Previous rumors have said that the new iPad Air 3 will debut early next year. However, speculations suggest that the new Apple slate may still be released before the year ends.

According to MacWorld, Apple is known to come out with a new iPad version during the latter part of the year. The original iPad Air was launched in October 2013, while the iPad Air 2 debuted in 2014 after a year. Fans expected the iPad Air 3 to be released late last year.

However, Apple reportedly shuffled its release plans to counter the then-rumored Microsoft Surface Pro 4, and instead of the iPad Air 3, it went head to head with a professional-level hybrid, the original 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The new Air slate launch was reportedly moved to early 2016, but Apple once again surprised fans by coming out with a scaled-down version of the iPad Pro, coming out with a 9.7-inch variant.

These release changes prompted followers to speculate that Apple will now focus on the iPad Air 3, coming out with a late 2016 release together with the iPhone 7. Supposedly, the release plans for the Cupertino-based company include discontinuing the iPad Air lineup, so the iPad Air 3 will be the last iteration in the series.

While Apple has yet to confirm the rumors, retiring the iPad Air lineup dovetails with rumors of a more streamlined Apple product series. Reportedly, the iPhone 7 will be the last signature design for the smartphone lineup, as Apple plans to completely overhaul the iPhone starting with the 2017 edition. For its slate products, the standard 9.7-inch variant will reportedly be a trimmed-down version of the iPad Pro 2, and Apple may even go ahead and scale it down further by coming out with a 7.0-inch iPad Pro Mini. Meanwhile, as the last of the lineup, the iPad Air 3 will be modeled as the entry-level variant in the 9.7-inch Apple slate series.