The iPad Air 3 is said to be in the lineup at the so-called Apple event happening this March, but not the rumored iPad mini 5. The date is rapidly approaching, but it is still full of speculations and Apple is still not giving out any hints.

It is said the Apple is trimming down and simplifying its iPad lineup and the rumored 9.7-inch tablet will fall under the iPad Pro line. If this proves to be true, the iPad Air 2 is the last of its kind, but just in name.

9To5Mac reported a while back that the speculated 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be debuting at the March 15 event. Should this come to pass, then this means that the iPad Pro will have two models now, this new one and the original 12.9-inch tablet showcased last September. It is also said that the two models will be almost the same, with the size being the only difference. The smaller version is rumored to have the same A9X processor, 4 GB RAM, and a 4-speaker system. It will also offer the same storage and color options as its bigger brother, but with a price similar to the iPad Air series.

It is also rumored that the upcoming 9.7-inch iPad will be able to support the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. The Smart Keyboard will also come in a smaller package, as Apple Insider added.

There are, however, contradictory reports with regard to the date of the said Apple event. So far it has been said that it will happen on March 15, 21 and 22.

Going now to the rumored iPad mini 5, it is expected to be launched later this year, in the same month as its predecessor, which was unveiled last September. All previous iPad mini models were launched in the month of October until last year.

Since it is still a few months away, Macwork UK reported that the initial speculations about the rumored tablet are a thickness of merely 5.0 mm, thinner than its predecessor's 6.1 mm; the 7000-series aluminum for its chassis used in the last iPhone; upgraded processor, the A9; and smaller battery capacity.

An improvement is also expected in terms of display quality, but not much in the camera. Internal storage is also expected to start at 32GB and end at 128GB. The 16GB storage for the lowest model last year was just too small for the current user standards.