Rumor has it that Apple won't release a follow up to the iPad Air 2 and will instead focus its energies in updating the iPad mini lineup, which did not receive radical upgrading last year. That said, the alleged iPad mini 4 should see significant modifications.
According to Taiwan-based website DigiTimes, Apple's upstream supply chain is already on the move to provide the components for the new iPad mini, which will get more upgrades in comparison to the iPad mini 3. The latter only received the Touch ID feature and a gold color option.
Notably, there are earlier reports claiming that the iPad mini 4 will simply be a smaller version of the iPad Air 2. Apart from an ultra-thin 6.1 mm chassis and an alleged fully laminated display complete with anti-reflective coating, the new iPad mini will also get an 8-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who holds a near perfect track record in predicting Apple's next move and product plans, also says that the iPad mini 4 will essentially be a stripped down version of the iPad Air 2 although he did not say if the product's makings will render the iPad Air 3 immaterial.
Interestingly, a Japan-based blog called Mac Otakara has claimed that an iPad Air 3 will still be available and that it will even boast an A9 processor underneath its hood.
Economic Daily News has long reported that the iPad Air 3 is no more and that the iPad mini 4 will be the final 7.9-inch tablet coming from Apple as the company will soon be investing on the alleged iPad Pro, the long-rumored giant tablet from Cupertino.
It is expected that the iPad mini 4 will see the light of day together with the new iPad Pro and the new iPhones, presumably the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, on Sept. 9, although it could be that Apple will simply lay out its plans on their tablet lineups on the same event.
