Why would they bring the iPad Air 3 out now and not last autumn? Perhaps they didn't want to steal the Pro's Thunder. Still seems weird timing.
As to the watch bands: an event for that? Really? I wish Apple could make a lightning cable that didn't turn green and burn out.
If the iPad Air 3 is using the A9, perhaps they didn't want to constrain supplies of the iPhone 6S. The bands would likely just be a part of a larger announcement, perhaps the Watch 2.2 rollout, where they talk up some new features. Or they could announce a new partnership, sort of like the Apple Watch Hermes.