Apple is expected to officially show off its new iPad models later this month, but as is usually the case in the world of mobile, the hardware has allegedly leaked ahead of its announcement.
Photos of what may be the iPad Air 2 have been posted by Vietnamese blog Tinhte. The images show a tablet with a design similar to the original iPad Air but with a few noteworthy tweaks. Those include a Touch ID-equipped Home button, recessed volume buttons similar to the iPhone 6 and a body that’s said to be 7mm thick, which is down from the 7.5mm-thick iPad Air.
Interestingly, this iPad Air 2 is missing a mute switch, instead sporting a small hole above its volume buttons where the switch should be. It’s possible that this is just because the unit in these photos is a pre-release or prototype model, a theory that’s backed up by the lack of FCC and “Design by Apple in California” text at the bottom of the unit’s backside.
Overall there’s nothing terribly surprising about the device shown in today’s leak. I think most folks are expecting Apple to make its new tablet thinner than its previous model and throw in Touch ID, especially with Apple Pay on the horizon. The rumor mill has also suggested that we’ll see a gold iPad this year and that the new models will include an anti-reflective screen, but there’s been so concrete evidence to support those claims.
What do you think of this new iPad Air? Are you planning on picking up a new iPad Air or iPad mini this year?
