The rumor-mill’s focus has been firmly on the iPhone 6 so far this year, but now the iPad is looking to muscle in. Bloomberg states that the next generation of iPad has also gone into production. They also claim that the next model will have an anti-reflective coating.
This new coating is said to be on the larger 9.7-inch model and would make it easier to read and use in direct sunlight. Amazon previously targeted this weakness in an advert for its own Kindle product. The report does not make it clear if the iPad mini will get this coating.
Bloomberg also states that the anti-reflective coating could cause supply constraints because of manufacturing complications.
The new iPad is also set to include Touch ID, which was introduced in the iPhone 5s. iPad sales were disappointing in the last quarter and new features should boost sales again heading into the holiday shopping season before Christmas. A recent partnership with IBM should also boost sales of the tablet, especially to businesses.
It is likely that the next iPad will be announced in October – starting production now should ensure enough stock on launch date. Sales of the iPad mini with Retina display were hit by massive demand in 2013, which caused some supply issues.