Apple Suppliers Gearing Up to Produce New iPads, Larger Model to Feature Anti-Reflective Coating

Apple's suppliers are gearing up to begin producing the next-generation iPad Air and Retina iPad mini, reports Bloomberg. Production for the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2 is underway and according to the site's sources, the tablet will debut towards the end of the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter. Production of the 7.9-inch Retina iPad mini 2 is also said to be beginning soon.

August production dates for both tablets are in line with rumors that have suggested the new iPads will be unveiled at a fall event (possibly October) that follows Apple's September 9 iPhone event.

ipad_air_2_replica_touch_id

iPad Air 2 Mockup

Apple's iPad Air 2 may see some manufacturing issues that restrict available supply, however, due to a new anti-reflection coating that's being added to the tablet. The coating is said to make the iPad's screen easier to read.

Output of the larger iPad may be restricted by manufacturing complications related to the use of a new anti-reflection coating, which Apple plans to add to the device to make the display easier to read, said one of the people.

According to recent rumors, the iPad Air 2 and the second-generation Retina iPad mini will both feature form factors that are largely the same as Apple's existing iPad Air and Retina mini. The iPad Air may see some minor design tweaks including a new speaker grille with a single row of larger holes and a slightly recessed set of volume buttons.

Both tablets are expected to get upgraded A8 processors that are both faster and more efficient and Touch ID fingerprint sensors. The iPad Air may also gain an improved 8-megapixel camera.

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad mini
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

Agent OrangeZ Avatar
127 months ago
There is no 5.5" i....

... errr um... wait. Nevermind. ;)
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
127 months ago
I call BS on Apple only adding this to the Air. What, do people not use the mini to read?

----------

Tim, the supply chain guru cannot estimate demand of Apple customer base yet? Booooo

Jokes aside. "Restricted availability" more like "purposely restricting" to create demand #

People always say this and it makes zero sense to me. Apple doesn't need to "create demand" for any of their products. You can't sell something you don't have and Apple wants to sell as much product as possible. How does intentionally restricting supply do that?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexgowers Avatar
127 months ago
Market is at saturation, all apple can do now is release spec bumps and make all it's ios and osx line work better together and add software features, the hardware is at the end of the road for now, the tablet is stuck at its apex.

I can see myself upgrading to a new air from my current ipad 3 if only to share cables across all devices and to cut some weight out my bag.

It's not apples fault but the new category has run its course for now.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannys1 Avatar
127 months ago
Not innovative enough, its about time Apple made a 17" iPad.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
127 months ago
the only thing that would bring me to upgrade from my iPad 3 already would be proper stylus support to take actual notes (yes the way it was spoofed in the latest microsoft ad needs to go)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thedeejay Avatar
127 months ago
Tim, the supply chain guru cannot estimate demand of Apple customer base yet? Booooo

Jokes aside. "Restricted availability" more like "purposely restricting" to create demand #
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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