iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 In Production? Sources Say Apple Has Begun Manufacturing Two Tablet Models
ByApple may be causing a stir with the upcoming iPhone 6, but the company faces a crossroads in its tablet department, as production of the new iPad is said to have begun.
Unnamed sources "with knowledge of the matter" told Bloomberg News that production of two different iPads have begun in preparation for a release later this year. One will be a full-size model with a 9.7-inch screen and the other will be a new version of the iPad Mini, with a 7.9-inch screen.
The devices are presumably the second iPad Air and third iPad Mini.
The sources said they imagined the new iPads' unveiling would either come at the end of the current quarter or toward the beginning of the next. Apple is expected to reveal its iPhone 6 early in Sept. and release it weeks later. The iPad seems like it will hit shelves a short while afterward, but Apple will be keen to get the tablet out in time for holiday shopping.
CEO Tim Cook and other Apple executives have not been shy about the "incredible pipeline" of products the company is planning to release this fall. Rumored to be on the way is a 4.7- and 5.5-inch iPhone, an iWatch and an upgrade to Apple TV, potentially a television set.
Apple is also releasing iOS 8, the first major mobile software update since iOS 7 completely changed the look of Apple's mobile devices. OS X Yosemite is due out in fall as well, which Apple has indicated will bring the iOS 7 interface to the desktop.
While Apple is generating all this buzz around its smartphone, software and computer lines, they are in desperate need of a win in the tablet market. For the last two quarters, iPad sales had been heading in the wrong direction: down.
"The one weak spot for Apple has been the tablet market," Amit Daryanani, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, told Bloomberg News. "A refresh could stabilize the iPad's revenue and profitability contribution to the company."
Apple may have popularized the tablet, but now Amazon, Samsung and several other companies are crowing the market. Devices like the Kindle Fire HDX and Galaxy Tab have been stealing the show with comparable capabilities and smaller price tags.