Questionable rumor claims 'iPad Air 3' will have 4K display, 4GB RAM
Apple's next 9.7-inch iPad -- commonly referred to as the "iPad Air 3" -- could sport features like a 4K display and 4 gigabytes of RAM while simultaneously offering better battery life, supply chain sources claimed on Thursday.
The device will be announced in March, but only go into production in the second quarter, the sources told DigiTimes. Two firms, GIS and TPK Holding, will allegedly supply touch panels, with GIS also handling LCD modules and backlighting.
These claims may be questionable not just because of DigiTimes' mixed track record with Apple products but because Apple rarely announces a product before mass production starts. This practice has traditionally been reserved for major new product lines, like the iPhone or the Apple Watch.
Upgrading the Air to a 4K display would also give the tablet a sharper resolution than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which runs at 2048 by 2732 pixels. Apple might want such a feature, however, to offer more reasons to upgrade beyond just faster performance.
The sources added that the new Air won't come with 3D Touch, a claim that would be consistent with recent indications that Apple isn't bringing the technology to iPads anytime soon.
Reports have suggested that Apple could introduce a new Air model at a March press event, though the focus of that event is expected to be on things like a new 4-inch iPhone.
The device will be announced in March, but only go into production in the second quarter, the sources told DigiTimes. Two firms, GIS and TPK Holding, will allegedly supply touch panels, with GIS also handling LCD modules and backlighting.
These claims may be questionable not just because of DigiTimes' mixed track record with Apple products but because Apple rarely announces a product before mass production starts. This practice has traditionally been reserved for major new product lines, like the iPhone or the Apple Watch.
Upgrading the Air to a 4K display would also give the tablet a sharper resolution than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which runs at 2048 by 2732 pixels. Apple might want such a feature, however, to offer more reasons to upgrade beyond just faster performance.
The sources added that the new Air won't come with 3D Touch, a claim that would be consistent with recent indications that Apple isn't bringing the technology to iPads anytime soon.
Reports have suggested that Apple could introduce a new Air model at a March press event, though the focus of that event is expected to be on things like a new 4-inch iPhone.
Comments
Maybe even that new stacked technology TSMC is so excited about which would mean a very tight package with RAM integrated in. The idea here is that this tech could provide for an extremely fast RAM subsystem without a hit to the power budget. In the end Apple needs either faster RAM or a much larger on chip cache to keep graphics performance moving forward. It is the same problem all APU type chips suffer from, RAMmjust isn't fast enough for the GPU in these chips.
I posted this on the iPhone 5se thread
So the A9 in iPad will be similar to A9X in iPad pro except GPU ( CPU speed the same ), memory speed, and L3 Cache ( Not available on the A9X ).
I have a suspicious feeling the iPad Air 3 may come with 3GB Ram, while the A9 in iPhone 5se will come in 1.5GB.
Hey, since the human eye can't see any difference Apple could say it has an 11k screen. Shhh.. the droids don't know better.
— Sooner or later, every device line will have to display 4K, just like the rest of the industry is headed. Your iPhone can already capture 4K. Your video editor can handle it, you must have a way to look at it. Not everybody has an iMac on the desk to look at it. Laptops will be 4K, so will iPads. Also note, "the eyes can't see the difference" is a bogus, low-concept argument. The brain can tell the difference. Video is tactile, as Marshall McLuhan pointed out 50 years ago. Side by side comparison will make this obvious or Apple wouldn't do it.
—GIS, General Interface Solution, is a Foxconn subsidiary, so this report might make sense of the deal-making between Sharp, Foxconn, Apple and even Samsung over all the oxide-film technology that this part of the display industry has been spending so much on over the past six years, and now even Dell is coming out with 4K IGZO monitors and (feeble) laptops.
Against this report is the obvious threat to the iPad Pro's prestige position.