Fans expected Apple to come out with the much-anticipated iPad Air 3 late last year. Rumors said that the Cupertino-based company did intend to release the new tablet in its September event but had to change its release lineup for the iPad Pro.

Now, speculations say Apple is thinking of releasing the iPad Air 3 early this year instead.

According to recent predictions from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, picked up by Apple Insider, the new iPad Air 3 might be seen by fans as early as March this year.

There might be some truth to the rumor, as this prediction dovetails with speculations that Apple is planning a March event to unveil and showcase some new Apple lineups. Reportedly, aside from the iPad Air 3, Apple is also planning to showcase the new Apple Watch 2 as well as a new MacBook.

In addition, Ming-Chi Kuo has been known to provide predictions which turn out to be true, as was the case with the iPhone 5 having three variants -- the base model, the iPhone 5s, and the iPhone 5c.

Meanwhile, Australia Network News also picked up Kuo's predictions, adding that aside from the targeted release date, the China-based analyst also stated that although Apple is integrating its Force Touch and 3D Touch tech on its flagship lineups, the iPad Air 3 will release without this feature.

Kuo believes that the first batches of the new tablet will not have 3D Touch displays because of the bottleneck in the procurement and production end of the assembly. Although the supply chain might eventually clear up the issue, the 3D Touch feature won't make it in time for the projected March release date.

Meanwhile, to make up for lost time in its original release date and the absence of the 3D Touch feature, The Motley Fool reported that Apple overhauled the design and specs of the iPad Air 3, making it much better than its predecessor.