iPad Air 3 release date, specs, news: New iPad Pro 2 report increases chances of tablet's doom

A new iPad is seen follownig a presentation at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California October 16, 2014.Reuters/Robert Galbraith

The iPad Air 3 is looking more and more of a goner as more information about Apple's plans involving its iPad units continues to come to light.

The Cupertino-based tech firm appears to be pushing for a 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2. As users know, this size is the standard for the iPad Air units.

According to a report by Macotakara, Apple is going for a home button and bezel-less design for the 10.9-inch iPad Pro 2 model so that it could still have the same footprint as the original 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

This means that although it is technically 10.9-inch in size, it will still feel like a 9.7-inch tablet. This will be done by ditching the bottom bezels where the home button should be.

This 10.9-inch iPad Pro 2 with a 9.7-inch footprint is not the same as the "low-cost" version with the same display size that KGI Securities Ming Chi-Kuo talked about a few months back. A refreshed 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2 will also be released on top of this 10.9-inch iPad Pro 2.

This means that there is a possibility that there will be two iPads with the same size. It will not make sense for the iPad Air 3 to be released. After all, it will be difficult to figure which category it will fall or what it will cater to. The economical version is expected to have an A9X processor as opposed to the new A10X.

The bezel-less, 10.9-inch iPad Pro 2 is expected to have all the new technology that Apple can employ. Both devices will have what it takes to render the iPad Air 3 obsolete.

Additionally, it is likely no coincidence that the original 9.7-inch iPad Pro from early this year turned up the same time the iPad Air 3 did not see the light of day.

It is believed that Apple is going full Pro next year, which means that the iPad Air 3 will have to be abandoned.