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Bloomberg: Apple planning to release 12.9-inch iPad early next year

iPad-Pro-03

Following several reports and rumors over the last year, Bloomberg is reporting today that Apple is preparing to release a larger 12.9-inch iPad in early 2015:

Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s suppliers are preparing to manufacture the company’s largest-ever iPad, with production scheduled to commence by the first quarter of next year, according to people with knowledge of the matter… The new iPad will have a screen measuring 12.9 inches diagonally, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details aren’t public

We’ve seen several reports as far back as last year claiming that Apple has been preparing a larger iPad somewhere in the neighbourhood of 12-inches. The Wall Street Journal reported in July of last year that Apple was testing iPads with “a display “measuring slightly less than 13 inches diagonally.” Another report from the Korea Times last year claimed that Apple was planning a larger 12.9-inch tablet that was being prepared for release early this year.

The larger screen iPad could certainly be attractive to many professionals and could go hand in hand with Apple’s plans to have its recently announced partnership with IBM result in growth for the company’s tablet sales. It would also make a lot of sense with the Microsoft Surface-like split-screen multitasking mode that we reported earlier this year is planned for iOS 8.

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Comments

  1. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    Just face-saving way of saying “That thing that we said previously is coming this year….well, its coming next year instead.”

  2. James Casey Tucker - 10 years ago

    I’m all for it and will purchase ONLY if I can link it to my macbook to use the dual screen feature. Otherwise I’ll stick to my mini.

  3. Marcos Vieira (@VieiraM) - 10 years ago

    Samsung released a Note Pro 12.2″ Tab and it failed, being discontinued shortly after the release.

    I don’t see a point in making a tablet that large, even for corporate users. But whatever…

    • herb02135go - 10 years ago

      Just don’t hold it in front of me while you take a picture!

    • Mr. Grey (@mister_grey) - 10 years ago

      A tablet of just under 13″ would mean that in a keyboard case, the keyboard would be “full-sized” for the first time. In other words, the 13″ size is the perfect size for a hybrid laptop replacement.

      Also, it might indicate that they are finally going to add stylus support to iOS as a 12-13″ iPad would sell rather well if you could easily draw on it in a professional manner.

      Also (mentioned in the article), split screen apps.

      • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

        Apple will never do a laptop/tablet hybrid just like they’ll never put a touch screen on a MacBook. The reason being is that they are inconceivably bad ideas.

      • Mr. Grey (@mister_grey) - 10 years ago

        @o0smoothies0o: “Hybrid laptop *replacement*” Not Hybrid laptop.

        The larger iPad with a keyboard case would be the same size and form factor as a hybrid or small laptop.

      • irelandjnr - 10 years ago

        @Mr. Grey

        Both those things are the same.
        Sounds like a bad idea.

    • borntofeel - 10 years ago

      News flash, Microsoft had been making tablets for years before the iPad and they don’t work.

    • rettun1 - 10 years ago

      Having a 12 inch screen was. It the reason that that tablet “failed”

      • irelandjnr - 10 years ago

        That’s not true, most tablets were as small as the larger iPad or smaller. They failed because they were too chunky, too heavy, and they UI was unusable for fingers.

        MS made a 12-year bet on the stylus, but it was a terrible bet.

    • I don’t know where you get your information but Samsung has not discontinued the Note Pro 12.2 or the Tab Pro 12.2. I bought the Tab Pro 12.2 last weekend and I love it over my iPad Air. Different screens for different tastes.

  4. Cory © (@Nardes) - 10 years ago

    I can guarantee that this is going to be a tablet/macbook air hybrid. That size is too big to just be a tablet… so it’s either going to have a detachable keyboard, or will just be a Macbook Touch

    • rogifan - 10 years ago

      So Tim Cook spends all this time trashing convertibles only for Apple to release one? Not happening. My guess is this 12.9″ display is for an ultra thin fanless Mackbook Air.

      • taoprophet420 - 10 years ago

        The next MacBook Air will be 12″ and eliminate the 13″ and 11″ version. They are just waiting for Intel to release the chips so they can release the 12″ MacBook Airs.

      • irelandjnr - 10 years ago

        12.9″ is 13″.

    • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

      I can guarantee this won’t be a laptop/tablet hybrid because those are absolutely idiotic ideas. Apple has intelligent people that don’t release gimmicks. A laptop/tablet hybrid is just a bad laptop and bad tablet. You make one or the other, or both, you don’t merge things that don’t make sense to merge. Hence why OSX and iOS remain fully independent and inherently different from one another.

      • herb02135go - 10 years ago

        What are you guaranteeing? What will you lose if you guess wrong?

        The public buys things that make no sense. Otherwise there would be no Chia Pet.

      • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

        I clearly said what I was guaranteeing? I’ll lose nothing because I’m not wrong.

      • OSX & iOS are not fully independent and inherently different from one another. Apple is taking OSX down by implementing so much iOS into it. OSX can stand its own but now it will soon be crap.

        What’s so hard about seeing Apple make a laptop/tablet hybrid? They are following competition on everything else(BIgger screen iphone). I would not be surprised at all. That company is ran by Wall Street and their cronies, not Steve Jobs anymore. I’m not surprised by Apple says and does now. They are all over the place.

      • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

        @Teejay you seriously don’t know what you’re talking about, but that’s okay. First of all yes, they are completely independent and inherently different, and they will absolutely remain that way. Not because I said so, but because Apple executives said so, and because it makes sense. Also, OSX is just getting better, with the new features and insanely better design, and it’s further seamless connectivity with iOS 8.

        It’s hard to see them make a tablet/laptop hybrid for reasons I already mentioned. It’s an awful idea, and largely a gimmick.

        They aren’t following competition by making larger displays. They’re following consumer demand for larger displays. They also wanted to wait for technology to enable them to reduce the bezels whilst keeping the best possible display.

        Lastly, Tim Cook recently destroyed some moron investor talking about how much Apple wastes on the environment and features for handicapped people. His quote was amazing. Look it up. I fully believe most of the executives at Apple want to make the best possible device, and they don’t give a damn about how much money is made, they give a damn about how many they sell, and how many lives they change. Yes, they do many things to make more money, but that’s because they have to please the greedy idiotic investors.

      • They are not following consumer demands for a larger screen iphone, they had no other choice. It’s either you adapt as a business or you become irrelevant. Along with the Wall Street cronies/investors putting pressure on Apple to produce something bigger.

        Consumers have been wanting a larger iphone, Apple just didn’t make one. So if you think it’s because of you the consumer, sorry to burst your bubble your wrong.

        Don’t believe everything they tell you, I know you are not that naive.

      • jorge1170x - 10 years ago

        “you don’t merge things that don’t make sense to merge.” Sure you do. It may be dumb to you, and that’s your personal opinion, fine, but for many others it is total PC nirvana to not have to carry around a man-purse with two similarly-sized yet very different devices inside of it (not to mention two the different chargers entangling with each other in said purse) …One device under your arm and go! is what appeals to some people.

  5. Apple’s products are designed to kill off each other.

    I’m still waiting to see the best product pipeline in 25yrs!! Apple is so full of the hype team. Blowing nothing but smoke

    • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

      Well you do release you have to wait in order to find out what Eddy meant by that…right? It’s no secret that Apple releases most of their products in the Fall now. Eddy wouldn’t say that if a lot of amazing things weren’t coming. He’d instead say something along the lines of ‘we have great things coming this fall’. Clearly Eddy believes that they have many great products coming this fall, and it’s so full of new products that it’s the best in his 25 years?

      New iPhones
      New iPads
      New Macs
      New retina Cinema Display
      iWatch
      New Apple TV?
      New iPods?
      iOS 8
      OSX Yosemite
      + whatever hasn’t leaked yet

      • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

        Realize* why isn’t there an edit option? Like they added a like button but no edit option? #priorities

      • iphone, ipad, Macs, ipod, Apple Tv, are a given every year release,nothing to write home about. ipods are worthless now they don’t sell. ipads are on a decline each quarter. Macs don’t sell enough to scratch the surface. Yosemite only excels with it’s features if you have other Apple related products to integrate, which I don’t. iOS8 is utter garbage and a copy. iWatch is a rumor for at least 2 yrs now, I wouldn’t bet on it. Retina Cinema display give me a break, I won’t even comment on that nonsense. There is nothing new, nothing!!

        + whatever hasn’t leaked yet because there is nothing else!! Cue was blowing smoke.

        But you obviously really have faith & hope in this company so strong, I understand…

      • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

        @Teejay Haha okay… you’re clueless no need for any more response.

    • scumbolt2014 - 10 years ago

      Yeah. That’s what Apple is doing. Good job TeeBag.

  6. Gregory Wright - 10 years ago

    I can envision the 12.9″ working well as a business tool. For example, in retail (cash registers), restaurants, and field applications.

  7. I’d buy it, I am post PC, I have no need for them. I’d love a bigger iPad for my tablet needs. Which isn’t for business. Purely entertainment and my portal to the web/social media. Netflix on a 12.9″ iPad sounds like heaven to me. Could be a chance for Apple to jump up processors as well. Put a nice big beefy processor in there, do their apple magic and have a seamlessly quick multitasking tablet and I think they’d be on to a winner.

    • thejuanald - 10 years ago

      You do know they could put a “big beefy” processor in their current form factor right? They just choose to give low end specs at high end prices to maximize their margins.

      • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

        This guy has no idea what he is talking about.

  8. jorge1170x - 10 years ago

    Good for Apple for getting onboard the convergence train before MS and Google pull any further ahead. There are reasons to have full-blown, dedicated desktop OS’s, and there are reasons to have pure Mobile OS’s of course, but there are ALSO niches out there that can/should be filled with hybrid devices and “flexible” OS’s. So it would be foolish for Apple to keep avoiding niches based on some high and mighty “principles” that were just used as marketing hype at some point in the past. C’mon, Apple is a technology outfit like any other (with an admittedly unique/brilliant angle and approach) and they are large enough to do “and devices” and STILL continue to make their usual “or products” as well. There is nothing to be gained by enforcing purity for purity’s sake, although some of the Apple parishioners I know would vehemently disagree with that because for them Apple is an ideology first that gives them comfort and tells them everything will be ok.

    • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

      Nope they just don’t do stupid gimmicky garbage, which that falls perfectly into. It’s not happening.

      • jorge1170x - 10 years ago

        3.5″ is the perfect size for a phone….
        There will never be a smaller iPad, nobody will want that.

        Trust me, it will take a few years but Apple will have to go with the flow as far convergence goes, just as they’ve been doing lately, going with the flow. iPhone 6L? Really…from Apple? YES.

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.