iPad Mini 4 Rumors, Features & Release Date: Apple’s Next-Gen Tablet Coming With Split-Screen, Thinner Body; New Device To Launch On Sept. 9?

By Staff Reporter | Aug 13, 2015 06:00 AM EDT

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New leaked details may have just confirmed one of the major features of Apple's upcoming iPad Mini 4.

The upcoming tablet model was seemingly buried deep within the resource file of the unreleased OS X El Capitan Safari 9 browser. Developer Hamza Sood discovered that it might come with the Split View feature, according to 9to5Mac

First introduced during the iOS 9 presentation for the recent Worldwide Developers Conference in June, this split screen feature lets users open and run two apps at the same time. During that time, Apple clarified that only the iPad Air 2 will get the feature through a firmware update since its A8X processor is powerful enough to handle Split View.

However, as developer Sood was working on the Safari 9 browser for the OS X El Capitan, he stumbled upon a resource file that suggests that the iPad Mini series will get support for Split View. According to sources, the iPad Mini 3 will not be able to handle this feature because its A7 processor is not powerful enough.

These details suggest that not only will the iPad Mini 4 come with Split View, but it will also be powered by an updated processor model in order to support the feature.

Tech Crunch noted that the upcoming iPad Mini model may even come with the same processor used by Apple on the iPad Air 2, which is the 1.5GHz A8X chip.

Aside from sharing the same processor model, the iPad Mini 4 might also imitate some of the design features of the iPad Air 2. According to Mac World, just like the latter, the former device might have a thickness of only 6.1mm. This is a significant design improvement from the 7.5 mm iPad Mini 3.

Based on these leaks and rumors, it seems Apple is preparing to market the iPad Mini 4 as a major upgrade over its predecessor. The company may be trying to avoid last year's disappointing launch since the only difference between the iPad Mini 3 and its predecessor is the addition of Touch ID.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPad Mini 4 alongside its next smartphones, namely the iPhone 6S or the iPhone 7, at a keynote event scheduled on Sept. 9.

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