Apple announced the first iPad Mini upgrade in three years this past week, revealing its marketing strategy that was used in the iPhone 16 to go all-in on AI features.
The iPad Mini will have 8 gigabytes of memory and the same processor as the iPhone 15 Pro line, A17 Pro, giving it the power to support the Apple Intelligence platform. As there are no major changes, the company is heavily focusing on AI capabilities.
However, Apple Intelligence will only be launched five days after the new iPad hits stores on Oct 23, meaning that early buyers will have to install the software upgrade at home, though installing the upgrade is not as hard as it seems.
The bigger problem people found is that the early AI features are underwhelming and the impressive ones are only coming later, not launching until between December and March.
For now, the signature feature is said to be notification summaries, though they lack the wow factor compared to the competitor’s offerings.
The internal study revealed that some people at Apple believe that its generative AI technology is more than two years behind the industry leaders. However, considering Apple’s history, it is believed that Apple will either develop, hire, or acquire its way into the top tier of AI companies.
Another advantage Apple has is the ability to roll out new features to a wide range of devices.
When the AI features were announced in June, only two iPhone models and a couple of iPads were compatible with the technology, but now, the four newest iPhones, almost every iPad, and all the Macs can support it. By 2026, every Apple device will run it.
Although Apple has plans to roll out various devices with upgraded features, there’s little reason to buy those products just to get Apple Intelligence. However, it is said that Apple’s glory is still years away.
