Apple will reportedly more than make up for its decision to delay the iPad Air 3 arrival last 2015. Rumored for release date this coming March or April 2016, the 9.7-inch iOS 9-powered tablet is said to pack most of the feature upgrades that debuted with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
There has to be compelling reasons the iPad Air 3 was pushed back to come out in the first quarter of 2016 and if fresh reports from China are to be believed the upcoming device is promising to be a must-buy. Why so are detailed below:
3D Touch
Apple made the iPhone 6S unique from its predecessor by delivering 3D Touch (also found on the 6S Plus) with the current flagship. According to BGR, the tech giant is doing the same thing with the iPad Air 3 - making it distinct form the Air 2 and iPad Mini 4 by equipping it with 3D Touch features.
Apple Pencil support
With the biggie iPad Pro, Apple ditched the belief that mobile devices do not require stylus (as once held dear by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs) hence the birth of the well-received Apple Pencil. Rumors say that with landing of iOS 9.3 soon and some more hard hardware tweaks, users can count on Apple Pencil as extension of their fingers when working their way on the iPad Air 3.
Hardware bumps
The new iPad Air must unpack with killer hardware upgrades if only to convince new buys and jumps from the past versions. BGR said that 4K display is likely in the works but more exciting is the mighty tandem that fire up the tablet - the combo of A9X mobile processing chip and up to 4GB of RAM, doubling the RAM provision seen with the iPad Air 2.
iPad Pro-like capabilities
And as if to prove that the iPad Air 3 will be nearly as functional as the iPad Pro is, a number of the latter's key features are rumored their way to the smaller tab. According to Apple Insider, the Air 3 is likely to boast of stereo blasters on four sides of the device, LED flash support and Smart Connector feature.
The last addition strongly suggested that the Air 3 will support possible expansions out of the box, meaning keyboards and other accessories can be readily connected to the device for optimal tablet use. Apple Insider pointed to Japanese blog MacOtakara as source of its information.
The speculations are rife that alongside with the 4-inch iPhone 5SE and new Apple Watch accessories, the iPad Air 3 will be unveiled March 2016 with the release date to happen the following month or April.