Rounding up a trio of predictions thatMing-Chi KuoofKGI Securitiesreleased to clients this morning,AppleInsider quotesthe influential analyst as making a surprising claim that the upcomingsecond-generation iPad Airwill be unveiled atApple’s media event next Tuesday.
A gold color option andTouch ID-powered fingerprint scanning should be expected for the so-callediPad Air 2, too, the well-connected analyst told investors in his report. This is in contrast to the rumor-mill which has long called for a separate media event in October to refresh the iPad lineup, based on Apple’s annual refresh cycle over the past three years.
Additionally, Kuo believes the next iPad Air will include an improved eight-megapixel rear camera, run Apple’s in-house designed A8 processor and sport full lamination for the touch panel like iPhones, making the colors pop and images appear as if painted on the cover glass.
So again, Kuo believes that the iPhones and iPads will both get refreshed next Tuesday, September 9. However, of the two iPad models, only the iPad Air 2 “will see significant spec upgrades,” reads the report. For what it’s worth, Kuo’s report mentions that Apple “may” update the iPad mini with Touch ID next week, if any.
“In light of limited development resources and the fact that iPad Air contributes more to Apple’s sales and earnings than iPad mini, we think that only iPad Air 2 will see a major upgrade in specs this year,” reads the report.
The analyst doesn’t mention arumored ‘iPad Pro’ modelthought todebut in early-2015rocking a 12.9-inch screen and featuring a speedy chip with 2GB of RAM to power thesplit-screen multitaskingfeature.
If Kuo is right, we’re in for a truly massive event that’ll see the Cupertino firm announce two new iPhone 6 models, multiple iWatches, new iPads and who knows what else.
‘iPad Pro’ concept byRamotion.
MacRumors additionally reportedthat the iPad Air 2 will have thepreviously rumored anti-reflective screen coatingfor better readability.
Apple executives have been dropping hints about exciting new products for the past year or so. Tim Cook himself has been teasing magnificent new products coming this year. And Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Servicessaid at the Re/code Conferencethat upcoming gadgets represent ”the best product pipeline that I’ve seen in my 25 years at Apple”.
That’s a bold statement but I have no doubt that Apple will deliver.
Reports Kuo released today:
[AppleInsider,MacRumors]
Image top of post: a scene fromSamsung’s adwhich paints the Galaxy Tab S as thinner, lighter and more powerful than the iPad Air.
