iPad Air 2 Leaks: New Features Revealed
Hot on the heels of recent leaks of Apple's next-generation iPad Air, additional photos reportedly showing the new device have surfaced on the Chinese social media site Weibo. The photos were posted on two popular blogs and can be seen here and here.
If the leaks are actually from Apple's upcoming update to its thinnest iPad ever, then this year's iPad Air will feature a few new design tweaks to differentiate it from last year's model.
According to BGR, some of the discernable changes on the iPad Air 2 are a new speaker grille featuring larger speaker holes as well as a newly relocated rear microphone, now near the tablet's rear-facing camera as opposed to being in the middle as before.
Another alleged new feature revealed in previous leaks includes a new Touch ID fingerprint sensor like what is currently on the iPhone 5S. A thinner frame for the iPad Air 2 is also expected, making it significantly slimmer than its predecessor, which is saying something. Recessed buttons instead of protruding ones are also reported to be featured on the new tablet.
Apple is expected to launch multiple new tablet models this fall, including the iPad Air 2 as well as a new iPad mini. Unconfirmed rumors have also been swirling about a 12-inch iPad "Pro" model, yet, as of right now, there is no credible report to suggest such a tablet will launch this fall.
The iPad Pro is alleged to be a more powerful version of Apple's popular tablet line, and more suited for enterprise users needing to complete more robust projects on a mobile device. Part of the buzz for the iPad Pro began when it was reported that Apple was looking to increase the tablet's screen size and resolution, suggesting a 12.9-inch display with 2K and 4K resolution options was in the works.
Apple is also debuting its new mobile OS this fall on all, iOS 8, which should be featured on all of the new mobile devices launching in the next few months. iOS 8 is reported to bring, among other things, tighter integration of fitness and health tracking with HealthKit.
HealthKit will pull data from multiple fitness apps in order to help consolidate fitness data. The new iWatch is also expected to integrate closely with HealthKit and provide users with up-to-date info on their heart rate, calories burned and perhaps even their blood-sugar levels.