Apple Inc. to unveil 12.9-inch iPad Pro in Q1 2015

[Transcendence]

We’ve been told countless times that Apple would emerge with a larger iPad, a tablet that goes beyond the 9.7-inch display we’ve come to expect from Apple’s larger iPad brother. Unfortunately, despite reports from credible sources, Apple’s yet to release a tablet that meets the expectations of some who’d like to use their iPad for more than just a few tasks each day. Microsoft hasn’t stopped in its endless pursuit to show that the iPad is nothing more than a leisure gadget that is unable to engage the business professional when it comes to productivity – and Apple’s aware of this critique that, to some, seems justified.

 

Well, the same rumor is making its rounds once more – Apple’s back to work on a 12.9-inch iPad that sources say should arrive in 2015. What this means for Apple, however, is that the company will now struggle to place an even larger battery into the iPad (which will go against the company’s commitment to “thin and lightâ€). The first large iPad with Retina, the third-generation iPad, feature an 11,000mAh+ battery; since Apple’s reduced the size of the iPad in the large iPad 4 and then the newly-named iPad Air, Apple’s reduced the size of the battery also. Whereas the iPad 3 held such a large 11,000mAh battery, the first-generation iPad Air (or the iPad 5, if you prefer) only houses an 8,000mAh battery.

 

A 12.9-inch display will force the company to increase the battery size, since a display that’s 3 inches wider than the currently large iPad will need more than an 8,000mAh battery to achieve the minimum 10-hour battery life Apple touts with its current iPad lineup. This is good news, but, like the current iPhone 6 rumors, we know that Apple will struggle with 1) the battery and 2) the display itself.

 

The current iPad Mini 2 and the iPad Air both have 2048 x 1536 screen resolution, so the iPad Pro (if that’s what the 12.9-inch tablet will be named) must have a higher screen resolution. We’re seeing this now with the upcoming iPhone 6 lineup, where the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models will both have a higher screen resolution than that of the iPhone 5s (1136 x 640). If Apple continues the trend, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will have a higher resolution than its competing iPad “brothers.â€

 

Some say that Apple could unveil a new iPad Pro in Q1 2015, but we’ve yet to see any indication that Apple will break with its current announcement times and bring a new product to market next Spring. At this point, Apple will unveil its new 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models next month, with an iPad Mini 3 and iPad Air 2 announcement to follow in October. Persistent rumors state that Apple may increase the megapixel count of the iPad back cameras from 5MP to 8MP in order to make the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 more competitive in the tablet market, and Apple’s new Touch ID is likely to arrive on Apple’s tablet lineup this year.