iPad Air likely to get a refresh this year, says report

The iPad Air might be the only model in Apple's tablet lineup to appear with a refreshed look this year with the launch of a 12.9-inch model unlikely, and a successor to the iPad mini with Retina display in doubt, AppleInsider reported citing a well-connected insider.

A report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities issued on  Saturday evening that AppleInsider says it accessed, says that overall iPad shipments this year would decline, as he expected the iPad Air to be the only iPad model to see a refresh with a next-generation A8 processor and Touch ID fingerprint sensor later this year.

Kuo said the development of the next iPad Air and a new 12.9-inch iPad would be the main focus for Apple in the tablet market this year. He believed as such, progress on a new iPad mini would be affected.

Kuo added that the chances of a new iPad mini model, therefore, in the second half of 2014 were "slim."

He also did not expect that development of a new, larger 12.9-inch model, sometimes referred to as an "iPad Pro," would be completed in time for a launch this year, leaving just an iPad Air with A8 CPU and Touch ID as the company's refreshed tablet.

Further, according to Kuo the iPad 2 would be discontinued in Q1 2014.

The iPad 2 had been on sale since March 2011 and it sported old technologies such as a non-Retina display, 30-pin dock connector, and A5 processor, rendering it due for retirement.

However, since the iPad 2 had remained popular in the education market, Apple could retain it as an educational-only version of the iPad, AppleInsider said quoting Kuo.

The fourth-generation iPad would go back into mass production in Q1 2014, according to Kuo, who said just like Apple brought the iPhone 4 back (at least for some regions), the iPad 4 would be revived.

While the reasoning was not clear (possibly as a replacement for the iPad 2), the device's technologies were still strong with the Retina display, lightning connector, and A6X system-on-a-chip.

Kuo said the iPad Air would get an update in late Q3. A late Q3 launch would see the new iPad arriving earlier than the October/November timeframe of last year's models.

Chances of a new iPad mini in 2014 were ''slim,'' according to Kuo due to the popularity of the iPad Air and the focus of Apple on development of other new products this year.

The iPad mini got an update with the A7 chip and Retina display in late-2013, so the current technology was fairly stable, and this made an update not truly necessary this year.