Apple keeps accidentally announcing the iPad mini. This time it did it on its own website — its French regulatory site, to be precise, where a Smart Folio for iPad mini carrying model number A3632 has quietly appeared, according to MacRumors.
A3632 matches no current or previous iPad mini case. That's the tell. The 2021 and 2024 iPad minis share the exact same Smart Folio, and Apple hasn't issued a new model number for that accessory since the 2021 redesign. A fresh case number means the device it protects has changed physically — dimensions, button placement, speaker openings, or camera position shifted enough that the old cover won't fit.
The filing itself, dated September 8, drops a few more breadcrumbs. The unreleased Folio lists at least 6,610 milligrams of rare earth elements versus 3,947 in the current version, and at least 3% recycled materials versus 9%. The rare-earth jump points at redesigned attachment magnets, which is exactly what you'd change if the chassis got new dimensions.
This is now the third time Apple's own paperwork has outed the device. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris previously found official Apple images of the next iPad mini in the company's code, revealing an A20 Pro chip, a relocated front-facing camera, and a new speaker system. The rumor stack now reads: OLED display, thinner bezels, A20 Pro, more water-resistant design, and a launch on October 27 or 28 alongside an OLED MacBook Pro.
Over on r/apple, the leak landed with a mix of excitement and sticker shock. The top reactions: dread at a rumored ~$800 price for an 8-inch tablet ("Got the 7 for $399 a few years back. $800 is a no go"), jokes that this is "the most confirmations for iPad Mini ever," and disappointment that the redesign reportedly skips ProMotion — which fans call the one thing that would have made it "the perfect iPad."
The price griping is premature — Apple hasn't said a word about pricing. But the pattern is worth noting: Apple is now two weeks from a rumored launch and has confirmed the iPad mini 8 three separate times without meaning to. At this point the October 27 event is less an unveiling than a formality.
— via MacRumors