While Apple is widely expected to expand use of its Touch ID fingerprint sensor to the iPad Air and iPad mini later this year, new photos of an alleged "perfect replica" of the second-generation iPad Air shared by Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translate] hint that there may be a few additional changes in store for the device.
The replica, which is making the rounds in China and Japan, unsurprisingly depicts a Touch ID home button for the device, but also shows some tweaks to physical features around the edges of the device, including a new speaker grille with a single row of larger holes on each side of the Lightning port as opposed to the current double row of smaller holes on the iPad.
Another difference lies in the volume buttons which are shown slightly recessed into the edge of the case, compared to the current design that sees buttons protruding slightly from a flush holes machines in the device's shell. Nowhereelse.fr mentions that the mute switch is also missing, although there is a small hole where the feature is usually located. Unfinished protoype and mockup parts sometimes feature these pilot holes to guide machining of the final hole.
Updated iPads are expected to launch later this year, with October being Apple's usual timeframe for such launches over the past couple of years. The latter part of 2014 is expected to be a busy one for Apple, with rumors of launches for the iPhone 6, new iPads, the iWatch, and perhaps some Mac updates such as the company's rumored 12-inch Retina MacBook Air.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
"iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said.
Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
March has been an incredibly busy month for Apple, with the company unveiling more than 10 new products and accessories. We said hello to the MacBook Neo at the start of the month, and we bid farewell to the Mac Pro at the end of it.
Nevertheless, there is still a lot more to come this year.
Beyond the usual annual updates to iPhones and Apple Watches, Apple's all-new smart home hub is...
Saturday March 28, 2026 8:00 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is expected to release two new iPhone apps this year, including an Apple Business app and a Siri app with chatbot-like functionality.
With the Apple Business app, employees at businesses using the new Apple Business platform will be able to install apps for work, view contact information for colleagues, and request support. Apple Business is launching on April 14, and it replaces Apple ...
Thursday March 5, 2026 11:57 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In his newsletter over the weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was likely to announce at least some but possibly not all of the following products between March 2 and March 4: the iPhone 17e, MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, updated entry-level iPad and iPad Air models, and a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip.
As it turns out, Apple announced nearly all of those products, with the...
Apple has updated a wide range of products and accessories this month, but there is still no entry-level iPad 12 with Apple Intelligence support.
Fortunately, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said an iPad with an A18 chip for Apple Intelligence is "ready to go" and "still coming this year."
An earlier report from Macworld claimed that the iPad 12 will actually have an A19 chip.
No other...
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
"iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said.
Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
MR really needs to learn to use words other than "alleged" to describe every rumor. Even if the word didn't imply something illegal or undesirable (which it does), it still does not improve with constant repetition. The dictionary is full of words.
We'll try to mix in a few more purporteds and ostensibles.
