Apple may refresh its MacBooks next month but the iPad Mini is on the chopping block

Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is just around the corner, which means there are announcements ahead. According to the most recent reports, WWDC will be kicking off with hardware upgrades to the 12-inch MacBook and the MacBook Pro lineup. However, the iPad Mini might be on the chopping block, meaning we may never see an updated version to Apple's mini tablet.

Let's start off by talking about the new MacBooks. According to sources speaking with Bloomberg, Apple will be kitting out the MacBook and MacBook Pro with updated Kaby Lake processors. On top of that, the MacBook Air may also get an update though the report doesn't have too many details on that front, straying away from things like an updated ‘Retina' display.

Out of the three, a MacBook Air update would be the most surprising, given that Apple has seemingly forgotten about its original ‘thin and light' in recent years. It is currently the only Apple laptop to not feature a retina display, which goes to show how long it has been.

Now let's move on to the iPad Mini. While the iPad lineup still sells fairly well, right now, the Mini is being burned at both ends. The original iPad Mini launched at a time when Apple was still straying away from larger phone displays. However, now with the 5.5-inch iPhone Plus models on the market, the iPad Mini makes less sense.

According to sources speaking with BGR, Apple's new 9.7-inch iPad simply offers better value, it has a larger display, has better hardware and is even cheaper than the iPad Mini 4. This, combined with the fact that the iPhone 6/7 Plus are taking sales away, is apparently leading Apple to discontinue the iPad Mini going forward.

KitGuru Says: The original iPad Mini and iPad Mini 2 were both seen as good value at the time. However, things have changed significantly since then, especially with the Plus-sized iPhone now being so popular. Do you guys prefer smaller sized tablets? Do you think there is still a market for them, even with larger smartphones becoming the norm?

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