An image of an aluminium backplate for what looks like the rumoured, larger, iPad Pro has appeared on Weibo. Although details are unclear, not to mention incredibly sketchy, this looks like an aluminium mockup dummy unit, not an actual iPad part. The image was first spotted by NowhereElse.fr.
Unfortunately, the image does not show much more than an increased physical size (implying a larger display), as shown by the relative size of the Apple logo and camera hole. A cutout for the rear camera can be seen in the top-left corner, as is standard with current iPads. We should note that this would be very easily faked, so the validity of the picture is very much up in the air.
Rumours of an iPad Pro have been swirling for a while, although the news has died down in recent months. Most notably, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was testing iPads with significantly larger screens in July 2013. However, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated that the 12.9 inch iPad was still in the pipeline, as part of KGI Research’s predictions for the rest of the year. Kuo said the big iPad is unlikely to come out in 2014, however.
The concept of an iPad Pro still seems comical to think about, but this latest image from Weibo only adds fuel to the fire that it might actually be a real thing. 9to5Mac has previously reported that Apple is working on a two-apps-at-one-time mode for the iPad, which would synergize well with a larger-screened iPad device.
The poster also includes an image of an iPhone 6 dummy, much like the countless renders and mockups we have seen before, in the same aluminium material.
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A couple years ago, a musician said they wanted this form factor – basically the size of sheet music. If would have to be more rugged, and have a brighter screen, for outdoor playing.
I don’t think this is even slightly real, but something like this with a STYLUS would sell rather well to artists I think. At least once they got used to it.
IMO Apple has really missed the boat with artists and designers in terms of the iOS mobile device revolution. A larger iPad with a stylus could be really useful, but it’s been years now and they have shown no signs of making one. They should realise that even once it arrives there will be necessarily years of training and marketing of the thing before significant uptake occurs.
Personally, I’ve already given up on waiting for Apple to make iPads useful for drawing and have gone back to actual ink and paper for that. I would switch back if they finally do it, but a lot of folks have already moved on from their original excited position on the prospects of using iPads for drawing.
I mean there aren’t even any good solid *rumours* of a stylus on the horizon at this point. Just a few patent drawings.
I showed my Galaxy Note 3 phone to some designers and they all went out and purchased the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition, that has the same awesome stylus as the Note phones. Samsung have an edge here.
I agree, orchestras, music depts in schools and musicians everywhere would LOVE a manuscript size device. that means page turning is controlled from a single source. woot! But it would have to operate on e-ink, or Pixel Qi tech.
Unless that’s an abnormally small hand, it would make the screen about 15″+. No way it’s real.
You can’t possibly tell it’s 15″ by that photo. There’s nothing there to use as a control. The hand definitely looks on the small side, and it depends on the size of the bezels.
Of course you can. It’s a woman, so her hand span isn’t going to be nearly as wide as a man’s. Assume adult female, average height, average appendage size, that gives you a span two to three inches smaller than my hand, at 9.75”. Diagonally, therefore, accounting for bezels, the screen looks to be 15”.
Oh, and if you still don’t think it’s measurable, compare to any of the thousands of MacBook Pro pictures with women’s hands in them.
There’s still no object in there that can be used for scale. The woman’s hand can narrow it down to two or three inches, but nothing in that photo can give a definite 15″. Most leaked info is saying it’s going to be 12″ – 13″. I guarantee it won’t be 15″.
I had my 8yo daughter hold our iPad Air, and even then, the distance between the top and bottom edges in a similar holding position as the picture is no where near as far apart. Just because you can’t use associative comparison doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t.
I am in LOVE with the idea of a 15” iPad to replace the laptop family.
But it’s about… four years too early for that to happen.
As an expert in anthropometric data I am happy to say that you are talking absolute rubbish about hand sizes….. Just sayin
Hey, no problem. I’m sure that women are known for having hands the same size as men, much less spans of 9.75”.
Enjoy your fallacies.
If you want to talk about fallacies look up Pheasants second fallacy for the use of anthropometric data, which you just showed you dont understand………
Someone with a brain might just look at the variability in Chinese thumb length using an anthropometric data (which only has a small variance of 53.2mm for 5th%ile Chinese female, to 65.2mm for 95th%ile Chinese female) an then scale of that to find out the size range of the IPad Mock up shown in the image.
Someone with a brain might also not constantly make rude and offensive comments on these forums, as if he is Steve Jobs himself commenting from above. You silly little man!
For your information, as there is a proportion of the female population that will have a hand size above the male mean hand breadth so yes you were ……….completely …………..wrong……..
and yes ……
I would like fries with that……………….before you ask me………………from you booth……………(nice headset by the way!)
>>as there is a proportion of the female population that will have a hand size above the male mean hand breadth so yes you were ……….completely …………..wrong……..
Thanks for all the ellipses to say something utterly irrelevant. Try reading my post again: the average female hand is smaller than the average male hand. I don’t care about the proportion of females with larger hands.
You said
Of course you can. It’s a woman, so her hand span isn’t going to be nearly as wide as a man’s.
Wrong again, can I have ketchup too please?
So you’re an idiot, then. Why not just not respond instead of wasting people’s time with lies, huh?
I’m eagerly awaiting the larger screen iPad….. it serves as an entertainment device in my kitchen as I don’t have access to a cable in that room for a TV.
That’s a big one.
That’s what she said…
I absolutely cannot see a 12-inch iPad Pro as being anywhere NEAR ergonomically usable. FEH on this!
Actually, a 12″ iPad, that had a keyboard case, would have a keyboard that was the exact same size as the Apple wireless keyboard, which is the industry standard for basically the smallest keyboard that you can touch type on. So a 12″ iPad would automatically be MORE ergonomic than any other iPad, when used in the way that most people use their iPads now (in a case).
Personally, I use my iPad as an iPad and don’t use keyboards or cases, so in that “purist” use-case, you are right, and I agree with you. For most folks however, this is the portable laptop/tablet hybrid they might all be looking for.
:))))))))))
Looking forward to further Samsung fanboy bashing over this now…
They’ll just release the Galaxy Tab Galaxy: a 20” tablet with three styluses.
Galaxy View. You predicted the future!
anyone that wishes the iPad had a stylus just doesn’t get it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm81LSKJC2k