iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 Release Date, Leaked Images Before Big Press Event

By Shawn Schuster
iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 leaked photo
iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 leaked image. Photo: 9to5mac.com

Apple seems to have made a bit of a slip-up earlier today by inadvertently showing off the upcoming iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 in the iOS 8.1 iPad user guide.

Showing up a day earlier than expected for tomorrow's big Apple event, these images reveal the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3 in the company's iBooks app, but have since been taken down. Luckily, 9to5mac.com managed to save some screenshots and dissect what these pics mean for anxious fans.

While the images show models that don't seem to differ from their predecessors by much, there is a distinct addition of the Touch ID sensors in each Home button. Burst Mode is also shown in the iPad Air 2 image and description.

Burst Mode allows users to take photos in rapid succession to help get that one perfect shot. On previous Apple products, Bust Mode allows up to 10 frames per second. It was first revealed in the iPhone 5s, so it's nothing new, but its inclusion in the iPad Air 2 was never confirmed before this image dropped.

"Take Burst shots: (iPad Air 2) Touch and hold the Take Picture button to take rapid-fire photos in bursts (available while in Square or Photo mode)," the leaked image describes. "The shutter sound is different, and the counter shows how many shots you've taken, until you lift your finger." Photos taken in Burst Mode are automatically grouped together into one thumbnail, as to not clutter your Camera Roll.

Another noteable feature taken from this image is the inclusion of the mute switch, previously rumored to be removed from the new iPad versions. Vietnamese blog Tinhte.vn claimed to have a mock-up copy of the iPad Air 2 with a missing mute button, presumably for the sake of thinness. All other features of the mock-up product discussed in the blog seem to be in line with these new images, though.

The iPad Air is expected to be available in the same color options as the iPhone 5s and 6 (most notably, gold), feature a beefier A8X processor, improved camera, and updated software. The Apple press event is also expected to reveal OS X Yosemite, a new iMac, Retina for the MacBook Air, and more new iPads.

But the question is, did Apple leak this image early to deliberately detract from Google's big event today and draw more attention to its own event tomorrow, or was this just an honest mistake?

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