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The rumor mill says Apple is getting ready to debut a 12.9-inch “iPad Pro” next year. This would be Apple’s biggest tablet to date. Are the rumors true? Read on to find out everything we know so far about the iPad Pro.
1. The iPad Pro Is Expected in Early 2015
Stefan Svartling muses about the iPad Pro rumors in the video above.
The iPad Pro is rumored to have a 12.9-inch screen, and it’s expected out early next year. According to MacRumors, “Apple is also working on a second-generation iPad Air and Retina iPad mini, both of which are expected to include upgraded processors and support for the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.” The larger iPad is expected to be of particular interest to business clients.
Also expected out in “early 2015” is Apple’s first wearable, the Apple Watch.
2. Samsung Is Supplying Parts for the iPad Pro
Hot news : October 21st keynote. iPad Pro to be announced. No delivery until late Q1 or early Q2
— Ewen Rankin (@EwenRankin) September 30, 2014
According to Mac Rumors, Samsung is likely providing Apple with display panels for both the new iPad Air and iPad Pro. It might seem odd that Samsung is supplying parts to one of their biggest rivals, but a partnership between Samsung and Apple isn’t entirely unprecedented. In fact, Samsung supplied some of the A8 chips used in the new iPhone 6.
3. The iPad Pro Will Run on the New A8X Chip
Should You Pick Up An iPad Air Now Or Wait For The Rumored iPad Pro? – http://t.co/lRJeo4eDIF #ipad #bendgate
— Inquisitr News (@theinquisitr) September 28, 2014
According to 9to5Mac, the iPad Pro will run on an enhanced version of the A8 chip that powers the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. This so-called A8X chip is said to be more powerful, though exact specifications have yet to be leaked.
4. The iPad Pro Will Likely Cost Less Than MacBook
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TechRadar has a great round-up of all of the iPad Pro rumors to date. One interesting prediction is about the price of this biggest-ever iPad. They suggest the iPad Pro will cost “somewhere between the iPad Air and MacBook Air,” or between $499 and $899 for the base model. The iPad Pro is likely increase in price with each step up in storage space.
5. Going Bigger May Not Help Apple Gain Market Share
See how the iPad Mini stacks up against an Android tab in the report above.
While bigger tablets are desirable for enterprise clients, some analysts think that Apple could gain more market share if they focused on going smaller and cheaper. Bloomberg writes:
“Apple is working on a bigger-screen iPad even as much of the growth in tablets has recently come from low-end, smaller-screen models. That helped Google Inc.’s Android mobile operating system become the top tablet operating system last year, with 62 percent of the market, according to researcher Gartner Inc. iPads that use Apple’s iOS mobile software had a 36 percent market share at the end of 2013, down from 53 percent a year earlier.”
