iPad Air 2, Mini 3 Release Date Countdown Starts Oct 16: 8 Things to Know

It will be a simultaneous release date for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 after all as a new report indicates that the devices have been finalised and mass production is already underway prior to their reported October 16 intro.

A new claim by The Michael Report points to a nearing launch of the 2014 iPads, both the Air and the Mini 3 but not the speculated 12.9-inch iPad Pro that could come a little later or in the early months of 2015 to be more specific.

And by the same report, along with the other rumours presently swirling around, there are at least eight things to watch for about the two iPads:

Minor redesign

The iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 last year were a huge jump from the iPad model in 2012 so watchers aren't too excited on the prospect that there is a huge engineering leap this 2014, inside and out.

Realistically, users should anticipate almost the same toys from Apple but in the case of the Air 2, further trimming down is in order, which The Michael Report said is about 0.5mm slimmer from its immediate predecessor.

Control keys reconfiguration

In support of the even thinner build, Apple engineers saw it fit to redesign, relocate and/or eliminate the 2014 iPad's control buttons. Expect an extra sunken volume rocker while the mute or vibration controller of the previous versions will skip out the upcoming model.

Single-row grill speakers

From the two-row grill speakers showcased in the first iPad Air, the next-generation is reduced to one-row for the obvious reason of accommodating the device's super thin profile.

Camera bump

It is highly likely too that the next iPads will be at par with their iPhone cousins as Apple will reportedly upgrade its flagship tablet's main shooter - from 5MP in the last build to 8MP in the soon to unwrap device.

Touch ID-laced home button

Another device feature that will crossover from the iPhone to this year's iPad editions is the Touch ID fingerprint scanner that like in the iOS smartphone will be embedded with the iPad Home key.

Boosted power and speed

Apple will also deploy the A8 processing chip with the upcoming iPad. The tech giant introduced the CPU with the iPhone 6 recently and like its mobile phone cousin, the iOS 8-powered slate is set to benefit from the higher level of chip power and speed (plus a more efficient energy use) packed with the application processor.

Gold variant

According to Bloomberg report last week, the next iPad will come housed in a gold casing. This assertion was unsurprisingly backed by The Michael Report.

32GB basic model with same starting price

What could prove as the strongest consumer magnet attached with the next iPad, at least in the case of the iPad Air 2, is the possibility that its on-board memory will step up from 32GB to 16GB. And the best part of the deal, Apple will keep the iPad Air 2 starting price at $499 despite its more capacious digital locker.

The Mini 3, on the other hand, will keep the basic 16GB model that will have a sticker price of $399.

And the release date countdown for both the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 starts on October 16, which according to John Paczkowski of Re/code is an event that Apple will stage to formally announce the 2014 iPads as well as the Retina-boasting new iMac line up.