When the iPad mini 7 reaches customers on Wednesday morning, they should expect to update to iPadOS 18.0.1 as part of setting up the tablet.
This update removes bugs in the operating system and became available for other iPad models several weeks ago.
iPad mini 7 gets iPadOS 18.0.1 update on day 1
The process of manufacturing a new iPad, Mac, iPhone, etc. includes installing the operating system. The wrinkle in this is that the computers are made in China, India or perhaps Vietnam over weeks or even months. And then the units must be shipped to customers. All this takes time, which means it’s not unusual for Apple to introduce new operating system versions in the middle of the process.
Long story short, installing an operating system update on a newly purchased device is routine.
What to expect from iPadOS 18.0.1
In this latest case, iPadOS 18 was installed on the iPad mini 7 at the factory, and then version 18.0.1 came out. Users of the tablet are encouraged to install it to remove bad code in the original version. Most notably, when the update came out for other iPads on October 3, Apple indicated that it fixed a problem in which “performance may be impacted due to an issue with memory allocation on some iPad models.”
iPad users can install iPadOS 18.0.1 directly by opening the Settings app and going to General > Software Update. Alternatively, you can update your device by connecting it to a Mac (or to a PC running iTunes).
Do not confuse the update with iPadOS 18.1, which is almost certainly arriving on Monday, October 28. This means that iPad mini 7 launches without the much-hyped AI-powered features dubbed Apple Intelligence. Still, the wait shouldn’t be long, as version 18.1 will usher them in.
Order iPad mini 7 now
Apple unveiled iPad mini 7 on October 15, and the tablet hits store shelves and the hands of early adopters on Wednesday, October 23. The cost starts at $499, just like its predecessor. A version with built-in 5G as well as Wi-Fi starts at $649.
Buy it from: Apple
Those still making up their minds about a purchase can read Cult of Mac’s specs comparison versus the sixth-generation version or our roundup of early reviews of the product.