iPad Air 3 Might Be A No Show This Year
Apple is always rumored to be doing many things but not everything comes to pass, naturally. One of the latter, it seems, will be the iPad Air 3. Industry sources in China, suggest that Apple is being conservative about its tablet products and will therefore not be launching a successor to the iPad Air line this year. It will, however, put out a new iPad mini, expected to be announced next month. And in addition to that, of course, will be the largest iPad, the iPad Pro.
Both the latest generations of the iPad Air and iPad min were unveiled almost a year ago with very little fanfare. The iPad mini 3, in particular, was seen more as an incremental upgrade than a revolutionary new product. The iPad Air 2 fared better, moving forward considerably with its lighter frame and larger size, which didn't feel redundant compared to the iPhone 6 Plus. Considering there is perhaps less need to upgrade the iPad Air, it is understandable that Apple would prefer to delay this tablet to give way to a newcomer.
Check out our reviews for the iPad Mini 3 and the iPad Air 2 to get an idea of what we're hoping to see in the next generation.
Perhaps more telling, however, is the supposed reason for Apple's less enthusiastic tablet push. The tablet market in general is seeing a decline in numbers, both in demand and in supply. This is also the incentive for Apple's about face on extremely large iPads, targeted more at the enterprise than everyday consumers. Of course, the iPad Pro's existence is still mere conjecture at this point, but we only have a few weeks left to see if it is real or simply wishful thinking.
The sources, however, are more confident about the existence of the iPad mini 4. Unlike last year's model, this will be more a leap forward than a simple step. The iPad mini 3 only really added Touch ID to the iPad mini 2, so the expectations for the 4th gen mini tablet are quite high.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPad mini 4, and possibly the iPad Pro, at its event on September 9, where it will also announce the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
VIA: BGR