Rumors about the upcoming iPad Air 3 including about its smart connector, battery and chassis are abound. Mac World UK talks about some of them.
From leaked schematics Mac World UK has seen of the iPad Air 3, it would appear that Apple has included a Smart Connector on the left hand edge in the latest upcoming iPad, just like the iPad Pro. Most of iPad's accessories need to be charged, including the Apple Pencil. But the Smart Connector lets a connected keyboard cover to take power from the iPad's battery. This feature in the iPad Pro meant a very long usage time because of its excellent battery quality. Let's hope the iPad Air 3 follows the example.
It is also being said that the iPad Air 3 will be even thinner than its predecessors. This is a little hard to picture, given that the iPad Air 2 was really, really thin at 6.1 mm thick. It seemed really dangerous to do normal things like hold it from one end or toss it onto a bed. Cult of Mac reports that a smaller battery will mean that the iPad Air 3 will shrink to 5mm thickness.
This might not be the best idea, especially considering the rumors that the iPad Air 3 will not even equal its predecessor the iPad Air 2 in battery power, and may actually have a lower capacity battery unit.
Now it is entirely within the realm of possibility that this battery could last longer in practice, but surely compromising quality for a measure of thickness that might also be compromising endurance is risky at best?
The iPad Air 3 is also being said to have extra protection like waterproofing or dust-resistance.
However, if rumors of the new iPad's body being made of 7000-series aluminum, like the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, is true, there might be less to worry about in terms of endurance.
As far as colors go, predictions are tending to safely follow track record. The iPad Air 3 is expected to stick to the now standard colors of Apple's devices: silver, space grey and gold.
