iPad Air 3 release date with new iOS 9?

The iPad Air 2. Rumors fly that the next iPad Air would have significant improvements over the previous one.Apple.com

When the iPad Air 2 was unveiled at a special launch event by Apple in October last year, it conquered the world as the thinnest phablet the company has produced. This year, many fans are wondering whether Apple will make the next-gen iPad Air much thinner, or just continue with the same specs. 

According to MacWorld, it would be better for the Cupertino-based company to stick with the current thinness of the design. Apple has already achieved what many thought was impossible — the iPad Air 2 is half the thickness of the original iPad. However, MacWorld maintains that having the next iPad Air much thinner would have fans worrying about flexing issues, recalling the iPhone bending concerns that surfaced. 

Another rumor that is circulating in the online community is that the new iPad Air will coincide with the release of iOS 9. The new operating system, with unverified codenamed Monarch, will probably be released on a special launch event during the latter half of this year. It would most like be that the iPad Air 3 will come with iOS 9, with faster speed and enough stability that there would be less possibilities of device crashes. 

As for the release date, experts say that if Apple would continue with its habitual schedule, the iPad Air 3 would likely come in later part of the year. The first iPad air was announced in October of 2013, while the next iPad Air was unveiled during a special launch at Apple's Cupertino campus in October last year. If the schedule would remain consistent, then the iPad Air 3 will likely go on sale by October this year in the U.S. and in the international markets by early November.