With the iPad Air topping many “Best Full-Size Tablets” lists for months now, rumors and news surrounding the iPad Air 2 have become rampant in recent weeks. The release date for the iPad Air 2 release date is rumored to be set for early November. That was when the original iPad Air was released last year, and Apple tends to stick to its annual product cycle, releasing the new model of each device at around the same time each year.
The iPad Air 2’s price is unlikely to be lower than the current iPad Air’s price, which sits at $500. The loyal consumer base and high sales figures that Apple enjoy, means that new models of a device rarely drop in price. Though the price is speculated to be equivalent to the original iPad Air’s price, there are a number of upgrades rumored to be made to the iPad Air 2. Perhaps the most prominent is the suspected upgrade to the processor from an Apple A7 to the new Apple A8. Clocking in at an estimated 2.6GHz, the A8 is thought to be a much more efficient and powerful processor than the iPad Air’s A7 chip. This should give the iPad Air 2 an increased battery life and quicker speed than the current iPad Air.
The back camera is thought to be 8 megapixels, up from 5 megapixels in the original iPad Air. The front camera is also rumored to be increased to 1.5 megapixels from 1.2 megapixels. Apple is also said to be likely to integrate the Touch ID first introduced with the iPhone 5s into the iPad Air 2. This rumor is given additional validity by the mention of the iPad Air in the biometric kit for iOS 7.1.
While there are rumored to be a number of hardware upgrades to the iPad Air 2, the design aspects and aesthetics are said to be similar to those of the original iPad Air. The volume rocker is likely going to be broken into two separate buttons, and the position of the microphone is supposedly moved to the side of the camera rather than positioned above it as it is for the current iPad Air model. The speaker grill for the iPad Air 2 is also alleged to have only one row of holes rather than two that the current model utilizes.
Though these are just rumors at this point, more and more evidence may arise to validate them as the suspected release date inches closer. If you’re looking to upgrade to the iPad Air 2, be sure to be on the lookout for new details on the product in the coming weeks!