iPad mini 5 release date: Tablet being replaced by iPhone Plus?

It appears that Apple is failing to find any more use of the iPad mini, which may lead it to skip the iPad mini 5 and abandon the line altogether.

According to the latest reports, the iPad mini 5 is not coming at all with the Plus versions of the iPhone products by Apple slowly replacing the tablet.

KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted the plans of Apple in the tablet department. The iPad mini 5 is significantly missing from his research notes.

According to MacRumors, the Cupertino-based tech firm has discontinued the tablet line after iPhone Plus models decreased the demand for the tablet.

Apple has noticeably been incorporating big differences between the standard-sized iPhones and the Plus versions with the latter getting additional features.

This is true in the iPhone 7 Plus, which comes with the dual camera setup that its little brother does not offer. This could be because Apple is gearing for the ultimate demise of the iPad mini.

The iPad mini 5 is expected to come with the same size as its predecessors—7.9 inches. It appears that the 5.5-inch iPhone Plus models are starting to render it obsolete with the size difference not all that far.

The iPad mini is not the only product expected to be killed off by Apple as the iPad Air is also not expected to get a successor this year or the next when next-generation versions of the iPad Pro will be launched.

Despite this, there are still reports suggesting that the iPad mini 5 will see the light of day March next year together with the iPad Pro 2 and the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro in addition to the 9.7-inch "low-cost" iPad.

However, the lack of solid information about the iPad mini is enough to worry fans about its standing in Apple's future plans.