It has previously been speculated that the iPad Air 3 will arrive early next year – and, now, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that Apple’s next mid-size tablet could arrive by March.
In a new research note quoted from by 9to5Mac, Kuo has claimed that the “new iPad Air 3” should launch at some point in 2016’s first quarter. He appears to have been sketchy on detail concerning the major features of the upcoming slate, but does say that it is “unlikely to feature 3D Touch”.
This remark has been prompted by the expectation of “production issues”, with Kuo iterating his company’s belief that “3D Touch supply chain capacity utilization is currently lower than peak level of 30%, and that will last through 1Q16”. He described the pressure-sensitive touch interface as “one of the most severe production bottlenecks” in the supply chain of the iPhone 6S.
As Kuo has a long record of making accurate predictions about approaching Apple product releases, it now looks likely that the iPad Air 3 will be announced either at the same predicted March event launching the second generation Apple Watch and new 4-inch iPhone, or the next WWDC conference likely to take place in June.