The second generation iPad Air, which many coin as the iPad Air 2, may be getting a redesign if the leaks circulating online are to be believed. 

According to photos posted by Weibo over the weekend, three pictures showing the alleged shell of the thin Apple tablet reveal a similar design with some noticeable tweaks. See the photos of the casing courtesy of MacRumors.

Per 9to5mac.com, the unofficial photos "show a next-generation iPad Air frame with a redesigned speaker, recessed volume controls, and a new microphone next to the camera lens (like on the latests iPhones and iPods)."

Unlike the present iPad Air model, there will only be a single line of speakers, presumably due to the even thinner design the tablet is expected to have. In terms of communication, Apple may be adding a second microphone beside the rear camera. This will be on top of the original microphone placed beside the volume buttons.

The third possible alteration would be the volume controls which wccftech.com describes as having been "encrusted to side of the shell."

A recent report circulating online has also beefed up rumors that the iPad Air will be sporting the Touch ID technology, similar to the iPhone 5S. It is also expected to carry the A8 processor chip for improved performance along with the iOS 8 introduced by the Cupertino-based company earlier this year.

The camera abilities of the Air device may also see a boost with features jumping from 5 MP sensor to an 8 MP sensor. This improvement will be synonymous to the speculated enhancements that the iPhone is said to get.

Based on the news circulating about the iPad Air 2, it is believed that the device will be released sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, during the end of October to early November, in time for the holidays.

Given this release date, MacRumors expects that the components should be in production with assembly of the actual device beginning September.

Presently, Apple has remained mum on any devices, be it the iPad Air 2 or the much more popular iPhone 6. The new smartphone is expected to drop about a month earlier than the iPad Air, pegged to be around mid-September. The iPhone 6 is believed to have two sizes, a 4.7-inch display and a larger 5.5-inch phablet model, the first from Apple. 

What do you think about the tweaks on the iPad Air? Let us know below!