Having not announced a new iPad Air alongside the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in September, instead opting to release the iPad Pro, it is now thought the iPad Air 3 will debut in 2016.
Here we round up the latest rumours and expectations for Apple’s 2016 iPad Air 3.
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iPad Air 3 latest news
iPad Air 3 release date
iPad Air 3 price
iPad Air 3 specs and features
iPad Air 3 latest news
18/12/2015: IT looks like Apple’s 3D Touch technology won’t be part of its plans for the iPad Air 3.
According to an investor's note obtained by Apple Insider, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that problems in the supply chain would prevent the technology coming to the tablet. Kuo said 3D Touch was "one of the most severe production bottlenecks in iPhone 6s supply chain."
The iPad Air 3 still looks set to be released in early 2016 with March looking increasingly like the most probable month of launch.
11/12/2015: Following price cuts over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend of up to $ 150 on the iPad Air 2, rumours have been swirling over the possibility of the iPad Air 3 making its debut sometime early in 2016, according to reports by IBT.
The publication also speculates that the new iPad Air 3 will have an 8-megapixel rear camera and a fingerprint scanner like the iPhone 5s upwards. The publication also believes that the device will be launched with a price tag of $ 610.
05/11/2015: Just 17 per cent of people plan to buy a tablet in the next 12 months, according to a new survey conducted by analyst house Gartner.
This is because, as applications still work well with older generations of tablets, consumers are less likely to want to buy a replacement device, leading to the number of new devices in the market falling, said analyst Meike Escherich.
More than two-thirds of US households have a tablet, according to Gartner’s survey of 19,000 people from the US, France, UK, China, Brazil and India, but the number of new buyers is likely to drop.
Escherich said: “Unless new compelling innovation or incentives to upgrade tablets are created, the churn of the mature installed base will continue to fall.”
06/10/2015: According to Chinese publication MyDrivers the new iPad Air 3, when it launches, will retain the 9.7in display size but will see a bump in resolution up to 2334 x 3112 pixels at around 401ppi. The battery size may also decrease, in line with the new iPhones, as well. This could be down to the increased resolution, a thinner chassis or perhaps even an IPX7 waterproofing certificate.
09/09/2015: As rumoured, the iPad Air Pro 3 failed to make an appearance at Apple’s special event this evening. Instead, the company revealed a 12.9in iPad Pro, which goes on sale in November.
This doesn’t mean the iPad Air 3 is dead in the water, however. It is now thought the new model of its ultra-light tablet will launch in either summer or autumn 2016.
17/08/15: Those anticipating a successor to last year's iPad Air 2 might have to wait a little while longer – new rumours suggest that it might not be coming this September after all.
Wide speculation previously suggested that the new tablet would arrive at Apple's forthcoming September event, which will almost certainly see the launch of the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
However, new information suggests that this will not be the case. According to DigiTimes, the company is putting its next Air tablet on the back burner, in order to focus on the iPad Mini 4.
Supply chain companies are apparently already gearing up for the device, lending credence to the news that it could be unveiled in September. It is also set to be a comparatively minor upgrade to the previous model.
DigiTimes cited anonymous "industry sources", who link the decision to declining sales in the tablet market that have seen component manufacturers seek contracts in other sectors.
The latest rumour chimes with prior leaks about the next iPad Air, and suggests that the iPad air could be shelved in favour of the iPad Pro for this year.
iPad Air 3 release date
Over the past few years, Apple has been consistent in launching a new iPad in Autumn, giving the company a good run-up to the Christmas period. In 2015, however, the company launched not another iPad – the massive iPad Pro, which you can read more about here.
It is now thought, therefore, that the iPad Air 3 will launch in September 2016.
iPad Air 3 price
The iPad air has typically cost around £399 for the entry level model at launch, and it’s unlikely the iPad Air 3 will be any different – providing, that is, that there’s still a 16GB version (which there isn’t for the Pro). If the entry level jumps to 32GB, the starting price could be a little over £400.
iPad Air 3 specs and features
Longstanding rumours suggest the iPad Air 3 will be even thinner than the iPad Air 2, which is just 6.1mm thick itself. This would require a smaller battery pack and various other design tweaks to make possible, but innovations in the iPad Air 2, such as iOS 9 or higher as standard, an A9X processor, and up to 128GB storage. On the other, it’s unlikely Apple will want to out-spec the iPad Pro, which is its new, premium, enterprise-focused tablet.
This article was originally published on 16/01/15 and has been updated several times (most recently on 18/12/15) to reflect new information.
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