prospect of a new (regular) iPad and iPad Mini in March 2019?

[bwApple! fwApple!]

Frankly, I don't think the regular iPad will be updated in March 2019. The difference between the early 2017 and early 2018 iPads was quite substantial. The difference between the early 2018 iPad and a possible early 2019 iPad would likely be too small.
Wasn't there like two and a half years between the iPad Air 2 and the early 2017 iPad? I think the difference between the current iPad and an early 2019 iPad would be too small for Apple to update it.
WWDC 2019 is probably not the right moment for an update either. So at the earliest, it'll be September 2019.
(The iPad Pros obviously will not see an update before late 2019. So it might be a year without any changes to the entire iPad line-up)
Just my guess.
Now, the reason this interests me is actually more in consideration of the future of the iPad Mini. Apple still sells it. Would they just drop it in March 2019 (without saying anything about it)? Would they replace it with a Mini version of the early 2018 iPad? (Considering the rumors by Kuo that the Mini might indeed see an update). Perhaps they drop or refresh it late 2019 when there might be a new regular iPad?

Come to think of it, I'm now guessing there might not even be a March 2019 event. (2013, 2014 and 2017 didn't have one either.)
Things like the new Mac Pro might be more of a WWDC thing, rather than an update to the iPad Mini.

Guess I'll be buying a Mini 4 then... In late 2018, for about a late 2015 price...

 

[Richard8655]

Except for the processor and pencil, wondering what was the substantial difference between iPad 5 and 6? I’m thinking those were expected evolutionary changes. But I agree, I’m also looking forward to what iPad 7 may bring as that’s likely my choice for any new iPad.

 

[bwApple! fwApple!]

"Except for the processor and pencil, wondering what was the substantial difference between iPad 5 and 6?"

The CPU/GPU and pencil support are what I was thinking.
The 2017 iPad was sort of a minimalist update considering 2.5 years without an update.
Just one year later, you get a nice performance and capabilities boost, that should put to rest any doubts the regular iPad might not have good longevity.
But this makes me doubt it will see an update in March 2019.

 

[007p]

There’s no reason not to stick an A11 in them both, keep the form factor, maybe update the mini for pencil support.

Just because it’s a small spec upgrade doesn’t mean they can’t do it. Not everything requires an event for the announcement.

I’d rather they kept their products updated, than sat around for 4 years waiting on updating them...looking at the mini here

 

[flur]

My understanding is that the new pencil doesn’t work with any iPad released before this new iPad Pro, so I would expect Apple to update the iPad to work with the new pencil sometime in the not-to-distant future (maybe March 2019) and they could update the mini then.

From what we’ve heard about the mini update, it sounds like internals and not a huge design change. So it’s possible we could see a late-Winter update of both devices without an event.

 

[bwApple! fwApple!]

"There’s no reason not to stick an A11 in then both. (...) They [can] do it."

There's no reason not to lower the price of the iPad 10.5.
There's no reason for the iPad Mini to go for years without an update or price drop.
There's no reason not to [do all kinds of things that Apple doesn't do].
I guess Apple has its reasons...

 

[sonicrobby]

I expect a refresh of both for the spring, I think they will still be keeping touch ID, possibly sport the USB-C though, and Id guess pencil 2 support. The selling points for these iPads are their price, so I dont expect apple to do too much to make it like the new pro yet.

 

[rmoliv]

My guess is iPad's gonna go Face ID and edge-to-edge as well, probably next March. It'll also support Apple Pencil 2nd gen and have Lightning port replaced by USB-C.

 

[bwApple! fwApple!]

"...pencil 2 support. The selling points for these iPads are their price, so I dont expect apple to do too much to make it like the new pro yet."

Isn't support for the new pencil just the kind of thing one should not expect to happen in the short term?
[doublepost=1540992507][/doublepost]"My guess is iPad's gonna go Face ID and edge-to-edge as well, probably next March. It'll also support Apple Pencil 2nd gen and have Lightning port replaced by USB-C."

What is that going to do to the price? The price, as rmoliv said, being the [main] selling point for the non-Pro iPad(s).

 

[HarryWild]

There’s no reason not to stick an A11 in them both, keep the form factor, maybe update the mini for pencil support.

Just because it’s a small spec upgrade doesn’t mean they can’t do it. Not everything requires an event for the announcement.

I’d rather they kept their products updated, than sat around for 4 years waiting on updating them...looking at the mini here

Do not want old two year old SoC in the next iPad Mini! A11 was released 2017! Screw the notion of keep the iPad Mini as a “budget” iPad with substandard technology in it! And the Apple takes forever do do an update on it! There a big jump in technology between an A11 and the A12! For the difference of $300, it not worth buying junk over and over again with “budget” versions that are limited RAM inside of it, crappy screen, etc... I want an new iPad Mini Pro not a garbage iPad Mini 5!

 

[bwApple! fwApple!]

"I want an iPad Mini Pro!"

That would be my preference as well.
A 9 inch version of the 11 inch iPad Pro. Similar to what the iPad Mini was compared to the iPad Air 2.
The same resolution, merely 326 ppi instead of 264 ppi.

 

[Richard8655]

Well, whatever they do the regular iPad is excellent in my opinion, and under appreciated (here at least). A couple 5th gens here and expect them to be good for a few more years.

I would never pay the kind of prices Apple is demanding for the Pro. So as long as the regular iPad is offered, I remain an iPad fan.

 

[sonicrobby]

"...pencil 2 support. The selling points for these iPads are their price, so I dont expect apple to do too much to make it like the new pro yet."

Isn't support for the new pencil just the kind of thing one should not expect to happen in the short term?
[doublepost=1540992507][/doublepost]"My guess is iPad's gonna go Face ID and edge-to-edge as well, probably next March. It'll also support Apple Pencil 2nd gen and have Lightning port replaced by USB-C."

What is that going to do to the price? The price, as rmoliv said, being the [main] selling point for the non-Pro iPad(s).

Well I would expect the USB C for sure, and it doesnt make sense to have the 1st gen pencil with a port that couldnt support it. Then again, if the USB C is somehow a high-cost item, then youre right, they could exclude it altogether and just do a basic spec bump on the existing iPads and call it an event.

 

[Innuendo84]

I am also curious will they update the regular ipad in March 2019. Will it support pencil 1 or 2? Will they unify the design (like they did with iphones) or keep the old one? Will they increase the price? Lightning or usb-c? etc...

If they want to keep the price I doubt they will change anything besides the new processor.

If they change the design, with no home button and added support for pencil 2 I predict $499 will become the new bottom price

 

[HarryWild]

I am willing and ready to shell out at least $1,500 for a state of the art iPad Mini! No more budget with old SoC and limited RAM, budget quality screen, limited storage and old packaging just save a couple of dollars but in a year or two will become unusable. I rather buy state of the art Pro and enjoy cutting edge technology in using the iPad Mini with “Pro” features.

 

[bwApple! fwApple!]

"I am willing and ready to shell out at least $1,500 for a state of the art iPad Mini!"

I hear this kind of thing all the time, but I don't buy it. (pun intended)
I love my iPhone SE, and wish for it to be made into an X-version. But it hasn't happened yet. And it might not happen at all.
I've seen many people on MacRumors who want such a kind of phone as well, and saying how much they would pay for one. But would they really spend that kind of money if Apple were to release such a product? $1500 for an iPhone X-SE?
(Apple's prices are high enough as they are. I didn't see it coming that the 16 months old iPad 10.5 wouldn't see any reduction in price. I recommended my dad not to replace his iPad Air 1, because surely the new iPads announced in September would cause a price drop in the 10.5 iPad and make that the one to get! Well, it took 50 more days for the iPads to be announced, and there was no price drop at all. So I'm glad he didn't listen to me, and just went and bought the 2018 iPad some three months ago.
I really want an iPad Mini Pro, but I'm not actually willing to pay more for it than for the regular 11 and 13 pros.

 

[nyy13251]

I was going to go out in the next few weeks and possibly buy the 2018 IPad and pencil, but the possibility of them updating it early next year to include pencil 2 and maybe Face ID has me intrigued. Price would go up a little but I think it it was $500, (little less with student discount), I would go for it. I’m in grad school and want the iPad and pencil to take notes in class and to make things little more organized.

 

[HarryWild]

I purchased a brand new iPad Mini 4 and iPad Pro 12.9”! One is going back!

 

[HarryWild]

I decided to return both and wait to see if Apple will release a new Mini 5/Pro in March!

 

[judyg951]

I bought the 11" IPP and I'm really happy with it, but I still love my Mini. If Apple would update it I would buy a new one for sure. Its just a nice size for reading in bed and to carry around.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

The problem for Apple updating the Mini is the price, since the new iPad is already cheaper, but that explains the rumor that the new iPad will use a less quality display. So they can put a cheap un-laminated display in it and price it at $299 I guess.

 

[QCassidy352]

Wasn't there like two and a half years between the iPad Air 2 and the early 2017 iPad?

Yes, but recall that there was no such thing as the iPad Pro when the Air 2 was introduced. So the successor to the Air 2 was the first iPad Pro (9.7”), which pushed the Air 2 down in price and made it the “budget model.”

The Air 2 followed the older way of doing things: it went from being the flagship model to the budget model to discontinued. That’s not really how Apple does it anymore: now, there are dedicated budget models, and the flagships just get discontinued rather than discounted (granted, the 10.5” was neither discontinued nor discounted ).

Long story short, I don’t think we’ll be seeing any of the current models stick around as long as the Air 2 did.

 

[HarryWild]

The problem for Apple updating the Mini is the price, since the new iPad is already cheaper, but that explains the rumor that the new iPad will use a less quality display. So they can put a cheap un-laminated display in it and price it at $299 I guess.

The current Mini 4 (2015) is $400. I would be willing to pay $1,800 for an iPad Mini Pro that has 6GB RAM, 1TB, A12!

 

[HarryWild]

Those who buy the Mini are not poor or needy! They can afford anything that Apple has!

 

[Eithanius]

Regular iPad 7th gen (early 2019)

A11 Bionic...
3GB RAM...
10.5" display a la 2nd-gen iPP form factor...
Supports Apple Pencil 2...
64GB, 128GB, 256GB...
Still retains Lightning... Won't go USB-C until iPhones do...