14 DAY TRIAL // Everyone seems to be focused on the new iPhone. From leaks with slim cases to rounded edges front panels, the world is interested to see the iPhone 6. But when it comes to next generation Apple hardware, the iPad Air is just as interesting.
A leak coming from a Japanese website shows what seems to be the next-gen iPad Air. Not a mock-up or an empty shell though, but a fully assembled iDevice. The website does not go on booting the device and it only has pictures, so you might want to take these photos and info with a grain of salt.
There seems to be a handful of small design tweaks that Apple has done to the next-gen iPad Air. First of all, the device will supposedly get a Touch ID Home button, complete with a stainless steel detection ring to sense your fingerprints without pressing it.
The size of the bezel is exactly the same. However, the chamfered edge and the device itself seem a little bit thinner. Apple prides themselves in revealing slimmer devices year after year, so a change in the industrial design could benefit the size as well. The white iPad Air seems to have an extra hole next the the FaceTime camera, but that may as well be a sensor.
The device the Japanese website is showing does not have an Apple logo or any other inscription on the back. The most notable changes are actually on the sides of the device.
Apple has changed the look and feel of the Volume Up/Down buttons. They are now recessed and have a slightly different shape. One other important detail is that there's no Lock Button on the right side of the iPad, therefore the volume controls were moved upwards. There's also a new hole next to those buttons, that looks like a microphone.
As we mentioned, the new iPad finally gets the Touch ID sensor. iOS 8 will bring some more features to the touchy Home button and the developers will get access to it, so Apple wants to make sure every new device has one.
The bottom of the device is changed a little bit. The speaker grille consists in one row of larger holes. There 28 of them on the left and right of the lightning connector. Apple may have realized that the smaller holes are a dust magnet and the speaker design for the first-gen iPad Air and the iPad Mini may have upset some customers for that reason.
The new iPad Air is expected to be released at the end of this fall.
