Apple stealthily removed its original iPad mini, the only iPad without a Retina display, from the purchasing option in the online store last night. Even when a user goes to compare the iPad category of the store, the original iPad mini is missing from the drop-down comparison chart. This means that the iPad mini 3 and 2 in addition to the iPad Air and Air 2 the only currently remaining tablet selections left available for purchase. This could help the argument made in a previous post that Apple is making way to possibly release a new iPad model this autumn.
The discontinuation of the first-gen iPad mini isn't a huge shock considering its age (debuted in October 2012) and that it utilized the original 1024-by-768 resolution. It established the industrial status quo later used in the iPad mini 2 and 3 designs as well as the nearly indistinguishable iPad Air and Air 2. It was the first 8-inch device created by Apple but unfortunately never made the cut for the high-density Retina display despite being of a denser resolution than was previously available on the 9.7-inch iPad with the same pixel count.
Apple markedly continued to sell the 16 gigabyte iPad mini as its entry-level option as well as its two descendants, but decreasing the cost to $299 in 2013 and then to $249 in 2014. However, the street prices have recently become the go-to, economical solution which has made the classic iPad mini a challenge to sell.
The demise of the iPad mini leaves the remaining iPad survivors all within the same 64-bit clan with better processors, display and unified WiFi models. Those looking for a more inexpensive option can still find the original iPad mini in the refurbished section of the online store for a while, third-party sellers such as Amazon currently have some in stock as well, but the total end-of-life for the mini is not far off.
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