Apple has yet to provide any official word regarding the status of the next generation iPad Air tablet, the Apple iPad Air 3.

The company decision to be tight-lipped about the existence of the device has now led to rumors that the Air line of tablets may have been scrapped altogether, and that Apple may be putting all its focus on the iPad Pro tablet line instead.

Despite the widespread reports of a possible 9.7-inch iPad Pro being launched very soon, some fans still believe that there could still be a place for the new iPad Air 3 in the company's roster of products. The iPad Pro is believed to be a top-end device which will contain some very high-end hardware and features. This roughly translates to a possibly steep price for the device.

The iPad Air 3, on the other hand, is believed to be coming in as a low to mid-end alternative that will be priced competitively for the mid-end market.

As for its rumored specs and features, the alleged new iPad Air 3 is likely to be coming with the company's latest A10 processor coupled with a decent amount of Random Access Memory (RAM). There are also reports which reveal that the device may be coming with an AMOLED display which could have a resolution of 2048x1538 pixels. The device is also expected to be coming with Bluetooth 4.2 support, a Touch ID feature, and a lightning port.

Some reports are, however, skeptical of some of the more high-end specs and claim that some of them might be replaced with cheaper components in order to cut down on cost. The brand new Apple iPad Air 3 is rumored to be launched sometime during the first quarter of next year.

However, Apple has not yet confirmed any of the aforementioned claims, which means that majority of the reports are mere speculation until Apple says otherwise.