New iPad Air 3 release date in 2015 with 12″ iPad Pro, but no stylus

By Phil Moore | January 25, 2015

As the iPad Air 3 release date approaches, rumors are running wild. The latest depicts a twelve inch iPad Pro arriving alongside the 9.7 inch Air, and the former coming with a built in stylus. The move would mark an attempt at chasing after devices like the Surface Pro from Microsoft, which comes with a stylus and pushes it as a main selling point instead of using your finger. But at best, only a portion of these claims are true. Here’s a look at what the iPad Air 3 landscape may actually look like.

First, consider Apple’s penchant for making wholesale changes to its mobile products every other year. If the iPad Air 2 was merely an iteration of the original, then the iPad Air 3 will mark a major revamp in terms of external design and core functionality. Apple has yet to tip its hand yet in that regard, and the vacuum has created a slew of third party storylines, some of which are clearly being made up.

The company may indeed offer a twelve inch iPad Pro model. Currently there is no known market for such a product, but Apple could introduce it as a trial balloon to determine whether demand is there; at worst it would be a niche product with a high profit margin per unit. However there is no chance that Apple will offer a built in stylus.

First, the Surface Pro is selling very poorly in comparison to the iPad, demonstrating that there is no mainstream demand for a stylus-based tablet. And second, those who do want to use a stylus with their iPad can simply buy one for five to ten dollars. That brings us back to the realm of what’s possible with the iPad Air 3.

And the only fairly safe detail is that the iPad Air 3 release date should come in October of 2015 in sticking with Apple’s yearly upgrade pattern. Beyond that, the hardware changes are anyone’s guess until something concrete leaks out.