Apple, the American multinational technology company, is reportedly preparing to launch the iPad Air 3 tablet computer this October, roughly a year after it released its predecessor, the iPad Air 2.

Reports say that if Apple plans to stick to the same pattern of releasing a new iPad every third quarter of the year, it is possible that the iPad Air 3 will find its way to the public three to four months from now.

According to reports, Apple's iPad Air 3 might arrive with the new and more advanced iOS 9 operating system already pre-installed. iOS 9 was announced about a month ago at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2015 event in San Francisco. The new operating system is scheduled to be released this September.

Unveiled on October 16, 2014, the iPad Air 2 runs on the iOS 8.1 operating system and can be upgraded to iOS 8.4. With iOS 9, the iPad Air 3 is expected to provide various options for customizing themes, among many other functions.

Recent reports say the iPad Air 3 will also sport a 6.1 mm thin body and possibly a 9.7 inch display screen like its predecessor. The iPad Air 2 has an LED-backlit IPS LCD display screen with a 1536 x 2048 pixel resolution.

The iPad Air 2 has an 8 mega pixel rear-facing camera and a 1.2 mega pixel front-facing camera. For the new device, Apple might improve its front-facing camera for better performance under low-light conditions.

The iPad Air 2 comes with the A8X processor along with 2 GB RAM and up to 128 GB memory storage. The iPad Air 3 might be powered by an A9 processor alongside 2 GB RAM, which will definitely improve software performance.

The iPad Air 2 is thinner and faster than its predecessor, the iPad Air, and features Touch ID. But its design, height and screen size are the same as those of the iPad Air.