Rumors have been circulating about the upcoming next in line products of Apple, namely the iPad Mini 4 and the iPad Air 3. Rumored to be introduced to the global market in October, what are the strengths and market points for each device?

Design

Supposedly, the iPad Mini 4 would the Apple's thinnest tablet yet. Sightings on the tablet's back casings seem to confirm this rumor. Design-wise, the iPad Mini 4 will still be the smaller tablet on the flagship line up, with a 7.9 screen housed in a slim aluminium chassis.

The iPad Air 3, on the other hand, will be mostly targeted for the business market, with observers saying that it will probably take on the competition among tablet hybrids, most notably among them the currently available Surface Pro 3.

Processor

Most Apple observers say that the iPad Mini 3 looks and performs like its predecessor, the iPad Mini 2, but with an added fingerprint sensor. In this regard, most fans are hoping that the next iPad Mini will instead have major overhaul done to it. According to Apple observer MacWorld, the iPad Mini 4 might feature Apple's new A9 chip when it launches. However, there are also reports that the new Mini will instead house the Air 2's A8X processor.

To take advantage of the launch of the new iOS, the Air 3 is rumoured to come out of the box with iOS 9. Also, since the new tablet will have 2K resolution, 3D display, and will cater mostly to businesses, it will house the newest A9X processor paired with 3 GB of RAM.

Release date

Checking the timeframe of past iPad Mini launches, the fourth gen Mini will launch in the latter part of the year, October at the earliest. This is based on the October and November releases of the Mini's predecessors.

The iPad Air 3 is anticipated to be unveiled alongside the iOS 9, and most pundits place the announcement to be at this year's WWDC event to be held in June.