While we try to keep rumor and “leaked shots” types of posts to a minimum at MacTrast, these leaked shots of an alleged front panel of an “iPad Air 2” were too nice to pass up, especially for a Friday…
… a pair of photos showing what is said to be a front panel for the next-generation iPad Air, shared by Dutch site One More Thing [Google Translate]. Notably, the part appears to include an integrated display in contrast to the separate panel and display parts used on the current model.
If these shots are for real, the move to an integrated panel such as seen here would allow Apple to either reduce the overall thickness of the iPad Air, or make more room for such improvements as a larger battery.
iFixit co-founder Kyle Wiens spoke with MacRumors, and noted that the assembly could indeed be legitimate, and by all appearances use a process similar to that seen on the Retina MacBook Pro.
A new model of the iPad Air is expected to launch later this year, likely in the third quarter.
