iPad Air 2 2014 Release Date, Pricing & Rumors: Apple Readying Gold iPad Air for Launch This Month?

Apple is constantly searching for uniformity amongst all of its products, as evidenced by the new larger format iPhone 6 and 6 Plus which help them match the aesthetics of the iPad.

With the iPad Air 2 expected to be revealed soon, details are already being purportedly leaked by some online sources.  Per Bloomberg, Apple will be adding a gold color option to its full-size iPads (sorry, iPad Mini fans) in an effort to boost sales for the product. The larger format iPad has been posting a decline in shipments this year.

As with other Apple products, the gold color will grace the rear metal cover of the device. 

This adds to the silver and space gray options currently available for the iPad Air. If this rumor is confirmed to be true, the upcoming iPad Air 2 will match the color pallet of the recently released iPhone 6, which features a white faceplate for the gold and silver backs and black for those that come with space gray.

Apple has held off on announcing a new iPad since it released the iPad Air in Oct. of 2013. The company has instead chosen to adjust to meet the consumer demand for larger screens with the iPhone 6 and iPhoen 6 Plus (measuring 4.7 and 5.5 inches, respectively). According to RBC Capital Markets, the iPhone 6 Plus is the more popular of the two products.

Bloomberg also says that a larger iPad may be the thing that Apple will really be expecting to boost sales. Siting, "people with knowledge of the situation," the device will be set to have a 12.9 inch screen, up from the 9.7 inch screen of the full size iPad.  This model is not expected to be released until sometime next year.

Sales of the current iPad have declined for the last two quarters after producing upwards of $30 billion since 2012.

This would not be the first time that Apple introduced additional color options in an effort to generate new excitement in their user base, though, the practice has not always been successful.  The iPhone 5C was released just over a year ago, and though it was by no means a failure, its sales paled in comparison to the the fully-featured iPhone 5S.