News & Reviews:   Apple iPad air 3

According to a new report by 9to5Mac, Apple's next generation iPad which was rumoured to be the iPad Air 3 will get a name change to be in line of the iPad Pro during their rumoured 15 March next month.

We've already heard plenty of Apple rumours about the “iPhone 5se” and iPad Air 3 over a couple of weeks, but we got some worthy insider information from Bloomberg confirming the devices' key processor details.

According to Johny Srouji, Apple's SVP of Hardware Technologies who oversees Apple's chip development, both devices will use Apple's latest chip technologies. The iPhone 5se will be equipping the same A9 processor from the iPhone 6s, whereas the iPad Air 3 will feature the A9X processor that was first used in the iPad Pro. It should be noted that this is the first time that the Air 3 will feature a processor from many previous rumours, so Bloomberg's information should be worth highlighting.

According to BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski and 9to5Mac, both sites have claimed that Apple will have an event planned for 15 March (Tuesday) this year to announce and showcase the three rumoured products – the 4-inch iPhone “5se”, iPad Air 3, and a second generation Apple Watch.

A round-up from all our rumoured news of those three products, the iPhone “5se” is said to sport an A9 chip with M9 motion coprocessor, 1GB RAM, 16GB and 64GB storage variant, Bluetooth 4.2, Apply Pay, VoLTE and WiFi connection support, and a 1624 mAh battery. 3D Touch might not be included so it can be different from the iPhone 6s. 

Apple iPad Air 3 rumours have been around for quite awhile, there's another new render image we saw online and it seems to backup the previous rumours of having four speakers and a LED flash.  Besides that, the new render have highlighted that the new device design is similar to the iPad Air 2 and will be 6.15mm thick and 169.6mm wide, slightly bigger than its predecessor. 

Aside from the potential four speakers and LED flash features, a Smart Connector could also be an addition as seen at the side of the device. This suggest that the new iPad can be supported by accessories like a Smart Keyboard. On the other hand, it's rumoured that the device will sport a 4K resolution and 4GB RAM under the hood.

According to DigiTimes, they claimed that the upcoming Apple iPad Air 3 will have a 4K resolution touch panel, an improved RAM of 4GB and better battery life. The mass production is also said to begin whenApple enters the second quarter of 2016.

Besides that, the news portal website also said General Interface Solution and TPK from Taiwan, will share the production of the new iPad Air 3 and will be making a first appearance in March. This is due to some expectation of an increase in demand for the 3D Touch feature from Apple in the first half of 2016. However, oddly enough, previously it was reported that the device would not apply the feature as it was difficult to scale it on a larger screen display. In addition, rumours have it that the iPad Air 3 will also sport four speakers and a LED flash too.

Here's a fun fact, it actually has been awhile since Apple has updated the iPad Air 2 ever since its released in October 2014. And in case if you're wondering if we are ever getting an iPad Air 3, we now have a new rumour about the next-generation iPad.

The drawing above is a concept design from French website Nowhereelse.fr, it looks like the device could sport four-speaker design like the iPad Pro., with two at the top and the other two placed at the bottom. It will also feature a LED flash below the rear camera, which is a surprise because iPad isn't really made for taking pictures. Besides that, it could lack a 3D Touch feature, a faster processor chip, Oxide TFT display, Smart Connector and improved cameras.

Apple is already looking far ahead beyond 2016, as according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, he has some statements on the future of the 3D Touch feature, the new Apple iPad Air 3,Apple iPhone 7, a new Apple Watch and a new 4-inch iPhone that could be the “iPhone 6c”.  

Firstly, Mr. Kuo predicts that the iPad Air 3 will be released in the first half of 2016. It could be in March together with the new “iPhone 6c” and the second generation Apple Watch, this is kind of unusual for Apple to do so as they would usually release new Apple products around every September or October. Another odd thing is that he said the new iPad Air 3 will not adopt the 3D Touch because of production issues.