Apple’s latest iPad mini may look familiar from afar, but don’t be fooled by its unassuming exterior. This pint-sized powerhouse has undergone a significant upgrade, fueled by the impressive A17 Pro chip and the introduction of Apple Intelligence. This smart combination not only boosts performance and efficiency but also opens up a world of possibilities for users.
While the iPad mini retains its beloved 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display and compact aluminum design, the A17 Pro chip elevates its capabilities to a new level. This chip enables Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered features designed to make the iPad mini even more versatile and user-friendly. Imagine writing tools that refine your text with rewriting, proofreading, and summarization capabilities. Memories can be transformed into captivating movies with just a simple description. Even photos can be enhanced with a new cleanup tool that allows users to identify and remove distracting elements from the background.
Apple emphasizes that Siri has become even more integrated with Apple Intelligence, providing a more natural and contextually relevant experience. This integration is a testament to Apple’s commitment to seamlessly blending hardware and software for a more intuitive user experience.
As the tech industry races towards integrating AI into its products, Apple Intelligence sets itself apart with its focus on simplicity and user-friendliness. Apple assures users that its smart technology isn’t intrusive and is designed to offer help when needed.
“There’s nothing intimidating about having a system that can spell check or autocorrect for you. And now when you have a writing tool that can help proofread your text, it’s no more intimidating,” explained Kurt Knight, Senior Director, Platform Product Marketing at Apple.
“Similarly, if you’re in photos and you’re trying to find an image of something, search just works magically. Now I can say ‘Give me that picture of Maya, wearing the pink dress and dancing’. And you can narrow it down to the set of photos of Maya wearing a pink dress and dancing. And you don’t have to say or know that it’s Apple Intelligence behind the scenes.
“We try to make features that are so intuitive and so approachable, I think users won’t even think about the fact that they’re using ‘AI’. Things now work in just profoundly powerful ways.”
While the thought of AI interacting with personal data might raise privacy concerns for some, Apple is adamant about user security. Apple Intelligence performs many tasks directly on the device, eliminating the need to transfer data over the internet. For more demanding tasks, Apple has introduced “Private Cloud Compute.” This system sends snippets of information to secure Apple servers for processing, ensuring the data is deleted immediately after completion, with no private or sensitive information stored remotely.
“Privacy is the value that is extremely important to Apple and it was extremely important to us when we designed Apple Intelligence that it maintained and, in this case, actually excelled on what we’re doing for privacy,” Knight affirmed. “We’ve really innovated in two different places. The first is with on-device processing and the other is in the cloud with Private Cloud Computes. We’re able to do all of the same things with that same privacy promise, and we think that is really a breakthrough for privacy and AI.”
The new iPad mini isn’t just about AI, it also boasts full compatibility with the Apple Pencil Pro. This more advanced stylus offers features like pressure-sensitive controls, allowing users to switch settings with a simple squeeze. While it might seem unusual for a non-Pro iPad to work with the ‘Pro’ Apple Pencil, Apple believes it’s the right move, given the growing demand for more sophisticated creative tools.
“The things our developers are adopting in their applications, just allow you to take that Pencil experience to another level. Because of the performance of the iPad mini, apps like Procreate are incredibly popular as are apps that architects or someone doing design could use. And so those people are prolific users of Apple Pencil and we feel like it’s important to allow them to use the most capable Apple pencil.”
The iPad mini’s enduring popularity is a testament to its portability and versatility. Even as Apple’s other products, like iPhones and MacBooks, grow in size, there’s a clear demand for a compact and powerful tablet.
“I think its secret is taking an aspect of iPad that people already choose it for and already love about it – that’s the portability – and taking it even further,” explained Greg Joswiak, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. “Pilots like love it in the cockpit, it fits right in the lab coats of doctors so they can just pull it out as they’re making their rounds. It’s great for students taking classes and just having with you all the time, it’s just so versatile. It just fits into so many places and fits into people’s lives.”
With its powerful performance, innovative AI features, and unwavering commitment to privacy, the iPad mini is poised to remain a popular choice for users who appreciate a compact and powerful tablet. The iPad mini joins a strong lineup of iPad devices, including the new super slim iPad Pros and the powerful iPad Air, demonstrating Apple’s dedication to providing a diverse range of iPad experiences.
“When you take the new iPad mini and you add it to the iPad Pro and the iPad that we released a few months ago – coupled with the entry iPad – and you look at the lineup as it is with the addition of Apple Pencil Pro and now Apple Intelligence, it really is the strongest lineup of iPads that we’ve ever had,” said Joswiak. “We’re just extremely excited and happy to bring these products to our customers and we can’t wait for people to get the new mini to their hands as well.”