The new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display might hit the market on Friday, Oct. 24
While both the next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini are expected to be unveiled at Apple’s special media event this Thursday, Oct. 16, we’re now getting an idea when the products will actually hit the market.
According to MacRumors, that date appears to be Friday, Oct. 24. The report says Apple is already shipping large quantities of a new product into the United States.
The site’s sources were unable to identify the exact product being shipped, so it could be either one, or both, of the rumored tablets.
That schedule would also mirror what Apple has done in the past with iPad introductions. For example, in 2013, the iPad Air was introduced on Tuesday, Oct. 22 and landed in stores on Friday, Nov. 1. While the iPad mini was unveiled at the same event, it didn’t arrive until November because of supply constraints.
The “iPad Air 2” is expected to feature a faster A8X chip, 2GB of RAM, an even thinner body, and a Touch ID sensor. The smaller tablet is also expected to receive the biometric functionality.
Along with the two new tablets, Apple should be introducing a Retina iMac and discuss rollout plans for the Apple Pay mobile payment system and OS X Yosemite on Thursday.
For other recent news, see: Apple will soon be providing after-sales service for Beats products, A nasty bug has been removed that made it difficult for some iOS 8 users to download apps, and Dropbox says its service is safe following reports of ‘massive’ hack.