech watchers have been especially curious as to what the iPad Pro 2 will be like, as the current version of the supersized tablet has been a best-seller since its release previous year.

The initial rumors pointed to a 10.5-inch display for the iPad Pro and 12.9 inch iPad Pro 2, as well as the smaller 9.7-inch iPad; although it must be said that this information was also shared by respected research note analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo.

Several rumors point to the iPad Pro 2 release next month, along with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, although there’s no news to corroborate this information. The iPad Air 2 and mini 4 will now come in a 128GB capacity variant. Originally, the 128GB iPad mini 4 was sold for $599.

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Apple’s move essentially removes all 16GB iPad models now being sold, making 32GB the base standard. The 9.7-inch 256GB Wi-Fi only model will now cost $799 [originally $899]. The iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4 doesn’t have a 16 GB storage anymore, but instead the storage was revamped and increased up to 32 GB as the minimum storage. Also, this means that the highest-end 256GB Cellular model of the iPad Pro will cost a hundred dollars less, with $929 for the 9.7-inch variant, and $1129 for the 12.9 model. Both Wi-Fi and Cellular variants are affected, regardless of the color.