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‘iPad Air 2’ and ‘iPad mini 3’ with Touch ID & Burst Mode confirmed, show up early in iTunes

Apple’s iTunes Store has just made a little bit of a slip-up (and with perfect uncanny timing): screenshots for the iOS 8.1 iPad user guide have just appeared within iBooks and include Apple’s upcoming iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. Of course, Apple will be formally debuting these devices tomorrow.

The screenshots confirm that both new tablets will include nearly identical designs to their predecessors and the addition of Touch ID sensors in the Home button. Another new feature confirmed by this leak is a new Burst Mode (first introduced with the iPhone 5s) for the iPad Air 2 (image below).

These images also indicate that the new tablets will be named “iPad Air 2” and “iPad mini 3,” which means that Apple will bringing the numbering scheme for names back to the iPad lineup. Of course, the presence of this user guide means iOS 8.1 (with Apple Pay) is likely to drop tomorrow, too.

Besides the tweaked designs and Touch ID sensors, a gold color option, and a stronger A8X processor, improved camera optics, and new software can be expected at least on the new Air. Apple will also discuss the Mac line tomorrow, including the new iMac with Retina display and OS X Yosemite.

Boom?

 

Update: Nearly an hour later, Apple has removed the page.

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Comments

  1. jamalienn - 9 years ago

    At least this confirms the mute switch won’t be removed.

    • taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

      It doesn’t show the image of the volume and mute switches for the iPad Air.

      • SKR Imaging - 9 years ago

        I believe Apple did not want to put images of the back side in manual for both Air and Mini models since they are identical.. they do show both front sides so users can get a feel for the size of models in manual.. maybe they thing it would have been redundant to show both back views because they essentially have the same ports and functions..

      • taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

        On the iPhone user guide Apple put the front and back of the iPhone 6, iohone 6 plus and iohone 5s. Apple wouldn’t put just the front of the iPad air 2 in the user guide it is not constantl with what they have always done.

    • taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

      The iPad Air 2 has no mute switch. So this leaked image didn’t confirm shit

  2. Lee (@leemahi) - 9 years ago

    iPad mini 3? SJ would be turning in his grave.

    • 1sugomac - 9 years ago

      They should move to an annual release cycle and just call it iPad Air 2014. Couldn’t be any more obvious.

      • Cory © (@Nardes) - 9 years ago

        Agree with you as well!

      • james wilcox (@uxjw) - 9 years ago

        Macs already go by year (eg. mid-2014). It would be so much easier if they would pick one method and stick with it for all products.

      • Stetson - 9 years ago

        I think they avoid this in case they want to keep selling it for multiple years. The iPad 2 was on sale until 2014, and calling it the “iPad 2011” would have thrown in people’s faces that they were buying a “three year old” device.

      • kirashi - 9 years ago

        How about LABELING THEIR RETAIL BOXES properly so us retail slaves don’t grab the wrong one multiple times and piss off customers?

    • Cory © (@Nardes) - 9 years ago

      My thoughts exactly.

  3. Gregg Mojica - 9 years ago

    Wow apple.

  4. They for sure did this deliberately. So the event focus is actually something bigger, hopefully it is not just the Retina iMac

  5. 89p13 - 9 years ago

    SJ is spinning like a top with all the screw ups Apple made in September – and now October.

    No rest for the dead at Apple

  6. Toby! (@TrashGoblin) - 9 years ago

    “Mac….. mini…..please…..” the man gasped as he tried to cling to the last bit of hope.

  7. lincolndorie - 9 years ago

    which one would you prefer?

  8. Omar Sharif - 9 years ago

    Burst shot for iPad Air 2 only indicates a more powerful chip ; A8X anyone ?

  9. Yay, the mute switch stays 😎.

    • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

      It was so obvious it was saying. I said as much when that rumour said it was being removed. The mute switch never affected tinnness and it’s regularly used by folks to set it for rotation.

  10. Ethan Duller - 9 years ago

    They are completely incompetent and really losing their secrecy. Things have gone down hill. Although, i still love their products ha ha

    • hmurchison - 9 years ago

      No one had Apple Watch casings. Apple’s still good at protecting what they need to.

      • Ethan Duller - 9 years ago

        Perhaps this was deliberate? Just an afterthought

  11. samuelsnay - 9 years ago

    So no indication of split screen mode for iPad? Ugh.

    • aeronperyton - 9 years ago

      Wasn’t there talk of the split screen mode being delayed until iOS 8.2 or 8.3? The code that was found in the 8.0 betas was very alpha-looking.

  12. taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

    Still think we will be seeing another iPad mini within 8 months. I think it will be a quick update like the iPad 3 and iPad 4.

    • PMZanetti - 9 years ago

      No, we won’t. There are the iPads. Until the 12″ device is released. If that even happens.

  13. Rayan Badawi - 9 years ago

    Something tells me this was deliberate to get people off Android Lollipop and shift focus on Apple.

  14. Steve Aldrich - 9 years ago

    Interestingly, the iTunes Store says the above-pictured iPad User Guide was published nearly a month ago on Sept. 17th.

    • eldonchew - 9 years ago

      There’s nothing wrong with the user guide the direct link is linking to.

      It’s the book’s preview that has been updated in advance.

  15. I just went to iBooks and tried to download the Guides for iPad and iPhone. Both gave the error that the item wasn’t available. looks like they caught the goof

  16. romke (@readeromke) - 9 years ago

    My girlfriend, her mom and grandmother do have a Ipad 2. But after the IOS update they have a worthless ipad. So slow and no help from Apple. All of them told me they never want an Apple product again.

    • You really can’t expect a gadget from 2011 to run it´s best with the latest software

      • JA Martinez - 9 years ago

        That’s fine but give people the option to downgrade to IOS 7 then right?

    • Islandlife - 9 years ago

      Running iOS 8.0.2 on my iPad 2 for weeks. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. Maybe the have to much stuff on their 16 Gb low end models?

  17. Taste_of_Apple - 9 years ago

    Well timed leak. This goes to prove some of the rumors swirling around these new iPad’s. Nice.

  18. Toro Volt (@torovolt) - 9 years ago

    Damn! still no LED flash.!? what is wrong with Apple!?
    Lots of people use these Tablets to read at night before going to bed.
    It makes me hate apple that i still need to grab a flash light when going to the kitchen late at night.
    And yes i also take pictures with the ipad. grrrrrrr

  19. Emma Jones - 9 years ago

    Find top sites offering best deals and amazing discounts on Apple iPad, iPhone 6 & 6Plus only at freeappleiphone6 com

  20. Brett Huhn - 9 years ago

    I don’t know why they downplay that these devices will be Wireless “C” enabled. it is so much faster on users LANs with iTunes sharing and getting back and forth between other C enabled devices. It seems like with the iPhone 6 they glossed over the Wireless C functionality. Apple should be pushing their routing equipment with these devices and their faster wireless, but they seem to be focused on keeping things too simple.

  21. I wonder if the phrase “don’t be a sucker” will be used at the keynote.

  22. drtyrell969 - 9 years ago

    Folks, these leaks, including the ones from sites like this are all INTENTIONAL. It’s call good gorilla marketing.

    • giskardian - 9 years ago

      Maybe so, but if Steve Jobs were alive, someone else would be dead right about now.

    • ubipromaya - 9 years ago

      It’s guerilla marketing, not gorilla. Though gorilla would have done a better job than that.

  23. giskardian - 9 years ago

    Downloaded it before they took it down. Page 215: “To crop a photo on an iPad Air 2 with Retina HD 2304 x 3072 396 ppi dsplay, touch the crop button…”

    :P

  24. tobangladesh - 9 years ago

    Something better next please Apple!

  25. tobangladesh - 9 years ago

    Still bloodyhell might buy one

  26. Juan Carlos Villalon - 9 years ago

    With all due respect Ipad has a horrible absurd design ! i mean if it is made Nor ergonomically adaptable , if is meantbto be slperry and delicate in all its componets , connections etc itis Great so peopl has to Spend , spend , spend consumism having to buy expensive accesories that could be avoided if it would have a right desig concept from the beggining . I miss the Design genouses like Dieter Rahm from Braun ,or som Ban & Olufsen or Philips .

  27. Edward A Lizardo - 9 years ago

    still no LED flash

  28. Mark Brownlee - 9 years ago

    I was thinking they may have included my suggestion to put an additional speaker at the top of the portrait iPad so when watching HD movies in landscape mode the sound could be in wide stereo, one speaker on the left and one on the right.

    From the images it seems they didn’t. For me that would have been a major improvement.

  29. bobajoul - 9 years ago

    The ghost of presentations past paid a visit last night, and he was not looking to be helpful!

  30. Judda Budda - 9 years ago

    Why do they improve the cameras in these devices. People are going to be confused what the difference between a professional DSLR camera does and gimmicky garbage that people buy into. Taking good quality photos has nothing to do with how good the quality of a camera is in device. To put it bluntly, You need to know about proper lighting, F-stops, Depths of Field, ND FILTERS, 56k vs 32K. Three point lighting.

  31. selenarichard - 9 years ago

    Beyond the iPads, there may be more details about the launch of Apple Pay, a system that will let iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners spend money at participating stores simply by using their phones’ fingerprint scanner and holding the device up to the register. See http://goo.gl/1Py3q2

  32. Brian Fleming - 9 years ago

    Yay, zzzzz… So in 2 years will this ipad be rendered unusable due to software updates, as well?

    Maybe if they talk slower and try to imitate Jobs more it will make this snoozeapalooza seem more “magical”.

  33. Lizette Majourau - 9 years ago

    Apple died after Steve Jobs. Tim Cook should be fired immediately, he is no good really. He thinks he is Steve but no one is and he should stop trying to be him. Phil schiller keeps gaining weight and he sucks really. TIM COOK NEED TO GO IMMEDIATELY