Apple Said to Add Gold Option to IPad Air

The publication cites sources familiar with Apple’s iPad launch plans as saying the company is looking to bolster tablet sales by adding a gold rear case choice to existing space gray and silver colors when the next-generation 9.7-inch iPad Air debuts this fall. 

Apple first released a gold colored device with last year’s iPhone 5s and continues to offer the option with its current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus product lines. The gold iPad Air is expected to feature a white faceplate identical to Apple’s gold and silver iPhone versions, leaving only space gray models with black bezels.

Today’s report mirrors a forecast from noted KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who earlier in September said the “iPad Air 2” would come in the same color palette as Apple’s new iPhone. Kuo also said the iPad mini with Retina display could get Touch ID fingerprint recognition, a long-awaited feature some hoped would come with last year’s iPad refresh. 

The publication did not mention future plans for the iPad mini with Retina display, which is also due for a revamp, but suggested that a next-gen iPad Air could be announced in October. Reliable sources have informed AppleInsider that Apple has set a mid-October deadline for internal projects and marketing associated with major product lines, suggesting a media event could follow in the second half of the month.

Source: Bloomberg