With iPhones growing in size, the 7.9-inch iPad mini is probably dead

Bloomberg recently spent a great deal of time in a post rehashing what many of us already know about Apple’s upcoming iPhone lineup. It also included a tiny paragraph that could best be read as the iPad mini’s obituary. 

In the last paragraph of the Monday post, Bloomberg explains:

The iPad mini, which was last upgraded in 2015, and the 9.7-inch iPad, last refreshed in March, won’t be upgraded, a person familiar with the company’s plans said.

Not surprisingly, some quickly jumped on this comment. The Loop, for example, said, “This seems to be confirmation of something widely speculated to be true, that the iPad mini has been end-of-lifed.”

The end of the iPad mini wouldn’t come as much of a surprise. For one, the tablet hasn’t been updated in nearly three years, which should tell you just how insignificant the tablet has become for the company.

For another, it’s clear Apple can make more money jumbo-sizing iPhones than keeping around a 7.9-inch tablet. Consider, the base iPad mini is priced at $399. The long-rumored upcoming 6.5-inch iPhone Plus is expected to launch at $999. Let that sink in for a minute.

In the future, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple relaunch the iPad mini. Instead of calling it an iPad, however, the device will almost certainly be marketed as an even bigger iPhone.

How about the iPhone X Plus Plus, anyone.

Apple’s expected to announce three new iPhones in the coming weeks. These will probably include a second-generation 5.8-inch iPhone X, the aforementioned 6.5-inch smartphone model, and a 6.1-inch LCD model. This year’s iPad Pro lineup should include an 11-inch and 12.9-inch model.

Would you miss the iPad mini? Let us know below.