The iPad Air 3 has been a frequent occupant of the online rumor mill over the past few months, and that's mainly because there's no clear indicator when it might actually be released.

According to Yibada, many people expected Apple to announce the iPad Air 3 during the company's annual conference held earlier this year on Sept. 9, but when the event came and went with nary a mention of the tablet, many were left wondering why there was no news.

Instead of announcing the iPad Air 3 at the event, Apple instead chose to showcase the new iPad Pro and iPad Mini 4, and that is now being viewed as the potential reason for why the company did not talk about their other rumored tablet.

Given that the company was already planning to release two new tablets, launching a third at the same time would seem to be counter-productive. The move could have a negative impact on all three devices, thus negating any positive buzz Apple could have gained from what would have been such a bold move.

Still, the lack of an update regarding the iPad Air 3 has left many wondering about just when Apple is actually planning to release the device.

According to IT Pro UK, Apple will most likely launch the iPad Air 3 sometime in 2016, with the possible release window ranging from late summer all the way up to the stretch of time that the company has typically used for their annual conference. 

As for what people can expect from the iPad Air 3, it will reportedly feature the A9X processor along with 128 GB of internal storage. It is also expected to be even thinner than the iPad Air 2.

The iPad Air 3 will also most likely feature the newest version of Apple's iOS firmware when it is finally ready to make its long-awaited debut.