Apple trend watchers and analysts were surprised when Apple opted not to make any iPad Air 3 announcements last October. The first iPad Air was unveiled in Oct. 2013 and the iPad Air 2 was introduced in Oct. 2014. Apple enthusiasts surmised that Apple had decided to shift its focus on the iPad Pro.

Now that the iPad Pro has been released, the attention has now shifted back to the impending release of the iPad Air 3. Some reports point to a possible Oct. 2016 release date for the iPad Air 3 given that October is the month usually reserved for iPad announcements. There are also some reports that point to a possible March 2016 release date.

Given that Apple has not made any official announcements, consumers will have to wait and see whether which of these dates is more likely.

As for the iPad Air 3's specs, earlier reports point to a possible 9.7-inch Retina display with a 3112 x 2334 screen resolution and 401 ppi pixel density. There is a chance that the upcoming iPad Air will be even thinner at 5 mm, which would make it 1.1 mm thinner than the iPad Air 2. However, making the device thinner would come at a cost – namely a smaller battery capacity. The iPad Air 3 may also come with a waterproof and dust-resistant display.

The Apple iPad Air 3 may also be powered by an A9 or A9X processor. There may be either 2 GB or 4 GB of RAM.

In terms of camera specs, the most prevalent rumors point to an 8 MP rear camera and a 2.1 MP front-facing camera. Camera specs aren't seen to improve any higher than that given that the flagship iPad Pro only comes with an 8 MP rear camera and a 1.2 MP front-facing camera.

Storage options may range from 16 GB to 128 GB. Given the latest Apple releases, the iPad Air 3 may also be offered in three colors – Silver, Space Grey and Gold.

At this point, most information regarding the Apple iPad Air 3 are still unconfirmed. Thus, it would be best to take these rumors with a grain of salt. Stay tuned for more updates.