<a href="http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/17/ipad-pro-concept-imagines-an-edge-to-edge-12-9-inch-display-in-new-renders-gallery/" target="_blank">iPad Pro design render</a>
While recent reports have pegged Apple’s rumored larger display tablet for debut early next year, a new report from Asian site Technews.tw (via GforGames) claims the rumored 12.9-inch iPad will run on an “enhanced version” of the A8 chip introduced with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
According to the site, the iPad Pro, an unofficial name given to the expected larger model, will rely on a new A8X chip to power the largest iOS device yet. Although the next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display are both expected to include the same processor as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has introduced higher performance versions of its chips in the past with the iPad in mind.
Apple previously included modified versions of its A-series processors starting with the iPad 3’s A5x and iPad 4’s A6X, which boasted improved CPU performance and greater graphics performance than the standard variants of each chip.
In the case of the iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad mini with Retina display, however, Apple has included nearly the same versions of A-series processors found in the iPhone lineup.
TechNews.tw’s report echoes previous claims that the iPad Air 2 will feature the A8 chip with 2GB of RAM, twice that of any other iOS device yet, while new iPad mini with Retina display models could come later. The new tablets are expected to feature Touch ID and improved cameras as well.
Reports as recently as earlier this week have reiterated these claims. The next-generation iPad Air is expected to be introduced in October, while both the smaller and larger versions may see launches early next year.
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With a rumored iPad Pro and a rMBA, having both of these in the line-up seems kind of redundant. Most, if not all, of the people buying these devices are using them for light duty tasks. Have one or the other or combine then into some cool 2-in-1 device
Couldn’t agree more, remember what the first thing Jobs did when he came back to Apple from NEXT??.
He simplified the entire line up.
Too many options, to many devices really iPad mini, iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPhone 6 plus …..
What happened to simply having iPhone, iPad
Keep it simple
Because then all the pundits will bitch like you they don’t release enough new products. Jesus christ, some people just can’t shut the f up.
Completely agreed. I think Apple needs to keep the lines simple. 1 iPhone and 1 iPad (no iPhone 5S vs 5C or iPhone 6 vs 6+, no iPad mini or iPad Air or iPad Pro) are enough really. Apple under Tim Cook is becoming an Android company.
eh. Just because Jobs did it before doesn’t mean it is correct today. Apple is a MUCH different company today. When Jobs took over they needed to be resurrected so they focused on fewer products. Today, Apple has millions of customers that fits many pockets (no pun intended). I have macbook pro and macbook air for different reasons. I have iPad mini and 5s and apple tv. I use all of them because I am an apple fan but also because its a different task. My brother is also an apple fan has a different setup than me but all of the products too.
Also, when Jobs was alive he was the one who expanded laptop line into three segments; low, med, high. iPods followed exact same path. iPhones and iPads will do the same. Why is this a surprise? I am not sure.
These are my opinion. I do not speak for Jobs or Cook. As if anyone actually can for them.
This makes me think a lot about the iPhone keynote in 2007, what if there were 2 products on 1 device?
I disagree. As a high school band director, viewing scores on my 9.7″ iPad from waist-height is more trouble than it’s worth, not just because it’s small from a distance, but because the screen is too small to fit enough content. Most conductor scores are 11×14 minimum. I can work with a 13″ iPad, but I don’t want it to be some clunky 2-in-1 device.
And not just on the podium either. When I’m on the field with our marching band, a 13″ iPad would go a long way to viewing our drill charts with ease. I *already* optimize our drill charts for viewing on Retina displays by outputting the vector PDF at 2048×1536, but 13″ would make all those details much easier to see.
They cannot be redundant. One runs iOS one runs OS X. While people may think the usage scenarios are the same they simply aren’t. The iPad has been around for 5 years now. People have a great idea about what environments lend themselves to touch input vs keyboard/mouse
Because then all the pundits will bitch like you they don’t release enough new products. Jesus christ, some people just can’t shut the f up.
hey as***e, Apple doesn’t necessarily need new products. What they need is a focused, concise, non-confusing product line-up.
if you get confused between 2-3 products you have bigger problems in life.
I disagree,
A 12in MBA is ideal for corporate travel
And powerful enough to do some real number crunching
With an external monitor, it’s perfect for most desktop work
I need a keyboard and track-pad to use business applications
I don’t need a touch screen
These rumored specs make a lot of sense given the proposed size and purpose for this iPad Pro. Still, I agree that perhaps Apple should dial it back on the various incarnations of each device. Too many options and we start seeing confusing and pre-Job’s level complexity. They need to keep it relatively simple, as that allows Apple to focus and do its best work. Better to focus and perfect fewer products, rather than do everything poorly. Just ask Samsung.
I will find it odd to go through the cost and trouble of producing a higher performing chip and only using it on a product that will have limited appeal. I am highly skeptical. If there is a 6x chip, i think it will be used across the board.
I meant 8x chips across the iPad lineup. I really wish there was a way to edit posts.
Translation for all you fandeoid idiots: when it necessary to put 2 gigabytes of ram in a device, Apple will. Until then shut you’re stink holes jerks.
Good lord are you bag of happiness. Sorry, but 1 Gig of RAM is pretty weak. Why is it that reserved tabs (even just 1 or 2) always have to reload when moving back and forth between them? In this day and age, that’s pretty lame.
Also, to really benefit from the 64 bit processor, you need more RAM pure and simple.
i can have 5-7 tabs on iPad air and they don’t reload when switching in safari. if you go and play some games and come back after, than yes. But 1-2 tabs ALWAYS reloading in safari is BULLSHIT. Although i agree, 2gb of ram would be nice to have. There’s never enough of ram.
Pro is short for “Professional” … it will be iPad Plus, not “Pro”
Apple won’t call a larger iPad iPad “Pro” I’m not sure who started that, but that’s just someone thinking from their gonads. This is just silly. It won’t replace a creative content creation professional’s Mac Pro or MacBook Pro, it will definitely not have that much power.
The larger iPad will simply be larger in size, slightly better than iPad Air, like the iPhone 6 & 6 Plus.
This larger iPad will be called “iPad Plus” (that’s obvious now, IMO).
The reason the iPad Air is called “Air” is because it is lightweight. The iPad Mini is called “Mini” because it is smaller in size, it’s nearly identical otherwise. Quit thinking along the lines of Apple’s Mac lineup, this will not be a replacement for “Pro” level anything. In fact, eventually they may drop the MacBook Air line when they release the larger iPad (and, perhaps a smaller retina iMac), but a larger iPad will not be a professional anything, simply larger.
I’ve never gone along with this speculation that a larger iPad would be called or considered a “Pro” model (for professional content creation, that’s what “Pro” stands for in Macs).
Definitely make a great point.
“In fact, eventually they may drop the MacBook Air line when they release the larger iPad…”
If the rumored 12″ rMBA is anything to go buy, chances are that won’t happen anytime soon. Although I think Apple should aim the iPad Plus as a device that can cannibalize the MBA.
Makes sense to add a big iPad, then bring back the 4inch iPhone next year to make their iPad/iPhones:
iPhone Mini – 4in
iPhone – 4.7in
iPhone Plus – 5.5in
iPad Mini – 7.9in
iPad – 9.7in
iPad Plus – 12.9in
I think it would clean up the line up, by making it standard and everyone knowing a single name and that it could apply to either iPad or iPhone
MacBook Mini 12 in
MacBook 15 in
MacBook Plus 17 in?
I wonder what the resolution will be. Given what they did with the iPhone 6 and this will feature a significant largely display, scaling makes no sense. More space would be nice.
I want to see the “s-pen” feature on the upcoming ipad, like that of the Samsung Galaxy Note.
This is a new time, a new day, a new age.
Other tech device companies have caught up to Apple in many ways while offering a variety of device sizes, etc. The proof of a new day, a new age is the 10 million iPhones sold of the larger size iPhones.
Consumers want the variety of devices. If Apple wants businesses to really embrace the iPad then there’s got to be an iPad Pro.
The younger generation of digital device users seem to be demanding variety and consumer/business capable devices as well. While Microsoft didn’t succeed with Windows 8 it’s concept is the future. Now it up to someone, perhaps Microsoft itself to deliver.
You know Henry Ford lost leadership in automobiles simply because he refused to offer different car colors. Apple surely is well aware of this fact.