New Apple iPad Tablet will be launched on 16 October
Apple iPad mini 3 release date, price and specs 2014:
Apple’s second-generation iPad mini tablet was released in October 2013, so as we rapidly approach its first birthday, talk of a new iPad mini 3 is hotting up. First up, it’s probably not going to be called the iPad mini 3 – the iPad mini 2 is actually called iPad mini with Retina display – but for the purpose of this article that’s what we’ll be referring to the new 7in tablet as. There are several rumours about what the new iPad mini 2014 will be like, so here we bring you the latest iPad mini 3 release date, price and specs rumours so you know what to expect.
iPad mini 3 rumours: Design
Looking back at Apple’s iPad launch history, it seems likely that the company will host a special event in October to launch both the third-generation iPad mini and a new iPad Air, before making them available to buy in November. In October 2013, Apple launched the first iPad Air and the Retina iPad mini, and in October 2012 we saw the launch of the iPad 4 and first iPad mini. There was some speculation as to suggest that Apple would unveil new iPads during its 9 September special event, but Apple stuck with the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch announcements, so we’re still expecting an October event for new iPads. The invites have now gone out, so you can expect the iPad mini 3 to be unveiled on 16 October.
iPad mini 3 rumours: Specs & new features
That’s a small change and it’s likely that Apple will stick with the same 7.9in display with a 2048×1536 resolution that the iPad mini 2 offers. At the moment it seems like the iPad mini 3 will only bring small changes and upgrades but we’ll keep you up to date over the coming weeks and months. The iPad mini 2 is currently available in 16-, 32-, 64- and 128GB storage options and this is likely to continue with the iPad mini 3. It’s thought that the new iPad mini will probably have a Touch ID fingerprint sensor like the one found on the iPhone 5s. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPad mini 3 will gain an 8Mp iSight camera, too. It’s also likely that the iPad mini 3 will have a new, more powerful A8 processor. There’s not much to say so far about the iPad mini 3’s specs and new features.
iPad mini 3 rumours: Leaked images
The first leaked photo was sent to French blog NoWhereElse.fr, showing what appears to be a prototype iPad mini 3 with a Touch ID home button (above). A second photo, this one from Taiwanese site apple.club.tw shows prototypes of the iPhone 6, iPad 6 and iPad mini 3, each sporting a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. There are several allegedly leaked images showing the iPad mini 3, as well as concept images and mockups made by talented designers. The next images are truly stunning, showing a 3D mockup of what the iPad mini 3 could look like.
iPad mini 3: Price
The firm is likely to then discontinue the original model completely (it currently sells just a 16GB at £249) and reduce the price of the iPad mini 2 and offer it in just the base storage capacity. The price of the iPad mini 3 is hard to call since the price of the iPad mini 2 is £50 more than the original – £319 compared to £269. So, unless Apple does something major to the iPad mini 3, we expect it to come in at the same price.
iPad Air 2 release date, price, specs, new features:
The next-generation iPad is one of the most anticipated tablets of the year, so there’s been lots of speculation and rumours about the new iPad (dubbed iPad Air 2 or iPad 6) throughout 2014. We’ve got iPad 6 release date rumours, iPad 6 price rumours and speculation about new iPad 6 features. We’ll let you know how plausible we think each of the iPad 6 rumours are, and we’ll share our opinion about what the experts here at PC Advisor are expecting from Apple’s next tablet. Here, we’ve collected all of those rumours into one place, so you’ll know everything there is to know about the 2014 iPad. Continue reading to find out more about the iPad 6 release date and its new features.
iPad 6 release date:
There was some speculation as to suggest that the iPad would get an update at Apple’s 9 September event, but Apple used that keynote to show off the new iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch, so we’re continuing to expect an October update. To help you get a better idea of Apple’s iPad launch history, here are the release dates of each of the iPads since the first one was unveiled in 2010. We have had some surprises from the company, but Apple seems to have settled in to a routine of October iPad events, so that’s the most likely prediction we’ve heard so far. Looking back over Apple’s iPad launch history, it’s quite easy to predict when the iPad 6 will come out.
iPad 6 rumours at a glance:
- October release
- 9.7in screen
- 2GB RAM
- A8 processor
- 802.11ac WiFi
- Touch ID fingerprint sensor
- Smart Cover Keyboard accessory
- iOS 8
- Improved camera
- Lightning headphones
iPad 6 rumours: Screen size:
We expect that the iPad 6 will have the same 9.7in display as the iPad Air, but it’s possible that it will have a better resolution, and it could have a new lighter and thinner IGZO screen for higher reaction speed in addition to improved power efficiency.
iPad 6 rumours: Design
It’s possible that Apple will find a way to shave a few millimetres off of the iPad 6’s thickness, and in turn make it even lighter, particularly because rivals such as Samsung and Sony have recently launched tablets that are thinner and lighter than Apple’s offering. The iPhone 5S is available in Silver, Space Grey and Gold, while the iPad Air is available in both Silver and Space Grey but not Gold at present. It’s possible that there will be a new Gold model of the iPad Air when the next generation arrives, though. Overall, we expect the design of the next iPad to stay the same as the iPad Air, which represented the first iPad redesign since the iPad 2 arrived back in 2011.
iPad 6 rumours: Specs
We’re expecting an A8 chip in the iPad 6, the successor to the A7 chip found in the iPad Air, iPad mini 2 and iPhone 5S. The iPad 6 could also come with the new, faster 802.11ac wireless standard, which the iPad Air currently lacks. It’s highly likely that the iPad 6 will come with a new, faster processor. That extra memory could be put towards powering split-screen, multitasking, which is something many users are hoping for.
iPad 6 rumours: New features
The Touch ID fingerprint sensor debuted with the iPhone 5S in September 2013, and enables users to unlock the iPhone using their fingerprint, and also allows quick Apple ID authentication. Plus, alleged iPad 6 prototypes (which you can see later in this article) show a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, adding further evidence to the theory that the technology is coming to the iPad soon. Reports in May suggested that every new iPhone and iPad that launches in 2014 will have a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. It was a bit of a surprise when the iPad Air arrived in October 2013 without a Touch ID fingerprint.
iPad 6 rumours: Price
We think Apple will probably keep the price of the iPad Air the same or similar with the next generation. It currently starts at £399 for the WiFi-only models, and £499 for the WiFi plus Cellular models.
iPad 6 rumours: iOS 8
The iPad 6 is likely to ship with iOS 8 installed, which means you’ll get the improved Photos, Messages, Spotlight and Safari features, and you’ll also get new interactive widgets, a QuickType keyboard, Family Sharing, iCloud Drive, Connectivity features and a new generation of apps that can communicate with one another like never before. One developer claims to have spotted evidence that a multitasking feature is coming to the iPad with iOS 8, but we’ll have to wait and see whether this rumour is accurate. One iOS 8 feature we’re hoping Apple has yet to show us is split-screen, multitasking, which could come to the iPad 6.
iPad 6 rumours: Camera
The iPad Air has a 5Mp camera with none of the extra features you get with the iPhone 5S, so it seems likely that Apple will focus some of its efforts in making the camera better with its next tablet. The iPad Air camera is quite poor for a flagship tablet these days, though we still don’t think tablets are a good device for taking photographs with, anyway. Nonetheless, we expect an improved camera with the iPad 6. The front-facing camera could do with an improvement, too, as it’s often used for video calling.
iPad 6 rumours: Lightning headphones
The iPad 6 could lack a 3.5mm headphone jack, because Apple has recently announced that third-party manufacturers can make headphones that connect to iOS devices via the iPad’s Lightning port, which is also used for charging and syncing the device. Apple could begin shipping iPads and iPhones with new Lightning Earpods, too.
iPad 6 rumours: Leaked images
There haven’t been many leaked images of the iPad 6 yet, but a series of photographs that emerged on 18 June show an iPad Air with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a slight design modification involving the buttons on the side of the device, and peculiar lack of a lock button.
