Apple is getting ready to join a new product category, foldables; speculations are brewing that it may kill off a product from an old one.The Elec stated that Cupertino is intending to withdraw the iPad mini when its foldable tablet enters the market.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo does not agree with that judgment, and the reason for this disagreement is straightforward: the price of the foldable iPad will be far greater than the price of the iPad mini. Because the consumer electronics industry has not yet been back to normal, the price of the iPad mini (2021) itself was forced to increase not too long ago.
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我認為Apple應該不會像先前有些媒體所預測，在2025年用折疊iPad取代iPad mini，這是因為折疊iPad的售價應該會顯著高於iPad mini，因此這樣的取代並不合理。其次，Apple目前正在開發新款iPad mini (主要賣點為配備新處理器)，預計在2023年底或1H24大量出貨。— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) December 27, 2022
I don’t think Apple will replace the iPad mini with a folding iPad in 2025, as some media previously predicted. This is because the price of the folding iPad should be significantly higher than that of the iPad mini, so such a replacement is unreasonable. Secondly, Apple is currently developing a new iPad mini (the main selling point is to be equipped with a new processor), which is expected to ship in large quantities by the end of 2023 or 1H24.
In addition, Kuo reports that Apple is working on a new iPad mini, which will include a more powerful processor than its predecessor. Launching with the 2021 model was Apple’s then-current A15 Bionic processor. Late 2023 or the first half of 2024 is when the A16 and A17 chipsets are projected to become available, which coincides with the launch of the next Mini, which is anticipated for late 2023 or the beginning of 2024.
Because practically all of Apple’s facilities are located in China, where they have been hit by each COVID wave, the company is considering relocating iPad manufacture to India instead (including this one).
Analysts predict that Apple would launch its first foldable product as an iPad-sized gadget rather than an iPhone-sized one since the former would be simpler to construct (and involve less risk) than the latter. According to reports, the launch is scheduled for the year 2024. There have been rumors that Apple is collaborating with Samsung and LG to produce foldable OLED panels that may be as big as 20.25 inches, so the implications could be enormous.
