The blogosphere may have been somewhat dominated by the speculation surrounding the iPhone 6 of late, but now, the very first insight into the supposed successor to the iPad Air has been revealed to the world. The leak, revealingly, showcases a new, integrated display, which would allow the already-svelte device to take on an even thinner form factor.
As far as hardware upgrades go, the iPad Air offered so much more than any of its predecessors. As well as upgrading the SoC to the Apple A7, the tablet was subjected to a radical redesign in line with the iPad mini, and having managed to pack more technology into noticeably slimmer housing, it’s inarguable that the iPad Air is by far the best iPad to date.
But Apple knows that despite the acclaim, it will need to continue refining and improving its much-lauded slate if it’s going to retain its sizeable market share, and as per a snap leaked by Dutch blog One More Thing, Apple may do exactly that with the new integrated display of the iPad Air 2.
In a nutshell, the new tactic would see the display and front panel conjoin as one, which could, in turn, shave a small amount from the overall thickness of the tablet. Sure, this would only save a millimeter or so – if that – but given how the current model is only 7.5mm thick to begin with, we’re talking about a very noticeable potential difference.
The iPhone range already enjoys integrated display technology, as does the MacBook Pro line-up, and given how Apple must now be scraping the barrel for ways to shave a little bulk from the iPad Air, this would seem the most viable option.
It is anticipated that Apple may announce the next-gen iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display this fall, and although it has been debated as to whether Touch ID makes much sense as a feature of the iPad, it’s strongly suspected that the iPhone 5s’s fingerprint sensor will finally branch out and replace the traditional home button on both new iPads.
Just when you thought the iPad Air couldn’t get any thinner, Apple looks to have found another way of cutting it down, and even though the focus of attention will be on the iPhone 6 as we head towards WWDC and the subsequent fall announcement, it will still be intriguing to see what else the Cupertino giant has in store for its tablet roster.
(Source: OneMoreThing [Google Translate])
You may also like to check out:
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.
