There's one big deviation that seems to be evident with the new iPad Air 2, but otherwise, no earth shattering changes will be seen in the coming tablet from Apple.
According to CNET and quoting from Chinese social media site Weibo, an image of the rear shell of this new model shows tweaks to the iPad Air 2's speakers. Rather than the double row of speaker holes in the current iPad Air, the image features a single row. The size of the speaker holes have also been increased. Both will hopefully improve the sound quality of what was once the market leader in tablets.
Sina Weibo is the most popular social media site in China and combines elements of both Facebook and Twitter. With those aforementioned social media sites blocked by the Chinese government, Weibo.com has been a popular choice in China since its launch in August of 2009.
Meanwhile, a report from IDC dated July 24, 2014 states that even as the worldwide tablet market grew 11 percent compared to the same period in 2013, Apple's share of the market lead has gone down. What was 33 percent last year is now down to 27 percent, though still enough to maintain market leadership.
Samsung has 17.2 percent of the tablet market, while Lenovo, Asus, and Acer round out the Top 5 with 4.9 percent, 4.6 percent, and 2.0 percent market shares respectively.
Business Insider notes that the iPad Air 2 will feature Apple's Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a faster processor, as well as an improved 8-megapixel main camera.
Other changes in the iPad Air 2 noted from the leaked photo indicate that the rear microphone will now be closer to the iSight camera, the volume controls will be more flush with the casing, and a tiny pinhole in the casing stands in for where the mute/orientation lock toggle switch is found in the current iPad Air.
Industry insider and Research Analyst for Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker Jitesh Ubrani recently stated, "Until recently, Apple, and to a lesser extent Samsung, have been sitting at the top of the market, minimally impacted by the progress from competitors." He warns, however, that the sales figures indicate something new.
"Now we are seeing growth amongst the smaller vendors and a leveling of shares across more vendors as the market enters a new phase," noted Ubrani.
Traditionally, Apple launches its latest tablets in October of a calendar year.