A new report from Taiwan's Commercial Times (via MacRumors) suggests Apple's rumored Oct. event will not precede the releases of both new iPad Air and Retina Pad Mini tablets this fall.
Apple still reportedly plans to unveil and release this "Air 2" this fall, with production scheduled to kick off in Sept. and shipping set for next month, but contradicting previous reports, the site claims the Retina Mini isn't releasing alongside its larger companion. Instead, the CT reports that the "Mini 3" will launch in early 2015, with the rumored 12.9-inch iPad Pro set for a release in Q2 of 2015.
Bloomberg recently reported that Apple was planning a "mid-October" event for the new iPads.
According to an earlier report, the Air 2 will feature the same design as its predecessor, but will come equipped with a new Apple A8 chip (compared to the A7 in the Air) and a better 8MP camera.
The A8 chip will allegedly bring with it a 50 percent increase in performance, iClarified notes. The device's display, meanwhile, will be made by LG, Samsung and Sharp, with the former being the first to start making the displays, which will reportedly be a 9.7-inch LCD with the same resolution (2048x1536) as the current Air.
Well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has stated he believes the Air 2 will offer an A8 chip built by TSMC, Touch ID fingerprint security and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera.
Specs details for the Mini 3 have been sparse, but it also expected to arrive with Touch ID, an Apple A8 and an improved camera.
Rumors about Touch ID's debut on an iPad have been tossed around basically since the release of the 5S and it would make sense for Apple to add the useful feature into its next wave of tablets, especially with the recent unveiling of the company's mobile payment system, Apple Pay.
The iPad Pro has been rumored for 2K/4K display options with with 2560 x 1600 and 4096 x 3072 pixel counts, respectively, an A8 chip and an eye tracking sensor. Digitimes reports that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, or possibly "Max," would target "North America's educational market [and]... be manufactured by Quanta Computer." The tablet would arrive as a competitor to Samsung's work tablet and feature new cases with integrated keyboards and batteries, according to the report.
Kuo previously said he believes that Apple is working on the iPad Pro with an eye on a "richer entertainment and productivity experience," AppleInsider reports. He added that it will pack new usability features.
"With the 12.9" iPad, we think Apple will come up with a new user interface that's more innovative and intuitive, so that input will be as efficient as a device with keyboard," Kuo said.
