iPad Air

Apple phases out iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 2

Apple today bid farewell to both the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2 model and its smaller, older brother—the 7.9-inch iPad mini 2.

As of today, neither iPad Air 2 nor iPad mini 2 are available to purchase from Apple. Earlier this morning, the Cupertino firm announced a new 9.7-inch tablet model, called simply iPad.

Simultaneously, the company phased-out the 32-gigabyte edition of iPad mini 4 while giving the iPad mini 4 lineup twice the storage without increasing prices.

Apple announces new $329 9.7-inch iPad, replacing iPad Air 2 & launching this Friday

Aside from announcing a beautiful new (PRODUCT)RED finish of the iPhone 7 series, Apple today unveiled a new, more affordable 9.7-inch iPad model, its most popular-sized tablet. Featuring a brighter 9.7-inch Retina display and Apple’s previous-generation 64-bit A9 chip, the 9.7-inch tablet will be available this Friday starting at $329 for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model, its most affordable price ever.

Everything we expect from Apple’s ‘Let us loop you in’ event on Monday

As you know, Apple has scheduled a media event on its Cupertino campus on this coming Monday, March 21. Earlier this month, the company sent out its predictably cryptic invites with the “Let us loop you in” tagline to select members of the press.

It looks to be a pretty significant event.

On top of an all-new four-inch iPhone model, we’re expecting other announcements like a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro, new Apple Watch bands—including a black edition of the Milanese Loop—and a bunch of enhancements for Apple’s operating systems.

New iPad model rumored to start at $599, same 32/128GB tiers as iPad Pro

According to a fresh new rumor based on sources familiar with the matter, Apple’s upcoming iPad model, describes as either a third-generation iPad Air with the A9X chip, Smart Connector and Apple Pencil support or a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro, is expected to start at $599 for a baseline Wi-Fi-only model with thirty-two gigabytes of storage. In addition, as reported by 9to5Mac, the device should be offered in the same 32/128GB configurations as the iPad Pro.

Apple sends out invites for March 21 event: “Let us loop you in”

Following weeks of speculation, Apple on Thursday sent out invites for a media event later this month that should serve as a launchpad for new iPhone and iPad models, Apple Watch bands and possibly more.

The press event will be held at Apple’s Cupertino campus on Monday, March 21, 2016, at 10:00am PT, and will be live-streamed using HTTP Live Streaming.

As you may have guessed, iDownloadBlog will continue covering everything there’s to know about about Apple’s product refreshes.

Claimed iPad Air 3 case has holes for quad speakers, Smart Connector and more

After posting images of a purported iPhone 7 case with holes for a pair of speaker grilles and dual cameras on the back, gadget leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer today posted on Twitter images of a claimed iPad Air 3 case.

Corroborating the notion that Apple’s third-generation iPad Air is basically a smaller, 9.7-inch iPad Pro with the same A9X processor, Smart Connector and a four-speaker setup like the iPad Pro, the images show off openings in the right places for quad speakers and the Smart Connector.