The photos in question are that of a case that is supposedly designed for the tablet. As you can clearly see in the photo above, one of the telling design changes that Apple is making is the inclusion of a Smart Connector. In fact this seems to be in line with the rumors that has suggested that the new tablet will not be the iPad Air 3, but will instead be a 9.7-inch version of the iPad Pro.
As one of the features of the iPad Pro is its Smart Connector that allows users to connect accessories like keyboards, it certainly makes sense for the 9.7-inch model to sport a similar feature. Unfortunately it’s a bit hard to tell how large the device is based on the photo since we don’t really have a comparison, so take it with a grain of salt for now.
In any case we expect we will learn more about the device come 21st of March, so if you don’t have time to tune into its livestream, do check back with us then for the official details.