News & Reviews:   Apple iPad Air 2

A user manual containing stats and images of the upcoming Apple iPad Air 2 and Apple iPad mini 3 recently appeared on Apple's own site. It was quickly taken down but not before leaking stats and images of the upcoming tablets set to be announced tonight. The leak doesn't reveal much in terms of tech specs but does reveal some features such as a Touch ID fingerprint sensor for both tablets and a Burst mode for the camera on the Apple iPad Air 2. The manual also confirms the names as Apple iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 which could mean an expanded inventory at the Apple store rather than an outright replacement. No Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet but we expect it to arrive in Malaysia sometime in November or December of 2014.

Reports from Taiwan say that the next Apple iPad Air which probably won't be called the iPad Air 2 may be coming next month in October. While there isn't any Malaysia release date, the report was very specific, pointing to 21 October 2014 as the reveal date for the tablet. Tech specs and features about the upcoming tablet have not been many with some saying that it could pack in a new A8 processor, 2GB of RAM, a redesigned speaker and possibly a Touch ID fingerprint scanner. While we're quite certain about the A8 processor and Touch ID scanner, we'd advise you to take a pinch of salt regarding the other rumoured tech specs. Unfortunately, the reports go on to say that the next Apple iPad mini or iPad mini 3 will only be coming in early 2015. Granted, it was a bit late last year but it could also be late this year as well so take this rumour with a pinch of salt too. The 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro is expected to be announced as well, but again there are no specific Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet.

With the Apple iPhone 6 and Watch officially announced, the next device in the Apple stable will likely be the Apple iPads with a rumoured announcement set for 21 October 2014. This rumour comes from insiders supposedly, so do take it with a good pinch of salt. However, the previous iPad announcements did come in October around this time as well, so it could be possible. For now, there is no definite news on what will be available for the iPad. We are expecting an A8 chip refresh for both the Apple iPad Air and iPad mini along with a TouchID fingerprint sensor, but apart from that nothing else is definite. There are rumours about a 12.2-inch iPad Pro tablet but again, this is still very much a rumour.

Mockups or dummy versions of the Apple iPad Air 2 have appeared, this time showing that the next generation iPad tablet will have a Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the Home button. The new tablet weighs in at 484g, compared to the 469g of the WiFi version for the current Apple iPad Air. In terms of design, nothing else seems to be different. Unfortunately, there are no details on other tech specs or features but the iPad Air 2 is expected to come with the Apple A8 processor, picking up from the Apple A7 processor from last year. As always with such rumours, do take this with a pinch of salt, as these could be dummies or mockups for an entirely different tablet (which has happened before).