Even with the much-rumored 12.9-inch “iPad Pro” reportedly being readied for a fall release, most users would assume that the huge new tablet would debut alongside an updated iPad Air and iPad mini. However, a new report says that a new iPad Air won’t be making an appearance! (It might take a whole shaker-full of salt for this rumor, folks!)
… a new report from Economic Daily News [Translation] (via Macotakara [Translation]) says that no new iPad Air will be revealed.
While a new iPad mini 4 will debut alongside the iPad Pro, Liaoxian Li, investment advisor at Fubon Hardware, says Apple may want to focus attention on the new Pro, and will be using its main iPad assembly plant to maximize production capacity for the larger tablet. Li says a new iPad Air might not see a release until 2016.
Here’s where the shaker-full of salt comes in, Economic Daily News has a shaky rumor track record at best, and this particular analyst is basically an unknown a far as rumor track records go.
Another reason this rumor seems so sketchy, is that the iPad Air lineup is Apple’s sweet spot when it comes to tablets. They’ve likely lost some of the iPad mini users to their larger iPhone 6 Plus handset, which is as close to a “phablet” as Apple has ever made. The iPad Pro will likely be more of a niche product if/when it makes its debut, aimed at business customers.
While it’s true that consumers were disappointed that the 2014 iPad mini 3 consisted of an iPad mini 2 with a Touch ID added, the next mini is expected to be more of a major update. Rumors has it that the new tablet will have a more iPad Air 2-like design.
The iPad Air will likely continue to be updated, and we believe we’ll see an iPad Air 3 this fall, even if it does just include minimal updates, such as a newer processor, and perhaps more RAM or an improved camera.
We’ll keep our eyes on this rumor to see how it develops, but we’re not holding our breath waiting for it to come true, because blue is NOT our color!
