(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I recently called out Apple’s new “why not” era under CEO John Ternus — a chaotic, experimental chapter bringing us the $2,000 iPhone Duo and $3,000 touchscreen MacBook Pros . Well, the iPad mini 8 just arrived, and it perfectly encapsulates the dark side of this new philosophy.

I just finished reading Tony Polanco’s review of the new mini, and I completely agree with his assessment: it is a stunning piece of hardware. That new OLED panel is a visual marvel, the IP67 water resistance is a massive structural win, and it is undeniably one of the most capable tablets Apple has ever made.

And then, I looked at the pricing ladder, and realized it revealed something grave.…