Apple may soon release new iPad, iPad mini, iPod touch devices

“Apple’s beta release of iOS 12.2 continues to deliver possible clues about the tech giant’s upcoming devices,” Valentina Palladino writes for Ars Technica. “A report by MacRumors cites a find by developer Steve Troughton-Smith that references four new iPad models and a new iPod model in the code of the iOS 12.2 developer beta.”
“The four new iPads listed in iOS 12.2 could reference the rumored iPad mini 5. The iPad mini hasn’t been updated since 2015, and rumors that started last year pointed to the possibility of Apple updating the tiny tablet soon,” Palladino writes. “According to Troughton-Smith, none of the four new iPad models have Face ID, which would make sense because Apple would likely update the iPad mini but keep it as a more affordable alternative to the iPad Pro models (and even the 9.7-inch iPad). It’s also possible that the four new models reference updated versions of the 9.7-inch iPad, which Apple debuted almost one year ago.”
Apple’s iPad mini 4
 
“The iPod reference is more curious, as it could mean that Apple is planning to debut a 7th-generation iPod Touch. Apple most recently updated the iPod Touch in 2015 (like the iPad mini),” Palladino writes. “The new model referenced in the iOS 12.2 beta reportedly doesn’t have Touch ID or Face ID, and if that’s true, the new iPod Touch will be less like the current iPhones than ever before.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Just leaping from the current A8 chip in both the current iPad mini and the iPod touch to the A12 (or even A11) would be a massive upgrade!
The current 9.7-inch iPad contains an A10 Fusion SoC, so less of a leap is possible there, but the A12X is up to 35% faster than the A10 in single-core performance and up to 90% faster during multi-threaded tasks along with up to 2X the graphics performance, so the leap would certainly be significant if Apple updates the 9.7-inch iPad’s SoC.
[UPDATE: 8:07pm PT: Corrected A10X to A10 as per “S. Mulji” below.]
SEE ALSO:
Apple looks to be planning major iPad refresh – January 25, 2019
Apple plans to launch two new low-cost iPads in first half of this year – January 17, 2019
Apple reportedly prepping 5th-gen. iPad mini for early 2019 – December 21, 2018