Despite rumors flying thick and fast in cyberspace regarding the features of the iPad Air 3, the main question remains: when will Apple announce its release date?

As we know, Apple loves to pull a lot of surprises. In March, the tech giant launched the iPad Pro 9.7, a move that was totally unexpected, according to PC Advisor.

There were speculations the highly-anticipated tablet would be rolled out during the September 2015 iPhone 6s/6s Plus event, as well as the March 2016 iPhone SE/iPad Pro 9.7 event.

Apple users also got their hopes up when rumors surfaced that the iPad Air 3's release date would coincide with the WWDC 2016.

Unfortunately, the iPad Air's latest iteration was nowhere in sight during these events.

Some industry insiders theorize that the iPad Pro 9.7 could be the replacement of the iPad Air 3, although Apple has not hinted at this possibility.

However, hope is not lost for those who believe the iPad Air 3 could be coming later this year to fill in the £399 price gap in the company's tablet range.

With the slowdown experienced by the tablet market in the past few years, Apple may finally decide to unveil the latest version of the iPad Air.

And going by recent events, there are rumors that the release date of the iPad Air 3 might be in November 2016.

For those who are interested to find out about the newest iPad Air's features, there are speculations that it will have a Smart Connector on the left hand edge for attaching a Smart Keyboard Cover, according to MacWorld. 

As Apple users know, the Smart Connector allows a connected keyboard cover to draw power from the iPad's battery.

There are also speculations that the iPad Air would have a thinner body, which means that the device will have a lower-capacity batter unit.

Moreover, there are also rumors that the iPad Air 3 would be made of the stronger, more bend-proof 7000-series aluminum, something which users will be able to confirm upon the device's release date.