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Apple Accidentally reveals iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3
- allsystemsgo 12y agoI'm not sure that I agree that they have too many products or the names have gotten confusing. You can still fit all their products on a single desk. A company of that size, with that kind of revenue, and so few product offerings is nuts. Also, this "leak", how is it different from other leaks in the past? There were leaks all around the iPhone 4. I don't think leaks matter too much to the average consumer. When Apple does a product announcement, I tell my folks about it. 9 times out of 10 they had no idea. Hiccups happened in Jobs' keynotes all the time. More options isn't a bad thing. The mobile market is maturing. No big deal.
- iancarroll 12y agoConfirmed by TC: http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/15/apple-leaks-the-ipad-air-2-and-ipad-mini-3/ http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/15/apple-leaks-the-ipad-air-2-...
- ericdykstra 12y agoIt's doubtful that this was unintentionally released hours after Google makes new announcements about its Nexus devices. A classic 'steal-the-thunder' move. I think Google still ends up getting more press, since their releases are more interesting, but it's not a bad play by Apple.
- dmishe 12y agoWell they have an event tomorrow anyway
- ericdykstra 12y agoGoogle made their announcement the day before the Apple event strategically. Apple 'leaked' this new info to try to steal some of the attention from Google, and get people talking about what else they will reveal at the event tomorrow, thus shifting the conversation back to Apple. None of this happens accidentally. It's all very well-timed and follows the classic playbook for "crashing" your competitor's news.
- UnfalseDesign 12y agoIf the Nexus devices were available for pre-order today, I would be inclined to agree with you. However, since they aren't available for pre-order until the 17th, the day after the Apple announcement, then I doubt Apple is worried. Apple knows full well that they will dominate the new tomorrow.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- robinhoodexe 12y agoI honestly don't think Apple ever does something accidentally related to marketing. Everything is planned and executed to perfection. You can say a lot about Apple, but they're very good at marketing and "accidentally" stealing attention (remember that guy "leaving" his unreleased iPhone in a bar?).
- differentView 12y agoYou are giving them way too much credit.
- jake223 12y agoThe first screenshot "accidentally" shows the specs of their new devices.
- spiritplumber 12y agoApple messing up on tech? Yep. Apple messing up on marketing? Much less likely. This leak is about as accidental as me.
- Fastidious 12y ago> This leak is about as accidental as me. That doesn't say much, does it? I don't know you, were you accidental? :-)
- MBCook 12y ago> Apple messing up on marketing? Much less likely. U2 album.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- 0x0 12y agoLike the firmware update (iOS 8.0.1) that completely disabled cellular and the touchid reader on iPhone 6? Looks like QA is slipping heavily these days.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- jobu 12y agocopy of the relevant image: http://imgur.com/jwke2GS http://imgur.com/jwke2GS
- tkmadera 12y agoI don't notice any difference. Is it just me..?
- FireBeyond 12y agoFrom the graphic, at least, it just looks like they've added TouchID sensors to the Home button.
- ValentineC 12y agoDirect link to the image on one of their CDNs: http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Publication3/v4/2c/22/0d/2c220d4c-e978-89df-c0d6-d0883e42737d/ipad1.480x480-75.jpg http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Publication3/v4/2c/22/0d/2c220...
- diziet 12y agoDirect HD link: https://s4.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Publication3/v4/2c/22/0d/2c220d4c-e978-89df-c0d6-d0883e42737d/ipad1.960x960-75.jpg https://s4.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Publication3/v4/2c/22/0d/2c22...
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- rubicon33 12y agoWhen are they going to update their laptops? Air?
- bdcravens 12y agoThey generally update Mac hardware in the spring.
- arrrg 12y agoNo, that’s not true. Well, spring might be true this time around, but it’s not typically spring. They have been in lockstep with Intel ever since the switch to Intel. Look at Intels roadmap and you will know when there will be new Macs. It’s as simple as that. (Of course, this only applies to their best selling Macs, specifically all their mobile Macs. Others may be a bit more neglected and updated less frequently or only six months after Intel comes out with their new CPUs.)
- bdcravens 12y agoTrue, I was going more or less on personal recollection, and it when I've bought new machines. That said, I've had horrible luck, and I tell people that if they want to know if Apple is about to announce new MacBooks, ask me if I've bought one in the last couple of weeks :-) I believe it is rumored that they'll announce new iMacs (and by extension, I'm hoping for a new Thunderbolt display). According to BGR, supposedly they'll announce a 12" MacBook Air Retina
- uptown 12y agoI believe they're waiting on Broadwell.
- egypturnash 12y ago[MacRumors](http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook-air/ http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook-air/) says new airs MAYBE 'near the end of the year' but looking at the [buyer's guide](http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook_Air http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook_Air) it's not even as old as the Air model that was replaced the earliest in its lifespan; I wouldn't plan for anything before spring 2015.
- lambdasquirrel 12y agoDoes it strike anyone else that Apple's product line is starting to sound complicated?
- sushpop 12y agoMy feelings/words exactly. Too many screen sizes, too many products. Probably they need 2/2 matrix again :-)
- masklinn 12y ago> Too many screen sizes Meh. They've got 2 display sizes for each product (with displays), basically: 6/6+, iPad Mini/Air, iMac 21/27, MBA 11/13 and rMBP 13/15. The iMac and MBP used to have 3 display sizes each, and at one point there were 5 different iPod models sold at the same time (Shuffle 2G, Shuffle 3G, Nano 4G, Classic 6G and Touch 2G) Leftover products (non-retina iPad mini, non-air retina iPad, MBP13, 5C and 5S) are a bigger annoyance I'd say.
- arrrg 12y agoThe problem for Apple is that they sometimes want to move fast and change things, but that necessitates leaving people behind. Their preferred solution during the last decade or so is to mostly keep the old products around for a while, but deemphasise them in their marketing. I do think that’s the right approach, actually.
- cnp 12y agoStarting to get sloppy.
- kmfrk 12y agoIt's been a long time coming. I mean, do we even know whether 5S or 5C refer to anything in particular? What's really weird that they don't have an iPad Pro in that lineup, because that was what we assumed to be the reason they went with the name "iPad Air".
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- mladenkovacevic 12y agoIs this Apple's attempt to steal the spotlight away from today's Android & Nexus launches?
- UnfalseDesign 12y agoIf the new Nexus devices were available for pre-order today: maybe. Since the Nexus devices are not available for pre-order until the day after the iPad announcement: unlikely.
- pdabbadabba 12y agoI don't see why the preorder date would matter so much. I would think that this would be much more about manipulating the tech press to divert resources that would have been used to cover the Nexus announcements to, instead, cover the leak. If this was intentional, it would be about "mindshare," not about merely staving off a few preorders. (There are probably also not a lot of people preordering Nexus devices who would be so easily nudged into buying an iPad.)
- bluthru 12y agoThe iPad has had such a weird naming convention: - iPad - iPad 2 - The new iPad - I don't even know what the 4th gen was called. - iPad Air - iPad Air 2 I was hoping for 4 speakers (one at each corner) for stereo sound in both orientations.
- 0x0 12y agoPlus it's quite ugly that the new iPads, of the same generation, have different numbers (iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3)
- thathonkey 12y agoNot really.
- glhaynes 12y ago4th gen was iPad with Retina Display. Edit: to everybody responding that the 3rd gen ("The new iPad") had a retina display, I was pointing out the marketing name for the 4th gen.
- bill_barnes 12y ago3rd gen was the first Retina iPad
- emjaygee 12y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad Retina came in the 3rd generation.
- joahg 12y agothe 3rd gen got Retina. the 4th gen was only to include the lightening connector.
- kylec 12y agoThe 3rd-gen iPad had a retina display, but the marketing name for the 4th-gen iPad is "iPad with Retina Display". Yes, when the 4th-gen iPad was released, "The new iPad" (the 3rd-gen iPad) was no longer the new iPad, and "iPad with Retina Display" wasn't the first iPad with a retina display.
- icedchai 12y agoBig deal. These "specs" are all-but-obvious. Everyone knows the new iPads will have TouchID.
- Fastidious 12y agoThe iOS showing is also 8.1.
- jordanpg 12y agoHow little actual information is contained in this "leak". "The Air 2 and Mini 3 exist. With TouchID. They remain physically unchanged."
- Animats 12y agoAnother black rectangular tablet. Slightly different form factor. What's the big deal?
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- mars 12y agoi thought the ipad mini 3 was called iphone 6 plus
- aldanor 12y agoThat would be an iPad Mini Air
- walru 12y agoAt first I thought this was an 'accidental' leak. As in, a response to steal Google's thunder. Then it hit me, and it will become immediately clear to anyone who's ever pushed an app to the App Store, this highlights their broken process for pushing apps to the store. Who ever was in charge of submitting this particular app probably didn't click the right button and just had it set to release upon approval. Hilarious.
- bdcravens 12y agoa response to steal Google's thunder Probably not, as I believe it was the other way around.
- Kiro 12y agoWhat do you mean? It has been known for days that the new Nexus units would be announced today.
- pdabbadabba 12y agoPerhaps that Google's Nexus release itself was timed to steal Apple's thunder (the date of which has also been known well in advance)? I'm sure something like this is the case, though we can, of course, speculate all day long about who is trying to steal whose thunder. The real explanation probably is simply that both have devices that they want to release in time for the holiday shopping season, and it does not do either of them any good to have a new, competing product on the market, dominating the media coverage. If their competitor's product is out there being talked about, they want to make sure their own product is mentioned in the same breath. Who is stealing whose "thunder" is just a subjective spin that we put on the events as observers.
- rabbyte 12y agoHa! The jokes on them! I'm able to pay attention to both of them at the same time. Suckers.
- pavs 12y ago
- jakozaur 12y agoSteve Jobs Apple era is gone for good: - leaks - more options, more complicated lineup (iPhone 5C/5S, 6, 6+, iPad too) - competing with Android instead of differentiating (larger phones, customization) - hiccups during keynote Not necessary a bad thing, but something is gone and it's unlikely to return soon. Probably Apple will benefit in short term, but long term doesn't look so clear.
- wiremine 12y ago> leaks I always had a love/hate relationship with the "one more thing" approach. When Apple has a real blockbuster product to reveal, it was a lot of fun. But sometimes it was a big letdown. I remember when they introduced the v1 Apple TV. It felt half-baked. I think Apple has done a better job managing expectations going into new product releases. I haven't feel the same "let down" feeling in a while. (Not saying this particular leak was intentional, just an observation)
- jordanpg 12y agoLet us reclaim the timeline from Apple and stop caring about their leaks. The cloak and dagger routine seems laughably archaic to me, and they've only been doing it for a few years now.
- MaysonL 12y agoGo study up on the Osborne effect for an understanding of why Apple goes for secrecy on new products.
- baddox 12y agoWhat are the hiccups during the keynote? Do you just mean the technical issues with the live stream?
- arglothy 12y agoI was more worried about Apple's long term future under Jobs. It seemed like he bet the farm on everything Apple released, and noone is good enough to win every time.
- higherpurpose 12y agoAn hour after Google announced its stuff. Sure. Just a coincidence.
- mtck 12y agoI feel like it's almost never a coincidence with 'leaks' from tech firms.
- al2o3cr 12y agoIn a gripping development, an accidental release indicates that the two devices will look... pretty much identical to the current versions. But they'll have a HIGHER NUMBER at the end, so this is HOT NOOZE! (facepalm)
- felix 12y agoDoes everyone kvetching about Apple's product line realize that they have many different product lines? And that there are only 2 iPads (which only people on HN refer to with a generation number, Apple just calls them the iPad Mini and iPad Air). Steve jobs came back and simplified their desktop and laptop lineup from each having like 10 models to each having 2 or 3 clearly defined models. As they add phones, tablets and watches should each have only 1 model so that the absolute number of models in all of Apple's businesses stay constant?