Production begins on new iPad Air with anti-reflection coating

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The successor to the iPad Air will feature a new anti-reflection coating designed to make reading easier, according to a report today from Bloomberg.

Apple has reportedly begun the production process for the next-gen 9.7-inch iPad and smaller iPad mini. As expected, both are on track to debut before the holidays.

iPad sales have been declining, and without some other whiz-bang new features, it’s difficult to imagine what will make new iPads interesting this fall.

“Mass production of a full-sized iPad with a 9.7-inch screen is already under way, with an unveiling projected for the end of this quarter or early next, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the details aren’t public. A new version of the 7.9-inch iPad mini is also entering production and will probably be available by the end of the year, they said.”

The report doesn’t mention any new features to expect besides the anti-reflection coating, which could make supplies of the larger iPad limited at first.

What else will be in this year’s new iPads? Touch ID, faster processors, and better cameras are all pretty much givens. Part leaks have shown that the exterior designs won’t change much.

For its last quarterly earnings, Apple reported that iPad sales had fell 9% from the same time last year. That’s not good news for Apple, especially given that Tim Cook expects tablet sales to outpace PC sales by 2015. For the iPad to continue leading the post-PC revolution, Apple needs to show that it can still make significant innovations to the hardware.

Source: Bloomberg

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