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Hmm i kinda like the physical rotation switch, not sure if i would like it being removed.
 
Another difference lies in the volume buttons which are shown slightly recessed into the edge of the case, compared to the current design that sees buttons protruding slightly from a flush holes machines in the device's shell. Nowhereelse.fr mentions that the mute switch is also missing, although there is a small hole where the feature is usually located. Unfinished protoype and mockup parts sometimes feature these pilot holes to guide machining of the final hole.

I'm okay with this. I find myself bumping them more often than not. Although I only use the switch as a lock screen orientation button, which I have trouble finding in the dark anyways.

Mostly I hope they get rid of the mute switch on the iPhone. It accidentally switching on and off in my pocket is a good part of the reason I leave my 4S in a case.
 
Suddenly the 'Release All Hardware in the Fall' strategy makes sense.

September:
iPad mini 3 and iPad Air 2 will be minor tweaks: New A8 processors, Touch ID and Split-Screen multi-tasking will be it. Then, in the same event, the all-new iPhone 6 will be announced, in two sizes.

This leaves the October event free for any Macs which need updating this side of Christmas and the main event, the iWatch.
 
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While Apple is widely expected to expand use of its Touch ID fingerprint sensor to the iPad Air and iPad mini later this year, new photos of an alleged "perfect replica" of the second-generation iPad Air shared by Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translate] hint that there may be a few additional changes in store for the device.

The replica, which is making the rounds in China and Japan, unsurprisingly depicts a Touch ID home button for the device, but also shows some tweaks to physical features around the edges of the device, including a new speaker grille with a single row of larger holes on each side of the Lightning port as opposed to the current double row of smaller holes on the iPad.

Another difference lies in the volume buttons which are shown slightly recessed into the edge of the case, compared to the current design that sees buttons protruding slightly from a flush holes machines in the device's shell. Nowhereelse.fr mentions that the mute switch is also missing, although there is a small hole where the feature is usually located. Unfinished protoype and mockup parts sometimes feature these pilot holes to guide machining of the final hole.

Updated iPads are expected to launch later this year, with October being Apple's usual timeframe for such launches over the past couple of years. The latter part of 2014 is expected to be a busy one for Apple, with rumors of launches for the iPhone 6, new iPads, the iWatch, and perhaps some Mac updates such as the company's rumored 12-inch Retina MacBook Air.

Article Link: Alleged 'Perfect Replica' of iPad Air 2 Shows Touch ID, Recessed Volume Buttons, New Speaker Grille

Interesting; I would've figured that, TouchID aside, they wouldn't have altered the body style at all. Looks cool though. Also looks thinner than the current one somehow. Now tell me more about the A8! Also, tidbits on the next iPad mini would be nice too. :)
 
Come on Apple, put one speaker on the 'top' so we can have stereo sound from both orientations. Jeez is that too much to ask for?
 
The current iPad Air was the "huge leap" one to buy IMHO. While it would be nice to grab the new one if you didn't have one yet, current owners probably won't see that much that wants to make them trade.

I hope Apple proves me wrong........kind of.
 
All the dust that could collect in that speaker grille...

More than it can already? I suppose if they are slightly bigger maybe...

One thing I prefer about lightning is that it doesn't seem to collect lint as quickly as the old connector does.
 
It is a terrible design, no SD card slots, a nightmare to load with audio/video if you have 2 laptops, choose one, and make a mistake and the ipad data is deleted.

Mr Ive is slacking off, this is a stupid ipad. When are you going to see the problems Mr Ive?
 
Looks beautiful. I think I prefer the small speaker holes but that's minor. It certainly looks a lot better than the iPhone 6 mock ups.
 
I miss John Sculley era. No mockups and no leaks. Building excitement before the announcement.

It is not that John Sculley was better at stopping leaks, it is that the world has changed and leaks now are something that you can't stop as EVERYONE has a camera phone and is connected.
 
The current iPad Air was the "huge leap" one to buy IMHO. While it would be nice to grab the new one if you didn't have one yet, current owners probably won't see that much that wants to make them trade.

I hope Apple proves me wrong........kind of.

It's never really necessary to upgrade to Ver 5 from Ver 4. Technology will always march forward, but consumers aren't normally expected to keep buying the latest and greatest.

Users from the iPad 2 or 3 are more likely to benefit from the current gen or next gen model.
 
It is a terrible design, no SD card slots, a nightmare to load with audio/video if you have 2 laptops, choose one, and make a mistake and the ipad data is deleted.

Mr Ive is slacking off, this is a stupid ipad. When are you going to see the problems Mr Ive?

I'm confused about this, doesn't iTunes say something along the lines of "there is already data on this iPad, do you want to delete it and sync?"
 
I'm confused about this, doesn't iTunes say something along the lines of "there is already data on this iPad, do you want to delete it and sync?"

That, and nowadays most users don't have different data on two laptops that they need on a mobile device.

For the most part, I have three computers I use from time to time, two that I use daily, and all of the data is the same across systems thanks to iCloud, Dropbox, and modern computing habits.
 
Lopsided audio again, count me out. the audio on the ipad mini is terrible.

How hard can it be to have audio from 2 sides of the ipad?? Too hard for that designer at Apple!!:mad::mad::(

It would be nice to have a speaker on the upper side of iPad, and then iPad to auto-detect when you are watching a video content in the landscape mode. In addition, hopefully one day we will also get front-firing, rather than side-firing speakers.
 
I have 2 laptops, 1 is Apple, one is a Horrow Product, both have itunes, depends where I am, I download stuff off the interwebs, in mp4,

I use my ipad to watch when travelling, now some idiot at Apple says I have to spend time syncing my itunes library from one laptop to the next, then upload to my ipad, insane!!!

2 libraries, let me just plug and play, this concept has been around since Win 3.1!!!! Plug and play Apple, instead you create stupid handover for useless devices, at least if you are going to hobble the stupid ipad with only 1 itunes laptop, then at least let my use my SD card slot, of which both laptops have..

MR Ive is a m***on for designing the way he is!!
 
So the new iPads are going to keep the iPod touch/iPad mini design (with the curved sides and chamfered edges), but the iPhone is going in a completely different direction? Something about those alleged iPhone mockups just don't seem right. Or there's a story there (new material perhaps) that won't be known until Apple announces the new phones this fall.
 
I miss John Sculley era. No mockups and no leaks. Building excitement before the announcement.

Yeah, because everyone was bursting to find out what the next insanely ugly Macintosh PerfomaCentrisLCVIII SuperMax 2400vg was going to look like -_-
 
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