iPad Pro Rumor Roundup: Apple May Have a Business-Centered, 12.9-Inch, 2-in-1 Tablet in the Works
ByApple has made it clear that it is ready to go big with their devices and that philosophy is not apparently limited to the iPhone.
According to iDigiTimes, Apple is preparing a 12.9-inch iPad Pro that will run an operating system with components of both OS X and iOS. Unnamed sources at one of Apple's supply chains says the company is having two prototypes of the larger iPad developed, one a tablet-laptop fusion and one a typical iPad.
Unsurprisingly, Apple did not comment.
To support their claim, the sources told iDigiTimes that Apple has made it clear that they wish to link iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. The new desktop operating system will synchronize with the mobile iOS in several ways and will even adopt its counterpart's visual aesthetic.
The Wall Street Journal reported the 12.9-inch iPads will go into mass production this Dec. at the earliest and will definitely not hit the market until 2015. Apple needs to breathe life into their line of tablets, as iPad sales have been in decline for two consecutive quarters. They are expected to unveil a new iPad Air and a new iPad Mini on Oct. 16, but the big tablet reveal may still be in the works.
After the release of the iPhone 6 Plus, there is only about a two-inch difference between Apple's biggest smartphone and smallest tablet. This has apparently inspired Apple to go bigger with their tablets as well.
Bloomberg News noted that the "iPad Pro," if that is what it winds up being named, would "target the business market." A powerful, transportable, two-in-one device, with the usability of an Apple device could be a game-changer for the company and for a tablet market that is seemingly getting crowded with smaller screens.