Another iPad Air 3 Design Drawing Points to Smart Connector, Similar Dimensions as iPad Air 2

[Aluminum213]

You will have your MacBook with you, but also your iPad .
Apple has plenty of chances to reduce bezels on the iPad Air en iPad Pro, reduce weight, the iPad pro can be slimmed down by 0.8 mm, etc.
There will be a time iPad and MacBook will be a hybrid device.

I have never once brought both my macbook pro or iPad Air. If I need to do simple things like check email, web browsing, I'll take the iPad Air. Everything else the laptop. But I still prefer leaving get macbook at home because of the size, the iPad Pro is the WORST of both worlds, the limitations of the iPad and the size of the laptop

 

[Tycho24]

Ok so it will be a " mini" ipad pro with smart connector, but without pencil support, and with a a higher clocked a9, or a lower clocked A9X.

I haven't seen even a single other poster that shares this view with you...
Do you mind telling us what makes you think that there will NOT be Pencil support???
Everyone seems to agree that it will indeed have the same iPad Pro screen, w/ the same new timing controller that allows for Pencil support & Apple is definitely in the business of selling products & making profit... the regular iPad sells most and I'm sure they make a tidy profit from Pencil.... I literally cannot imagine why Apple wouldn't add Pencil support.
Unless you're one of the conspiracy theory folks that believes Apple purposefully neuters their products to add stuff later... I'm REALLY interested in your reasoning.
I am fully expecting Pencil support to be the PRIMARY reason to upgrade. I can't imagine four speakers or "teeny bit crisper screen" could alone sway many, and I do not believe they'll give it 4gb RAM, like the Pro (possible 3gb, if the rumors are true about the iPhone 7+ getting 3gb).

 

[Max(IT)]

march-april was the launch period for every iPad until the infamous iPad 3 -> iPad 4 switch.
So why not ? iPad Air 3 in April 2016
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So there we have it, iPad Air-3 will be thicker and wider than the Air-2 what a pity !

by 0.1 millimeter

The iPad 3 was thicker than the iPad 2

by several millimeters....

 

[Tycho24]

Owning an ipad 3 and a mini 2, this version with 4speakers sounds interesting but will it be overpriced?

Well....
$499 has been the price for the entry level storage iPad, iPad 2, iPad w/ Retina Display, 4th generation iPad, iPad Air, & iPad Air 2... as they went from no camera to two cameras, from one speaker to two, from no fingerprint scanner to having one, etc. so there's definitely not even the slightest concern about a sudden price increase over something as minor as two more speakers! =)
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Based on those pics, it's going to be ANOTHER year of the super boring 2012 iPhone 5 chamfered edges?

Please Apple, leave the chamfered edge design in the past, time to get with the program and update the design language. This should look like an iPhone 6/6S with curved glass. Spare me the spiel about curved glass for swiping on your phone, you can do that on the iPad too.

I refuse to update my Air 2 until there's actually a fresh design from a cosmetic standpoint. Adding speakers and a flash to the existing design doesn't count - I want something entirely new to look at.

While I respect everyone's opinion on their own design preferences...
I've never understood the sentiment of "change for change sake"... how different can an iPad look at this point??
"Something entirely new to look at" sounds both impossible & insane to me. Would it be a cube?? A pyramid?? Octopus shaped?? I don't understand. To me: chamfered vs. non-chamfered edges is such a minor change I scarcely think one would notice, & I really cannot imagine that being a deciding factor when there's things like Pencil support, more RAM, & additional speakers possibly on board... the chamfered edges ranks about even w/ camera flash to me (that is to say: idgaf) =P

 

[xmichaelp]

Boo. Needs to be much thinner.
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Interesting that there is still a headphone jack on this. Why would they keep it on the iPad but drop it from the phone?

Because this is coming out before the iPhone. The next iPhone will be the first device without it.
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It's still going to be overpriced.

Drop the price to be more in line with the Kindle Fires and I might be interested.

HAHAHA. Good one. I want a mansion for 300,000.

 

[teslo]

Your eyesight must be really bad for not being able to enjoy 4x the pixels.

the retina was definitely a vast and obvious improvement. i just somehow doubt a 9" screen will show similar results going from retina to 4K.. i've never complained about battery life since my iThings usually outlast my friends' other brand tablets, but now i'm seeing where some people are coming from when dissing apple re: 'thinner' rather than longer battery.

i'd be happier with 2 speakers and maintaining current display resolution to see not just maintained battery life, but improved. maybe a lot of people use their hardware speakers most of the time and simply can't wait for the concept of 4K, but i can wait on those fronts. speakers and headphones are for sound and 4K is for big screens.

 

[puma1552]

Well....
$499 has been the price for the entry level storage iPad, iPad 2, iPad w/ Retina Display, 4th generation iPad, iPad Air, & iPad Air 2... as they went from no camera to two cameras, from one speaker to two, from no fingerprint scanner to having one, etc. so there's definitely not even the slightest concern about a sudden price increase over something as minor as two more speakers! =)
[doublepost=1454367173][/doublepost]

While I respect everyone's opinion on their own design preferences...
I've never understood the sentiment of "change for change sake"... how different can an iPad look at this point??
"Something entirely new to look at" sounds both impossible & insane to me. Would it be a cube?? A pyramid?? Octopus shaped?? I don't understand. To me: chamfered vs. non-chamfered edges is such a minor change I scarcely think one would notice, & I really cannot imagine that being a deciding factor when there's things like Pencil support, more RAM, & additional speakers possibly on board... the chamfered edges ranks about even w/ camera flash to me (that is to say: idgaf) =P

Surely you understand designs can change, even on benign electronics?

Imagine if Apple incorporated your thinking years ago, we'd still have an iPad 1, a non-unibody MBP, and an iPhone 3G, because I'm sure people said the same things back then and look where we are now. All that stuff looks like hideous old crap, and in time so too will the played out chanfered edges.

Of course they can redesign it, surely you know this. Otherwise why would we have the iPhone 6? iPhone 5 was just fine according to you.

A $200B company can throw us a bone and redesign the iPad, their margins won't hurt.

 

[SteveJobs2.0]

Your eyesight must be really bad for not being able to enjoy 4x the pixels.

My eyesight is likely better than yours, except that I am not obsessed with numbers or subject to pacebo effects. Also I know when the cons of new technology exceed the pros.

 

[Tycho24]

Surely you understand designs can change, even on benign electronics?

Imagine if Apple incorporated your thinking years ago, we'd still have an iPad 1, a non-unibody MBP, and an iPhone 3G, because I'm sure people said the same things back then and look where we are now. All that stuff looks like hideous old crap, and in time so too will the played out chanfered edges.

Of course they can redesign it, surely you know this. Otherwise why would we have the iPhone 6? iPhone 5 was just fine according to you.

A $200B company can throw us a bone and redesign the iPad, their margins won't hurt.

Lol, I guess our definitions of "something completely different to look at" differ strongly.
I would take all of those words at their agreed upon meanings. (please see dictionary.com if you're having confusion) Whereas, you think the removal of the chamfered edges will create some radically wildly different looking product, that you only then will consider worth buying.
I think you're being VERY silly but whatever.

 

[Gudi]

My eyesight is likely better than yours, except that I am not obsessed with numbers or subject to pacebo effects. Also I know when the cons of new technology exceed the pros.

You're right, I'm very shortsighted. That's why I see everything right in front of me clearly. Immediately after seeing the iPhone 4, I decided to never buy a device without a Retina display again and I pity all those poor losers who did. Pixel quadrupling is not just a numbers obsession, it's the biggest increase in display sharpness that I know of. I'm not excited every time one number is bigger than the other, but in this case I am. Why would I want a faster iPad, if not to push more pixels? The iPad 3 experience still beats the iPad 2 hands down.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

If this really does end up being a mini iPad Pro, I am absolutely getting it. I'll take either Pencil support or 3D touch, I would rather have Pencil support than 3D touch if I had to choose.

 

[ValO]

I haven't seen even a single other poster that shares this view with you...
Do you mind telling us what makes you think that there will NOT be Pencil support???
Everyone seems to agree that it will indeed have the same iPad Pro screen, w/ the same new timing controller that allows for Pencil support & Apple is definitely in the business of selling products & making profit... the regular iPad sells most and I'm sure they make a tidy profit from Pencil.... I literally cannot imagine why Apple wouldn't add Pencil support.
Unless you're one of the conspiracy theory folks that believes Apple purposefully neuters their products to add stuff later... I'm REALLY interested in your reasoning.
I am fully expecting Pencil support to be the PRIMARY reason to upgrade. I can't imagine four speakers or "teeny bit crisper screen" could alone sway many, and I do not believe they'll give it 4gb RAM, like the Pro (possible 3gb, if the rumors are true about the iPhone 7+ getting 3gb).

Yes, apple is indeed neutering hw. For example:
-apple could introduce taking live photo' s with the 6, they didn' t, still don' t.
-landscape ios mode on the 6(s) as on the 6(s)+
-no gps on the wifi only ipads.
-no splitscreen/mulitiwindow mode on the iphone 6s+, only for ipad.
-no ois on the smaller sized iphone 6(s)
-lower dpi on the reg 6(s) vs the 6(s)+
-you can' t use the pencil anymore for operating ios in the latest 2 beta' s.

Apple wants to control the way in which you use your idevice and decides for you what gives the best user experience.

And of course, they want to make more money by selling you their more expensive devices.

For example not offering a 32b iphone 6 or a 64gb ipad pro.

And i think adding hw support for the pencil for the ipad air, will take more space , because of the digitizer and won' t allow them to keep the air3 thin enough.(and maintain margins because of added costs).

 

[Eckscaliber]

Based on those pics, it's going to be ANOTHER year of the super boring 2012 iPhone 5 chamfered edges?

Please Apple, leave the chamfered edge design in the past, time to get with the program and update the design language. This should look like an iPhone 6/6S with curved glass. Spare me the spiel about curved glass for swiping on your phone, you can do that on the iPad too.

I refuse to update my Air 2 until there's actually a fresh design from a cosmetic standpoint. Adding speakers and a flash to the existing design doesn't count - I want something entirely new to look at.

Those edges definitely need to go. I want the Air to be rounded like the iPhone 6. THEY NEED TO BE ROUNDED!

 

[Jsameds]

Interesting that there is still a headphone jack on this. Why would they keep it on the iPad but drop it from the phone?

Much more space in the iPad.

 

[augustya]

Fraction of a mm bigger... It's too big!
Ounce heavier... It's too heavy!

Doubt you'd notice a difference unless you took a ruler and scale to the device. It's lighter and thinner than every previous generation of iPad you owned before the Air 2, enough said.

If The iPad Air-3 is just as heavier than the iPad Air-2 the way the iPhone 6s is compared to the iPhone 6 I don't mind that miniscule difference, but any substantial weight gain for a new feature like say for e.g. four speakers is taking away the luster and the USP from the iPad Air series.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

I love my iPad Air. Not sure what would make me upgrade.

 

[happosai]

I suspect Pencil support is coming too. Its basically a smaller Pro.

iPad Air 3 - Pencil support, Smart Connector support, 4 speakers
iPad Pro 2 - 3D Touch

^^ Maybe it will be called iPad Pro mini...

 

[BvizioN]

but the ability to use the Apple pencil is what I am wanting the most.

Out of curiosity. what would you use it for?

 

[rhinosrcool]

Out of curiosity. what would you use it for?

Oh, I don't know?, note taking, writing, journaling, sketches, .... (As opposed to using the awful available styli, or worse, using my finger)

 

[ajforbes20]

I don't mind if it's thicker as long as there are some actual feature improvements. Definetly better speakers would be welcome. But honestly I can't think of much else they could add to make it better.

 

[augustya]

iPad Air got its name 'AIR' because Apple was projecting it as thin as Air and now people want it to be thicker, I mean how absurd is that !!

 

[rhinosrcool]

I believe it needs to have Apple Pencil support. If not, it's going to be an upgrade only die-hards buy. The general public doesn't care that the speakers are improved, it's thinner, or that it has a 4K screen (even with Apple's marketing).

Even with the pencil support, it's going to be a tough sell. Both the iPad Air and Air 2 are pretty solid tablets. Why upgrade when you already have a good tablet? Are they going to change their pricing and start at 32gb? Doubtful.

 

[PBRsg]

Just give me pencil support

And 3D touch.

 

[MH01]

Apple, don't create a smaller version of the iPad pro, with the same accessories . Profits are ace, but don't sell out the iPad range and follow the surface !

Keep the iPad Air As is, no KB , no pencil... The speakers are a great upgrade !

 

[BvizioN]

Oh, I don't know?, note taking, writing, journaling, sketches, .... (As opposed to using the awful available styli, or worse, using my finger)

I personally love swipe/SwiftKey keyboards, apart from being a bit buggy I find them quite fast and accurate. Never been fan of stylus, pencil looks useful for certain tasks but I don't think I would find any use for it. I only asked because lot of users here seem to have the pencil on their wishlist for the iPad air 3 and I was wondering what the fuss is about.