Apple just did a Microsoft and leaked images of its upcoming iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 a day ahead of their unveiling on Thursday, Oct. 13. This comes just shortly after Google announced Android Lollipop and its trio of additions to its Nexus line of products.
The images were first discovered by Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac, who says he found screenshots of Apple's official guide to iOS 8.1, which is also expected to make an appearance on Thursday, which included images of the new iPad Air and iPad Mini. The screenshots, which were located in iBooks on iTunes, have since been deleted, but the image still sits on Apple's servers as of press time.
"The screenshots confirm that both new tablets will include nearly identical designs to their predecessors and the addition of Touch ID sensors in the Home button," Gurman writes.
One image shows an unmistakable steel ring surrounding the Home button, suggesting rumors that Touch ID is finally coming to the iPads are true. Another screenshot instructs users how to take photos in rapid-fire Burst mode; a new iPad feature that was first introduced in the iPhone 5s.
Fans and followers will also likely be getting an upgraded processor, which could likely be an A8X processor that provides better performance than the iPhone 6's A8 system-on-a-chip, improved camera software and possibly Retina display for both the iPad Air and iPad Mini. Apple is also expected to unveil a gold color option for its tablets to satisfy the demands of users who aren't contented with choosing between black and white.
Whether these leaks were intentional or not, one could only speculate. Either someone behind Apple's closely guarded doors could be getting the sack at the moment, or Apple's marketing team engineered the leak to get a piece of the limelight on the day the headlines were all about Android Lollipop and Google's new Nexus products.
Both sides have merit to their arguments. On the one hand, given the spate of slip-ups Apple's been having these past months, including the faulty web broadcast of Apple's Keynote in September and the slew of glitches that bombarded users who upgraded to iOS 8 and its subsequent updates, it is possible that the latest leak is the result of someone at Cupertino not paying enough attention to what he was working on.
On the other hand, it's also possible that Apple could be worried about Google, whose Nexus 9 is gathering positive first impressions, at least at first glance. But the real worry is not Google's latest tablet, since Nexus slates do not even own a fraction of the market share the iPad owns.
The real worry for Apple could be Android Lollipop, which is slated to come to most tablets and smartphones running on Android later in the year. Although Apple's iPads still enjoy a considerable following, its market share has dwindled to give way to less costly Android tablets. Last quarter, Apple's revenue from its iPad business saw a dip by 8 percent year over year, although that could also be attributed to the fact that the buying cycle for tablets has stabilized and consumers are more willing to stay with their existing devices for three years or more than purchase a new tablet every year or two.
Either way, there is no knowing if the timing of the leaks was a fluke or if the fluke was staged.
