It is that time of the year again when the level of anticipation for new Apple products is at its maximum point. In hindsight, it's only less than a month before the tech giant launches the next-gen iPhones as well as an improved Apple TV.

However, fans eager to grab hold of the third generation iPad Air will have to be a bit more patient as a recent report indicates that the iPad Air 3's release date will be much later than its September contemporaries.

The iPad Air 2 was released approximately 10 months ago, so it was initially assumed that the iPad Air 3 would be included in Apple's line-up this year. Yet, a Taiwanese outfit suggests this is simply not the case.

DigiTimes insiders reveal that Apple will forego the release of the iPad Air 3 this year in order to give way to the iPad mini 4.

"The sources pointed out that Apple has turned conservative about its tablet product line and is not planning to release a next-generation model to replace the existing iPad Air tablet; however, Apple is ready to release its fourth-generation iPad mini and the related supply chain is already preparing the device's components. The fourth-generation model will only have a few small upgrades from the third-generation one," the site reports.

DigiTimes further claims that Apple has not yet ordered components for a new iPad Air from its supply-chain partners but have commissioned new parts for the next-gen iPad mini.

This development has forced supply-chain manufacturers to seek out other projects from multiple industries since they would have a lot of time and resources to spare following Apple's rumored delay for the iPad Air 3.

With its decision to postpone the release of the iPad Air 3, the tech giant is presumably trying to stifle a major decline in tablet sales during the last six quarters.

However, fans of Apple tablets shouldn't have their heads down as the iPad mini 4 is expected to launch later this year together with the bigger 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Latin Post earlier reported that the iPad mini 4 will be similar to the iPad Air 2 than other iterations in the iPad mini series.

The device is rumored to have a thickness of 6.1mm, same as the iPad Air 2. Other key similarities include a new processor, laminated display and anti-reflective coating akin to the Air 2.

The device will also improve upon the iPad mini 3 albeit minimally. The upcoming iPad mini 4 will have an eight-megapixel rear iSight camera, A8 processor and 2GB of RAM.

The iPad Mini 4 is rumored to be launched together with the iPad Pro, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and Apple TV during Apple's keynote event on September 9.

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