iPad 64 bit hardware release cycle

Highly unlikely. Last year Apple wanted to push all their current generation iOS products to promote uptake of the lightning connector at the same time.

This time, I don't see any reason for them to update anything until next Sep/Oct.

 

What if, what if, what if. By this logic, you'll be waiting 50 years to buy an iPad. The next one will always be better.

 

At some point, but years away, tablets will replace laptops. But tablets are no where near mature for that to occur yet. But the morphing between the two that is just now starting will continue until it reaches that point.

As for another Air update... doubt it. The only reason Apple launched two iPads in 2012 was to reset the iPad launch period from spring to fall. Apple gains nothing by updating iPads every six months, and, in fact, it discourages people from upgrading every year if they know there will always be a new model 6 months down the road. Now whether we'll see an entirely new iPad model, the so-called iPad Pro, who knows.

 

This is fixable in software, and likely will be fixed with an update.

And while I think the iPhone 5s AND iPad Air are transitional devices, they're more so for the software than the hardware. I think we're going to have a full 12 month cycle on the iPad Air, while iOS will probably see more updates than usual to get 64-bit mobile computing down right.