It has been rumored that next month, we can expect to see Apple launch their next-gen iPad, the iPad Air 3. However it turns out that may not necessarily be true. According to a report from 9to5Mac, it seems that Apple’s next-gen iPad will not be called the iPad Air, but rather it will simply fall under the iPad Pro lineup as a 9.7-inch model.
As pointed out by 9to5Mac, this seems to be in line with Apple’s naming scheme as of late. For example the 12-inch MacBook was not under the MacBook Air line, despite the fact that they more or less share the same design, so in this case it looks like the iPad Pro could very well be the new lineup of tablets moving forward, along with the iPad mini.
We suppose this makes sense as it would not confuse customers who might then have to choose between 3 different lineups. Unfortunately it is not clear if the new iPad Pro will have Apple Pencil support, but the report claims that it will have a Smart Connector and apparently Apple is working on a smaller version of its Smart Keyboard for the device as well.
Hopefully we will see Apple Pencil support as it would then offer up a cheaper alternative to the larger iPad Pro. In the meantime Apple has yet to confirm an event, but it is rumored for the 15th of March and could begin shipping as soon as the 18th of March.