Apple may release a seventh generation iPad mini before year’s end

Apple may release a seventh-generation iPad mini before the end of the year, according to DigiTimes.

In the second quarter, iPad shipments had a sequential decline higher than those of non-iPad tablets, resulting in iPads’ combined shipment share seeing two consecutive quarters of decline. However, the share will gradually pick up during the second half because of Apple’s inventory replenishment needs in the third quarter and orders for a new small-size iPad in the fourth quarter, according to DigiTimes Research.

Tablets equipped with a 10.x-inch display accounted for nearly 70% of overall shipments in the second quarter as Apple and major tablet brands are all treating the size as the mainstream specification for the mobile device, the reporter adds. However, with some brands turning to releasing smaller-size tablets in the third quarter, the shipment share of 10.x-inch tablets will slip, according to DigiTimes Research.