Update: Bloomberg claims to have concrete information from unnamed sources on when the iPad Pro will release. More details below.
With Apple's thinner, lighter iPad Air and Retina display-equipped iPad mini out in the open, what's left for Apple to do?
Rumor
has it that the Mac maker is working on an even larger iPad, commonly
referred to as the "iPad Pro." We've combed through all of the rumors
and scuttlebutt to bring you everything we've heard so far about this
alleged iPad Pro.
Apple
did something interesting with the launch of the latest full-sized iPad
(aside from a total hardware revamp): Gave it a new name. The iPad Air alludes to the Cupertino, Calif. company adopting the naming convention of its laptop lines, the MacBook Air and Pro series, for its premiere range of tablets.
Logic
would dictate, then, that if Apple were to release an even more sizable
iPad, it would be with a professional bent and named the iPad Pro. So,
we're looking at 2014 for a newer, bigger iPad entering a product
category that has seen little success thus far. Will Apple be the one to
legitimize the "professional's tablet?"
Cut to the chase What is it? A brand new, larger iPad When will it release? Either spring or fall 2014, we expect, possibly 2015 What will it cost? Likely somewhere between the iPad Air and MacBook Air
iPad Pro release date
The
iPad Pro release date might be in 2014, following the iPad Air, which
released November 1, 2013. However, there are many rumors regarding the
tablet's firm release date.
The absolute latest – and
frankly, one of the most credible – reports of a larger iPad release peg
it as right on track for 2015. Bloomberg reports, citing "people with knowledge of the matter," that an iPad Pro will enter production early next year. (The whole gamut of rumors and reports follow.)
Unnamed Foxconn sources have told Chinese news site Pad News that Apple plans either a late winter/spring or October 2014 release date. To further confuse things, these sources also claim that Apple is working on two versions of the pro-level slate.
According
to Pad News, an iPad Pro with a 2K screen resolution will launch in
April 2014, while a 4K iPad Pro will land in October. Korea Times's
sources at a "local first-tier display supplier" report that a single
version will launch "sometime early next year" with a nearly UHD
resolution.
Even more sources reporting to China's United Daily News, point to another iPad Pro manufacturing partner entirely: Quanta Computer. DigiTimes's sources
(hit-and-miss with rumors) recently backed up this report, claiming
that Apple expected the manufacturer to have either a 12.9 or 13.3-inch
model ready. Now, the Taiwanese outlet's sources say that Apple is
leaning toward the smaller screen.
As if to mix things up even more, International Business Times reports that Apple is aiming for winter or even a spring 2015 release, according to its Foxconn sources. Computer World
points out that most US school districts determine their budgets in
January or February each year. So, a fall or winter 2014 launch would
make the most sense.
However, Rhoda Alexander, an analyst
for market research firm IHS, isn't convinced that we'll see an iPad
Pro in 2014 if at all. Alexander told CNET
that, while she's aware that many manufacturers are looking at sample
panels at various sizes–12.85 inches being one of them–it's still early
days for the potential pad.
"We have not seen volume
shipments yet of any panels," Alexander told CNET. "We have to get a lot
further down the line in terms of seeing really strong indicators from
Apple that such a product exists, and we're just not at that point."
Thanks to an analyst with KGI Securities, whether Apple will get to the iPad Pro in 2014
at all is a question we're all asking. According to a report published
by the firm, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn't expect that Apple will be
ready to launch the pro-grade tablet until 2015.
As of March 17th, the latest from the rumor mill is that Apple has canceled its iPad Pro project altogether. DigitTimes
– take that grain of salt – reports that the larger iPad has been
shelved, anticipating a lack of support from developers and the overall
ecosystem.
Has Apple already backed off out of fear of
crowding the market? We hope you like your salt, because DigitTimes
backpedaled a bit and reported on March 26th that the larger iPad project is still a go, with a projected late 2014 release date.
Reported
on April 9th, the latest again pegs the fabled 12-inch plus slate for
sometime in 2015, rather than fall or winter of 2014, KGI analyst Kuo
reiterated as much in notes obtained by AppleInsider.
But now, Kuo has a reason: Apple is allegedly still working on figuring
out the best means of usability for such a large tablet.
"With
the 12.9" iPad, we think Apple will come up with a new user interface
that's more innovative and intuitive, so that input will be as efficient
as a device with keyboard," Kuo said, according to AppleInsider.
Apple teams up with IBM
In order to further its lead in the enterprise space through BYOD, Apple partnered up with IBM
to create new business-focused apps for iOS. This includes exclusive
apps created by Apple and IBM in tandem ranging from data and analytics
to device management and security.
While this move is
currently just to increase the amount of existing iOS devices in the
office, is there a better way to grease the wheels for a pro-centric iOS
device? Not without spending a ton more cash, that's for sure.
Apple tries to quash the rumors
On the Macintosh computer's 30th birthday, Apple executives responded to rumors that the company was looking to merge Mac OS X and iOS into a single operating system. The retort? No chance in hell.
"We
don't waste time thinking, 'But it should be one [interface].' How do
you make these [operating systems] merge together?' What a waste of
energy that would be," Apple SVP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller
told Macworld.
Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of Software
Engineering, echoed Schiller's statement with some rather sensible
logic. Regardless, neither does this mean that an even larger iPad isn't
in the works nor that iOS could become more professional-friendly to
support such a device. Basically, if Apple were to release an iPad Pro,
it wouldn't pull a Microsoft.
The competition already heats up
Samsung beat Apple to the punch in unveiling its 12.2-inch Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab Pro tablets during CES 2014. With that, DigiTimes expects Apple "to release its competitor by the end of the third quarter at the earliest."
iPad Pro design
It's doubtful that
Apple would do much to change the shape of the iPad Pro in its leap to
12.9 inches, the supposed size most rumors point to. The iPad Air's
design was applauded by critics (us included), and early sales projections
say that consumers are into it. However, an Evercore Partners analyst
suspects the size to be a smaller 12 inches to align itself closer to
the 11.6-inch MacBook Air, AppleInsider reports. An image supposedly showing an iPad Pro dummy unit has made its way into the wild and it certainly looks closer to 13 inches than 12.
It
should go without saying that the iPad Pro will inevitably be heavier
than the iPad Air. To even meet the iPad Air's feathery 453.6 g at 12.9
inches would be a miracle of modern engineering. That said, not much
should stop Apple from meeting the Air's super svelte profile at 7.5 mm
thin.
The concept designers at SET Solution seem to
disagree. In the video above, SET Solution dreams of a device with an
even narrower bezel with sharper edges, a camera with the dual LED flash
found on the iPhone 5s, Touch ID and a textured aluminum backing.
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