Apple 2015 Predictions: iPhone 6s, iPad Air 3, iPad Mini 4

2015 will most likely be another big year for Apple. The company’s own smartwatch will release at some point in the next few months, which should be a fairly popular product, but we’ll be talking about some things that we don’t quite know yet about the future of the iPhone and iPad.

Apple’s smartphone and tablet will certainly be updated again this year, most likely in September and October, respectively, as that has been Apple’s predictable release pattern the last few years.

2015 will most likely be the year of the iPhone 6s, iPad Air 3, and the iPad mini 4. Whether or not those will be the official names of the products is still very much up in the air, but Apple hasn’t been shy about using numbers in their product names recently.

As we say goodbye to 2014 (or we already did that, I suppose), 2015 begins a new year and a new chapter for Apple products. Here’s what we predict we’ll see from Apple in 2015 as far as the iPhone and iPad are concerned.

iPhone 6s

We already discussed a little bit about what we can expect from Apple with the iPhone 6s (or it could be called the iPhone 7), mostly that the release date will almost undoubtedly be in September again.

However, what’s perhaps extremely important to know is that we most likely won’t see an early iPhone release this year, as many people seem to expect it since the Apple Watch is releasing earlier this year. The Apple Watch will undoubtedly launch with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus support as the flagship feature of sorts, so you really shouldn’t worry about Apple changing its release schedule up this year.

As for what to expect out of the next iPhone, there are a few rumors out there, but nothing seems to be clad-iron, as it’s still very early for reputable rumors to pick up.

However, we’ve heard rumors about the iPhone 6s coming with a glasses-free 3D display, similar to that of Amazon’s Fire Phone, as well as some major camera improvements that could come to the next iPhone. That’s pretty much a given, but the rumor suggests we’ll see a huge overhaul with the iPhone camera with the release of the iPhone 6s.

Lastly, Apple could be bringing back the 4-inch screen, with the release of a lower-cost iPhone to launch alongside the iPhone 6s. We’ve heard a couple of rumors about this actually, but it’s said that Apple will launch new 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones this year, as well as a possible iPhone 6c that will come with a 4-inch screen for those who like the smaller size.

iPad Air 3

Unfortunately, iPad rumors have been hard to come by recently, but that’s not particularly surprising, as it’s only been a few months since the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 were released. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t discuss what Apple might do with the next-generation iPads come the fall.

The iPad Air 3 will most likely keep the same overall design as the iPad Air and the iPad Air 2, and I say this because Apple usually keeps the same iPad design around for a few generations. Obviously, the only proof of that is with the iPad 2, iPad 3, and the iPad 4, all of which kept the same overall design.

The iPad Air series could do the same, and we’ll most likely see the same overall design in the iPad Air 3 that we’ve seen in the iPad Air and the iPad Air 2, but there could be several minor changes.

The iPad Air 2 kept the same overall design, but changed the speaker grille, got rid of the silent ringer switch on the side, and obviously added Touch ID capability. We’re guessing we’ll see small changes like this with the iPad Air 3.

Of course, performance is another thing that will see big improvements in the next iPad, as Apple always puts faster and faster internals in its products every year.

Simply put, the iPad Air 3 will undoubtedly be Apple’s fastest iPad yet.

iPad Mini 4

The iPad mini 3 release back in October was a major disappointment, mostly because Apple didn’t update it nearly as much as it did as it did with the iPad Air 2. In fact, the only upgrades that the iPad mini 3 received over its iPad mini 2 predecessor was Touch ID and a gold color option.

Other than that, the iPad mini 3 remains largely unchanged from the iPad mini 2 — same processor, same RAM, same screen, everything.

This does cause some concern about what Apple plans to do with the iPad mini. Many say that the iPhone 6 Plus is cannibalizing the iPad mini, which is probably why the company didn’t put a lot of focus and attention on the iPad mini 3.

However, we can see Apple come back in 2015 and update the iPad mini 4 big time by matching the specs of the iPad Air 3 — whatever they may be.

Whatever Apple plans to do, the company has been incredibly predictive over the last few years, so we can expect 2015 to be another usual year for the iPhone and iPad upgrades in September and October.