iPad Mini Rumor Round-Up, Here’s What You Need To Know

Whether it’s because of the cold, snowy beginning to 2015 in the Northeast, or just the constant desire to get our hands on the next newest thing, rumors around the iPad Mini 4 have been swirling since Christmas, with things heading towards a fever pitch. Inquisitr has reported on the iPad Mini multiple times, comparing the iPad Mini to the iPhone 6 Plus, and summarizing the most current leaks and rumors about when the device may release.

So here’s a round up for you, of all the most current gossip and goings-on around one of Apple’s most interesting devices.

Release date

While initial reports had Apple enthusiasts hoping to hear more about the next iteration of the iPad Mini as soon as April, current rumors are putting a device launch closer to June or July, according to PC Advisor. The site did comment, however, that it feels a launch earlier than the traditional October announcement of an iPad update is unlikely.

Size and Specs

PC Advisor speculates that the iPad Mini 4 would be slimmed down, like the iPad Air 2, using a laminated screen. The site hopes that this would make the device feel more solid, and also improve the display.

“What’s much more certain is that the iPad mini 4 will get a processor upgrade, most likely to the A8X used in the iPad Air 2, plus 2GB of RAM. This would give it a considerable performance bump with minimal effect on battery life.”

Does any of it matter?

This is the real question. The iPad Mini 3 was considered a failure by most measures within the tech community, since it was basically a brushed up Mini 2 with some minor technical upgrades, and contained nothing like the ingenuity that was seen updating and revamping the iPad Air. This has fueled many of the rumors around the Mini 4, as some have speculated that Apple didn’t bother hyping a device it was going to re-update soon anyway.

But other areas of the tech-sphere have been significantly less impressed. This week, the Motley Fool talked about predictions within the industry that the much discussed iPad Pro, which has been making headlines for potentially having a 12? display, won’t do anything impressive to improve Apple’s iPad business, which is generally considered to be losing ground to the iPhone 6 Plus.

“Moreover, it is hard to forget [t]he Wall Street Journal‘s Joanna Stern and her criticism of the iPad Air 2 for its lack of more robust multitasking/multi-window capabilities. Indeed, if Apple wants to convince users of older iPad models to shell out significant cash to upgrade, a good way to do it would be to bring fundamentally improved functionality to the table.”

[Image from Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]