Report: Apple to Unwrap Gold iPad in October

Despite well-placed buzz that Apple (AAPL) might deliver a new, feature-rich iPad at the Sept. 9 debut of its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus phablets, there was no surprise behind the curtain this time.

But, according to a new Bloomberg report, later this month Apple will roll out a new 9.7-inch iPad available with a gold back cover, positioned as an additional choice to the silver and gray for the iPad Air.

The Bloomberg report maps to a research note issued by noted Apple watcher and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo immediately prior to the iPhone 6 introduction in September, in which he predicted Apple would also show off a new iPad Air 2 running on the vendor’s new A8 processor and featuring an anti-reflective screen coating, a full-lamination touch panel and a gold-colored casing. The unit was also said to include Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor technology.

A new version of Apple’s iPad Mini is expected by year’s end.

While still the segment leader, Apple’s iPad sales declined both sequentially and year over year. For Q3 2014, the vendor sold 13.3 million iPads worth $6.4 billion, down not only from Q2 when it sold 16.3 million units but also from the same period last year, when it moved 14.6 million tablets valued at $5.9 billion.

While Apple’s iPhone and Mac carried it to a record June quarter of $37.4 billion in sales and a net profit of $7.7 billion, the iPad noticeably flagged.

Resuscitation may lie in Apple’s recent enterprise mobility agreement with IBM (IBM), which could add dozens of native business-centric apps to the platform and gain it entry into the corporate market.

With the vendor reportedly scrubbing plans to release a larger display 12.9-inch iPad this year, Apple may have to turn to color gimmicks to up sales.