Chassis allegedly for Apple's A8-powered 'iPad mini 4' shown in new pics, video

Posted:
in iPad edited April 2015
Amidst rumors suggesting Apple's underpowered iPad mini 3 will soon see an upgrade, a new video and accompanying images show off a chassis with minor design tweaks alleged to be coming in a fourth-generation model.




The "iPad mini 4" chassis shown by Nowhereelse.fr on Tuesday shows a removed orientation lock/mute switch from the right side of the device, above the volume buttons. In its place is a tiny microphone hole.

This design change only adds credibility to the legitimacy of the part, as Apple already made the same design change for last year's iPad Air 2.

The chassis features a cut-out at the top which is where an cellular LTE modem would go on a new model. On the bottom of the shell is a port for a Lightning connector, along with 10 holes on each side for stereo speakers.





Just last month, a report claimed that Apple would soon update its iPad mini to an A8 processor and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Both of those were glaring omissions from last fall's refresh, which led to the device largely being viewed as a disappointment.

For the 2014 iPad mini 3 refresh, Apple kept the same design, hardware and components, and simply added a Touch ID fingerprint sensing home button. Priced at $400, it is otherwise identical to the Touch ID-less iPad mini 3, which is still still available for $299.



The iPad Air 2, meanwhile, was given a more substantial upgrade, most notably the A8X chip, which features an industry-leading 8-core graphics processor. The iPad Air 2 was also given a slightly thinner and lighter design from its predecessor.

If the iPad mini does receive an upgrade in the near future, it would be a somewhat unexpected, out-of-cycle refresh for the 7.9-inch device. Historically Apple has updated its iPad lineup once per year, though the mid-cycle fourth-generation iPad with Retina display was also released a few months after the third-generation model.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    Is it going to get thinner? I believe the iPad Air 2 is thinner than the mini which is just strange.
  • Reply 2 of 28
    robmrobm Posts: 1,068member
    I thought the mini might be EOL with the introduction of the iPhone 6+.
    Always loved the form factor but never have been able to justify buying one.

    Be great on my boat tho' - regular size iPad is a little too big.
    Hmm, maybe I'll snap and grab one on the refresh.
  • Reply 3 of 28
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member

    I was thinking they planned to kill off the mini.. I guess not. I think they should. 

  • Reply 4 of 28
    robmrobm Posts: 1,068member
    I see a lot of people travelling with them - must be enough sales there to keep them going.
    But yea - I agree Apple should probably kill it off.
    otoh - they're a good size for inclusion in cars .... and boats :)
  • Reply 5 of 28
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    It's a good thing the earlier comments determining feasibility aren't working for Apple.
  • Reply 6 of 28
    robmrobm Posts: 1,068member
    lmao

    Right, that's it. I'm going to get two. One for my man-truck and one for my boat.
    I reverse my earlier comments.
    The minis day is still to come ! :D
  • Reply 7 of 28
    I looked at the support document of the ipad mini 2 from the apple site(see link below) and it looks slightly slimmer. If you look at the space between the lightning connector in this ipad 4 version and the one on the link, you can see that it has slimmer profile.

    https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/ipad/ipadmini/ipad_mini_retina_buttons.png
  • Reply 8 of 28
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member

    I'm just hoping any 'iPad mini 4' has the same awesome display as the iPad Air 2.

  • Reply 9 of 28

    If you look at this picture from the support docuemnts of the ipad mini 2 you will notice that there is a small but light space between the lightning connector and the edge of the chassis.  It's very small difference, but it definitely looks slimmer for sure!

     

    https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/ipad/ipadmini/ipad_mini_retina_buttons.png

  • Reply 10 of 28
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    I'm a little surprised Apple didn't just skip the mini 3 and wait on updating the mini until they had enough A8 processors available. I'll be curious to see what they do with the mini and mini 2.
  • Reply 11 of 28
    wa4321wa4321 Posts: 8member
    Still no flash...
  • Reply 12 of 28
    magman1979magman1979 Posts: 1,292member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by alcstarheel View Post



    Is it going to get thinner? I believe the iPad Air 2 is thinner than the mini which is just strange.

     

    I wouldn't mind the new Mini getting lighter, but don't need it to be any thinner IMO.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post

     

    I was thinking they planned to kill off the mini.. I guess not. I think they should. 


     

    Don't know, the way in which I use the iPad, including when and where, the Mini is the ideal choice, as the Air is a wee bit big. I see them quite often in the field, though definitely not as much as Air's. As long as it gets the A8X, I'm game!

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by John.B View Post

     

    I'm just hoping any 'iPad mini 4' has the same awesome display as the iPad Air 2.


     

    Oh man, if it gets the same 100% sRGB gamut screen, I'm on that sucker like a fat kid on a cupcake!

  • Reply 13 of 28
    How many more versions will it be before Apple puts the stereo speakers on the long edge so they can be used while watching video?
  • Reply 14 of 28
    dshandshan Posts: 53member
    It will be good if they release this before Sep, but I still say Touch ID is easily worth the extra $100 for the mini 3. It's simply the best and most useful feature Apple have released in ages. Once you've been Touched you can't go back!
  • Reply 15 of 28
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    john.b wrote: »
    I'm just hoping any 'iPad mini 4' has the same awesome display as the iPad Air 2.

    This is what they might be doing—finishing their manifest destiny for this form factor and giving it an LTPS or IGZO display, the way the gods intended.

    Better battery life, which I've thought was never that great for the mini retina, and which I have, better color gamut, and maybe thinner.
  • Reply 16 of 28
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post

     

    I was thinking they planned to kill off the mini.. I guess not. I think they should. 


     

    why? without access to their sales data, how could i want a particular product killed? do you use a mini? i do, on my second one, i like the form factor for in-bed use, especially for streaming video since it doesnt fall over as easily as the taller ipad. i bought it originally for mobile credit card processing, because the ipad is too big and while a phone is smaller, the POS software is better on a tablet device. mini was just perfect.

  • Reply 17 of 28
    captain jcaptain j Posts: 313member
    I use my mini every day. The iPhone plus doesn't replace it, it's way smaller and requires a cell contract or a much higher price than the mini. It's smaller form factor is ideal for many. Why stop the line?
  • Reply 18 of 28
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dshan View Post



    It will be good if they release this before Sep, but I still say Touch ID is easily worth the extra $100 for the mini 3. It's simply the best and most useful feature Apple have released in ages. Once you've been Touched you can't go back!

    So I hear dshan. My goal for 2015 is to have my devices with the latest and greatest, chips/features, TouchID/ApplePay, etc.. Hope to have a smaller iPhone, a mini 4 and a MacBook (gold) running Yosemite! :)

     

    Best.

  • Reply 19 of 28
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post

     

    I was thinking they planned to kill off the mini.. I guess not. I think they should. 


    They probably will after this 4th generation with major upgrade and the sale# goes south. Last year, it's was minimal and shouldn't count. 

  • Reply 20 of 28
    nolamacguy wrote: »

    i like the form factor for in-bed use, especially for streaming video since it doesnt fall over as easily as the taller ipad.

    You owe it to your wife and future children to put the iPad away and attend to business...

    On another topic, because of line breaks I read the headlines to say: iPad mini 4'

    My first thought was that Apple was going to give all their competitors a complex by releasing a four foot iPad and calling it a "mini."
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