Apple asks iPad mini users what size screen they want on the next model
What better way to improve your product than to ask your customers what can be done to make it better. With rumors about a larger-screened iPad mini coming (possibly with an 8.4-inch display vs 7.9-inches on the previous model), Apple has been asking owners of the iPad mini what size screen they would prefer. According to ITHome (via Cult of Mac), before deciding what size screen to use for the next-gen iPad mini, Apple wants to hear from actual users of the device.
The iPad mini is the only Apple tablet that has not been redesigned since its initial launch which took place on November 2nd, 2012. But that could change this year not only because of the potential of a larger display but also because of a possible new design that resembles the iPad Air (2020). That would mean no Touch ID button for the new iPad mini as the fingerprint scanner would be integrated with the power button just as it is on the iPad Air (2020).
The iPad mini (2021) could feature a larger 8.4-inch display and a design that resembles the iPad Air (2020) that is pictured
The survey that Apple has sent iPad mini users plays a Goldilocks type of game. Apple asks whether the current screen size of the iPad Air (7.9-inches) is "too small," "a little bit too small," "just the right size," "a bit too large," or "too large." Interestingly, even though Apple released a fifth-generation iPad mini in 2019, the survey questions focus on 2015's iPad mini 4 even though the 5th and 4th-gen models have the same design.
Apple has sent out surveys before to get the lay of the land when it comes to a particular design or issue. For example, last year Apple asked iPhone users whether they use the charger that comes out of the box. Apple gave the respondents of the survey six possible reasons why they don't use the charging brick that comes inside an iPhone box:
- I sold or traded it with my iPhone.
- I lost it.
- I gave it to a family member or friend.
- I still use it at home.
- I still use it outside (at work, school, or other places).
- I still have it, but I don’t use it.
While we don't know the results of the survey, when the iPhone 12 line was released a little more than a couple of months later, there was no charging brick in the box.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: