Tech buffs were in a frenzy as rumors flew thick and fast that the release date for the iPad Air 3 would coincide with the WWDC 2016.

This seemed to be a logical guess, to say the least, as the WWDC was a software-led conference, according to Mac World.

Moreover, the latest iteration of the iPad Air had a strong tie-in with iOS 10, which further raised expectations that the device would finally be making its debut during the conference.

However, it seemed that Apple had other plans, as the latest version of the highly-anticipated tablet was a no show at the expo.

There were also earlier predictions that the release date of the iPad Air 3 would come in October 2015 based on Apple's past behavior.

To recall, the iPad Air 2 was launched in Oct. 16 2014, while the iPad Air 1 was rolled out on Oct. 22, 2013.

There was clearly a pattern, and it was anticipated that Apple would not divert from its timeline.

In June 2016, the tech community went abuzz when news surfaced on the Internet that the release date of the iPad Air 3 was imminent when US- based sellers offered a huge $250 discount on iPad Air 2 models.

For instance, eBay seller Quick Shop Electronics sold the discontinued 128GB iPad Air 2 for $449.99, down from its original price of $699.99.

Many speculated that the rationale behind this move was that a faster, more powerful tablet was on its way - the iPad Air 3.

In the meantime, techies are placing their bets that the features of the latest version of the iPad Air 3 would not be less than its precursor although its release date remains a mystery.

Trusted Reviews speculated that the latest iPad would be slimmer than its precursor. 

The tech site also anticipated the iPad Air3 to have the same 9.7-inch screen size as the iPad 2.

Moreover, there's also a possibility that that latest iPad Air will carry the regular A9 chip found on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.

However, it is unlikely that the 3D Touch feature of the latest iPhone models would make its way to the iPad 3, whose release date still has to be revealed by Apple.