Can next-generation iPads even get slimmer?
Although Apple has not yet confirmed whether the rumored iPad Air Plus is really on the way, speculations about the device have continued to pop out. The latest of which came from the International Business Times suggesting that the new tablet will indeed come in a very slim metal body.
In that report, it cited an alleged photo of the rumored device being leaked by the French blog Nowhereelse. It noted that the photo was allegedly provided by a Foxconn employee. Business Insider said the the source was also the one who had leaked internal sketches for the recently released iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Here's the alleged photo sketch courtesy of Nowhereelse and see for yourselves whether the image is legit or not.
IBT in its report says the tablet will have a thickness ranging between 6.9 and 7.5 mm. Another report however claims that the device will likely be measuring 7 mm thick. Note that this is obviously thicker than the recently released iPad Air 2 which is 6.1 mm thin and than the iPhone 6 which is 6.9 mm. It is however slightly thinner than the new iPhone 6 Plus which is 7.1 thick. iPad Air 2 is actually hailed as the thinnest and lightest Apple tablet to date.
The leaked photo also shows some changes on the tablet's speakers. Actually, not much has been changed in terms of the device's design. The leaked photo shows the upper back part of the iPad wherein we see that the rear camera, power button, and volume buttons remain where they are. However, it is noticeable that the speaker holes are now on top next to the power button. Note that what we're seeing is just at least one row of speakers. Current iPad models have two speaker rows at the bottom part of the tablet. Business Insider added that the device will have "four integrated speakers" to boost volume and sound quality.
The rumored iPad Air Plus, which others also call as iPad Pro, is known as Apple's bigger iPad version, according to Mac Rumors which cited Japanese magazine Mac Fan. It reported that the new iPad will be larger than the usual ones as it measures 305.31mm x 220.8mm x 7mm or 12 inches x 8.7 inches x 0.28 inches. It will have a 12.2-inch display, it claimed. However, Bloomberg says that the new iPad will probably measure 12.9 inches diagonally. As for comparison, current iPads have 9.7-inch and 7.9-inch displays.
The new iPad will reportedly "closely resemble" the recently released iPads -- Air 2 and Mini 3 -- in terms of its design. It is seen to have a thin chassis and slim bezels just like the two other iPads. The iPad Pro is seen to get the powerful triple-core A8X processor which is currently in the new iPad Air 2 and the latest iOS 8 as its operating system. The new tablet is believed to be unveiled this year.