The iPad Air 3 may not see the light of day after all. At this point in time, there's zero information regarding the device other than unconfirmed rumors, leading to serious fears that Apple is discontinuing the tablet line.
The predictions of most experts on what's next for the Cupertino-based company always do not include the iPad Air 3. This is true with reputable KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo's latest research note.
He claimed that Apple will release three new iPads next year, two of which will be the next iterations of the iPad Pro — one will be the 12.9-inch version and another with a new size of 10.5 inches. Both devices will be powered by the yet-to-be-released A10X processor.
The third one is a "low-cost" iPad, which some say could be a spiritual successor to the iPad Air 2. Kuo did not specify a monicker for the tablet in question but revealed that it will come with a 9.7-inch display, the same size Apple employs on the iPad Air.
Whether or not this is an iPad Air 3 in disguise remains unknown, but the fact that Kuo did not refer to it as an iPad Air device while the analyst called the upcoming iPad Pro the "iPad Pro 2" suggests that this low-cost tablet might not be a part of the Air family.
This leads to the possibility that Apple might follow the iPad Pro brand for the entirety of its tablet line. There's no information at hand to corroborate that, though.
The iPad Air 3 is something that fans have been looking forward to for a couple of years now. Apple released a new iPad mini in September last year but skipped an iPad Air 3 release in favor of the iPad Pro and the 9.7-inch version from early this year.
In an email exchange with a fan following the reveal of the iPhone 7, Apple CEO Tim Cook has reassured his commitment to the MacBook Pro, which has not received an update in four years.
The same still cannot be said for the iPad Air line, which was not refreshed last year by the tech giant for the first time since its launch.
Despite the lack of concrete updates, there are still those who believe that the iPad Air 3 will be released early next year. Whether or not it will still be called as such remains to be seen.
