The iPad mini 3 might slip into next year

iPad mini 2
We may have to wait a little longer for a new iPad mini

October is expected to be the month we'll see the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 touch down, and when OS X Yosemite will also launch.

But there are now reports that at least one of those things might not turn up on October 21. Taiwan's Commercial Times claims that the iPad mini 3 actually won't arrive until early next year, citing supply chain source.

We'd take that with a healthy helping of salt as it's a claim that goes against most of the rumours we've heard, not to mention Apple's pattern of releasing a mini alongside a full fat iPad, but it's still a possibility.

Saying 'nope' to October

In possibly related news, the whole October 21 date has been called in to question, as a wordy response from Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has simply said 'nope' to that date.

He has a pretty good track record so we're inclined to listen, but that one word response simply brings up more questions. Is it the date that's wrong or is it that only some of the rumoured launches will happen then?

Most likely he's referring to the date, but all that means is it's not happening on October 21, it doesn't rule out another day in October, so even if he's right there's a good chance we'll see some iPad in October.

But in line with Taiwan's Commercial Times he could simply be saying that the iPad mini 3 won't be appearing then, rather than that there won't be an event then. Either way, you might want to hold off on marking October 21 in your calendar until we know more, especially if it's the iPad mini 3 that you're interested in.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.