iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3, iPad Pro 12.9 Release Date: Leaked iPad Case Reveals an Odd Detail

A leaked photo of an iPad Air 2 case has one interesting detail.
9/22/2014
Updated:
9/23/2014

A leaked photo of an iPad Air 2 case has one interesting detail. 

LoadtheGame has a photo of what they claim is a new iPad Air 2 case, and it looks pretty much like any iPad Air case but for a small roundish hole on the side of the cover near the volume and mute switch opening. 

Unless the hole is merely a design choice to separate the volume buttons from the mute switch, its presence hints that there could either some new sensor or button in the iPad Air 2. 

LoadtheGame speculates that the opening is for a LED flash that is required for a better camera on the iPad Air 2, or could also be for a “laser-assisted focus technology” like in the LG G3. The website even speculates that it could be a “holster opening for a stylus pen,” which seems highly unlikely given Apple’s strong aversion to that piece of tech. 

Of course, the iPad Air 2 cover could very well be a fake, but it is not unlikely that Apple has told some manufacturers what to expect in the iPad Air 2 so they can prepare their stock ahead of its release. 

The iPad Air 2 seems likely to be a thing though, and is expected to be unveiled at an October 21 event alongside the iPad Mini 3 and the new Mac operating system OS X Yosemite. 

Traditionally, Apple shows off its latest iPads in an October launch event. In 2013, for example, Apple launched the iPad Air and the Retina iPad Mini on October 22 via a media event. 

Specs wise, KGI Securities analyst and reliable Apple product tipster Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the iPad Air 2 will have “significant spec upgrades.”

For instance, the iPad Air 2 is expected to be even thinner than the original iPad Air, pack the new A8 processor, an anti-reflective screen coating, a full-lamination touch panel, a gold-colored casing, and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. 

Not much is known of the iPad Mini 3, and whether or not it will get Touch ID is still up in the air. 

Should Apple stick to last year’s shipment plans, both devices could go on sale in November.

Apple are also looking to release a large screen, 12.9-inch iPad, which has been informally dubbed the iPad Pro.

According to Bloomberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook intends to “shake up the iPad Line,” and he could very well do so by unveiling the iPad Pro at the October event. 

Larry Ong is a New York-based journalist with Epoch Times. He writes about China and Hong Kong. He is also a graduate of the National University of Singapore, where he read history.
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