New iPad Mini, at last

Apple today announced a new iPad Mini, the most adorable iPad but for its aging specs. The new model has an A17 Pro CPU, comes in four muted colors (silver, yellow, green and pink) and is compatible with Apple Pencil Pro. From the press release:

Apple today introduced the new iPad mini, supercharged by the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence, the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy. With a beloved ultraportable design, the new iPad mini is available in four gorgeous finishes, including a new blue and purple, and features the brilliant 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display. A17 Pro delivers a huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks, with a faster CPU and GPU, a 2x faster Neural Engine than the previous-generation iPad mini,¹ and support for Apple Intelligence. The versatility and advanced capabilities of the new iPad mini are taken to a whole new level with support for Apple Pencil Pro, opening up entirely new ways to be even more productive and creative. The 12MP wide back camera supports Smart HDR 4 for natural-looking photos with increased dynamic range, and uses machine learning to detect and scan documents right in the Camera app.

The larger iPads invite me to use them for real work but remain averse to pro workflows, versioning, etc., while the mini is just a perfect l'il sketchpad, writering device and media consumption trough: large enough to get light work done but small enough for a cargo pocket. That last-gen phone processor is not particularly enticing, though, nor the heavy AI branding. It'll be out Oct. 23 for $499, or $649 with cellular.