Tablets used to be pretty cool, especially when Apple first rolled out the iPad in 2010. It has been seven years since, and the tablet industry had peaked some time ago, before taking a plunge downwards in its viability. What about the iPad mini which was introduced half a decade ago? The last iPad mini to be released was in 2015, and since then, Apple has remained mum on whether there will be an iPad mini 5 or not. It does not look too likely that the iPad mini 5 is going to be realized, as there are many rumors which point to the iPad mini line being discontinued. The iPad Pro is still around, having seen a refreshed model recently.

The original iPad line maintained its 9.7-inch form factor, which originally took the world by storm, but over time, folks realized that their ever more powerful smartphones with increasing screen sizes were able to deliver a decent level of portable productivity, while the introduction of the 7.9-inch iPad mini form factor also played a role for folks who would like a mobile computing device that is easy to use, and light to carry around. The iPad mini fit the bill perfectly, but after four generations, it looks like the iPad mini 5 will never see the light of day.

After all, the introduction of Ultrabooks as well as hybrid Ultrabooks which will be able to function as a laptop or a tablet, depending on how you use it, has greatly diminished the role of the tablet. It is not only Apple’s iPad brand name that is suffering at the moment, but the tablet industry overall. Chances are, the executives at Apple have already decided to phase out the iPad mini, meaning the iPad mini 4 would be the last of its generation.

So far, nothing official has been revealed just yet, but plenty of rumors have been swirling about the iPad mini 5 not entering production. Will Apple phase out the iPad mini 4 in this case, or will they continue to keep on selling this product? After all, it has been around for two years now, and if you are going to buy a new iPad mini 4, you might think more than twice knowing that the kind of hardware that it packs is not going to be top of the line. With Apple (and many other consumer electronics companies) offering a new generation model virtually each year, the stagnation of evolution in the iPad mini is going to act against it.

To have the iPad mini 5 discontinued would not be surprising, knowing how production for the 32GB model of the iPad mini 4 has ceased production earlier this year. This also took place not too long after the 9.7-inch iPad 2017 model was introduced. It would be a shame if the iPad mini range was indeed phased out, since there has been quite the mover in the tablet market. Right now, those who are interested in the iPad mini 4 will be able to pick up the 128GB model.

The iPad mini 5 might never materialize, and it has been confirmed that the iPad Air too, will no longer be in production with Apple having announced its discontinuation. Is there still some wiggle room left for the iPad mini 5 in the future? Perhaps, as some industry watchers are optimistic that Apple is going to work on a rebranding exercise, transforming the iPad mini into the iPad Pro mini. This would be a convergence of two different devices, and who knows? We might even see the iPad Air Pro Mini in the future. Now that would be a hoot.