Update: The latest leak claims to show that the iPad Pro has a USB type-C port or a second Lightning connector.
With Apple's thinner, lighter iPad Air (and now iPad Air 2) and Retina display-equipped iPad mini 3 out in the open, what's left for Apple to do? Rumour has it that Apple is working on a 12-inch Retina MacBook Air alongside another device, which may turn out to be a supersized version of one of the company's existing products.
That's
right: it's believed that the Mac maker is working on an even larger
iPad, commonly referred to as the "iPad Pro" - yet more recently we've
also seen references to an "iPad Air Plus." 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 invited the press to a "special
event" October 24, but the iPad Pro was nowhere to be found, with the
company instead choosing to launch the iPad Air 2 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
Apple
did something interesting with the launch of its fifth generation iPad
(aside from a total hardware revamp): Gave it a new name. The iPad Air
alluded to the Cupertino's 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 now looking at 2015 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?"
At the moment most people are referring to the upcoming iPad as the iPad Pro. However, recent leaks
refer to it as the iPad Air Plus. This might be down to an incorrect
leak or translation, but it does follow Apple's naming convention with
the iPhone 6 Plus.
Cut to the chase What is it? A brand new, larger iPad When will it release? 2015 What will it cost? Likely somewhere between the iPad Air and MacBook Air
iPad Pro release date
The iPad Pro will race out of the traps in the second half of the year, if a report by Bloomberg
is to be believed. According to sources in the know, the 12.9-inch
tablet will enter production in September, which would make a release
before the end of 2015 unlikely.
That's in contrast to a report by Japanese news website Macotakara,
which reckons Apple is eyeing a 2015 release date for the larger iPad,
which it claims will arrive in the form of a 12.2-inch tablet that will
come with a detachable keyboard to square up against business-friendly
devices like Microsoft's Surface Pro 3.
The website reckons that
the device will also feature a set of speakers and microphones on the
top and bottom edges, which could function in a similar fashion to how
the iPad 2 handles stereo sound. Details are sketchy, but the report
also points to the possibility of an iSight camera, Touch ID sensor and
Lightning connector.
According to HDblog, cited by IBtimes AU,
the iPad Pro will have not one, but four speakers. Going by 3D
cut-outs, the outer shell apparently places two speakers at the top of
the tablet, while the other two can be found at the tail-end. That
report also claims that the iPad Pro will measure 12.9 inches and will
feature the microphone on the right-hand side of the device next to the
primary camera. Mooted specs include an Apple A8X/A9 CPU backed up by
2GB of RAM.
So why isn't it here already? Another rumour claims the iPhone 6 was to blame for the iPad Pro delay.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple's suppliers struggled to
keep up with demand for its latest smartphone, which had a knock-on
effect by pushing the iPad Pro back to 2015.
According to supply
chain sources who spoke to Digitimes, Apple has a 12.9-inch iPad Pro in
the works that will arrive in early 2015. If true, it could be worth the
wait, as that report claims that the slate will run a hybrid OS X and
iOS-integrated operating system. If that happens, reports from Taiwan
that point to the iPad Pro as housing a more powerful version of the A8
chipset found in the iPhone 6 start to make a bit more sense.
One of the most credible updates – reports of a larger iPad release - peg it as right on track for a 2015 release date, 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.)
A 2015 release date is further backed up by Korea Times'
sources at a "local first-tier display supplier" who say a single
version will launch "sometime early next year" with a nearly UHD
resolution.
China's United Daily News point to another iPad Pro manufacturing partner: 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 of the two.
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.
According
to a report published by KGI Securities, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn't
expect that Apple will be ready to launch the pro-grade tablet until
2015. A recent leak published by Macotakara
again hints at a release date at sometime between April and June 2015.
This new leak suggests that Apple will also launch an improved iPad mini
4 alongside the iPad Pro.
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."
The question is: would an iPad Pro help fend off the Galaxy Note Pro and other rumoured monster 13-inch tablets? Analyst house KGI reckons the answer is no. As spotted by 9to5Mac,
KGI noted that while it's "confident that the expected 12.9-inch iPad
model can create an improved user experience," it doesn't expect the
device to "contribute meaningfully to shipments momentum anytime soon."
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.
Coming out of HDBlog.it,
the latest leak shows a device that could be the iPad Pro, depicting
what could be either a secondary Lightning port or a USB-C port along
the top edge of the device. Another leak,
which comes courtesy of French site NWE via Chinese supplier, shows a
case that would appear to hold a 12-inch device. It positions the
volume, standby and camera buttons in the same place as the iPad Air 2,
meaning the iPad Pro could bear a stronger resemblance to what has gone
before, rather than being outed with a radically new design. 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.
The Macotakara website has published rumours suggesting that the iPad Pro will be as thin as the iPhone 6. If true this would mean the iPad Pro would be between 6.9mm and 7.1mm (the thickness of the iPhone 6 Plus). A later leak
published by the same website appeared to show schematics of the iPad
Pro which claimed the dimensions of the tablet will be 305.31mm x
220.8mm x 7mm. The 7mm thickness would indeed make the iPad Pro thinner
than the iPhone 6 Plus, though not quite as thin as the iPad Air 2,
which is just 6.1mm thick.
Update: The latest leak claims to show that the iPad Pro has a USB type-C port or a second Lightning connector.
With Apple's thinner, lighter iPad Air (and now iPad Air 2) and Retina display-equipped iPad mini 3 out in the open, what's left for Apple to do? Rumour has it that Apple is working on a 12-inch Retina MacBook Air alongside another device, which may turn out to be a supersized version of one of the company's existing products.
That's
right: it's believed that the Mac maker is working on an even larger
iPad, commonly referred to as the "iPad Pro" - yet more recently we've
also seen references to an "iPad Air Plus." 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 invited the press to a "special
event" October 24, but the iPad Pro was nowhere to be found, with the
company instead choosing to launch the iPad Air 2 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
Apple
did something interesting with the launch of its fifth generation iPad
(aside from a total hardware revamp): Gave it a new name. The iPad Air
alluded to the Cupertino's 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 now looking at 2015 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?"
At the moment most people are referring to the upcoming iPad as the iPad Pro. However, recent leaks
refer to it as the iPad Air Plus. This might be down to an incorrect
leak or translation, but it does follow Apple's naming convention with
the iPhone 6 Plus.
Cut to the chase What is it? A brand new, larger iPad When will it release? 2015 What will it cost? Likely somewhere between the iPad Air and MacBook Air
iPad Pro release date
The iPad Pro will race out of the traps in the second half of the year, if a report by Bloomberg
is to be believed. According to sources in the know, the 12.9-inch
tablet will enter production in September, which would make a release
before the end of 2015 unlikely.
That's in contrast to a report by Japanese news website Macotakara,
which reckons Apple is eyeing a 2015 release date for the larger iPad,
which it claims will arrive in the form of a 12.2-inch tablet that will
come with a detachable keyboard to square up against business-friendly
devices like Microsoft's Surface Pro 3.
The website reckons that
the device will also feature a set of speakers and microphones on the
top and bottom edges, which could function in a similar fashion to how
the iPad 2 handles stereo sound. Details are sketchy, but the report
also points to the possibility of an iSight camera, Touch ID sensor and
Lightning connector.
According to HDblog, cited by IBtimes AU,
the iPad Pro will have not one, but four speakers. Going by 3D
cut-outs, the outer shell apparently places two speakers at the top of
the tablet, while the other two can be found at the tail-end. That
report also claims that the iPad Pro will measure 12.9 inches and will
feature the microphone on the right-hand side of the device next to the
primary camera. Mooted specs include an Apple A8X/A9 CPU backed up by
2GB of RAM.
So why isn't it here already? Another rumour claims the iPhone 6 was to blame for the iPad Pro delay.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple's suppliers struggled to
keep up with demand for its latest smartphone, which had a knock-on
effect by pushing the iPad Pro back to 2015.
According to supply
chain sources who spoke to Digitimes, Apple has a 12.9-inch iPad Pro in
the works that will arrive in early 2015. If true, it could be worth the
wait, as that report claims that the slate will run a hybrid OS X and
iOS-integrated operating system. If that happens, reports from Taiwan
that point to the iPad Pro as housing a more powerful version of the A8
chipset found in the iPhone 6 start to make a bit more sense.
One of the most credible updates – reports of a larger iPad release - peg it as right on track for a 2015 release date, 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.)
A 2015 release date is further backed up by Korea Times'
sources at a "local first-tier display supplier" who say a single
version will launch "sometime early next year" with a nearly UHD
resolution.
China's United Daily News point to another iPad Pro manufacturing partner: 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 of the two.
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.
According
to a report published by KGI Securities, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn't
expect that Apple will be ready to launch the pro-grade tablet until
2015. A recent leak published by Macotakara
again hints at a release date at sometime between April and June 2015.
This new leak suggests that Apple will also launch an improved iPad mini
4 alongside the iPad Pro.
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."
The question is: would an iPad Pro help fend off the Galaxy Note Pro and other rumoured monster 13-inch tablets? Analyst house KGI reckons the answer is no. As spotted by 9to5Mac,
KGI noted that while it's "confident that the expected 12.9-inch iPad
model can create an improved user experience," it doesn't expect the
device to "contribute meaningfully to shipments momentum anytime soon."
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.
Coming out of HDBlog.it,
the latest leak shows a device that could be the iPad Pro, depicting
what could be either a secondary Lightning port or a USB-C port along
the top edge of the device. Another leak,
which comes courtesy of French site NWE via Chinese supplier, shows a
case that would appear to hold a 12-inch device. It positions the
volume, standby and camera buttons in the same place as the iPad Air 2,
meaning the iPad Pro could bear a stronger resemblance to what has gone
before, rather than being outed with a radically new design. 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.
The Macotakara website has published rumours suggesting that the iPad Pro will be as thin as the iPhone 6. If true this would mean the iPad Pro would be between 6.9mm and 7.1mm (the thickness of the iPhone 6 Plus). A later leak
published by the same website appeared to show schematics of the iPad
Pro which claimed the dimensions of the tablet will be 305.31mm x
220.8mm x 7mm. The 7mm thickness would indeed make the iPad Pro thinner
than the iPhone 6 Plus, though not quite as thin as the iPad Air 2,
which is just 6.1mm thick.
iPad Pro keyboard case
Back before the iPad Air unveiling, former Apple fellow Jamie Ryan claimed to have heard from current Apple employees that an iPad keyboard case was in the prototyping stage. Ryan went on to say that the keyboard case mimicked the Microsoft Surface Touch Cover.
While
it didn't make the latest iPad debut, the iPad Pro would provide the
perfect stage for the reveal of Apple's proprietary iPad keyboard case.
Ideally, this keyboard would connect physically to the tablet much like
the Smart Cover
does today, but use Bluetooth for the interaction. Plus, an included
keyboard would all but be a must for a professional-grade tablet.
Ask and ye shall receive! As of March 27, Apple has released a patent detailing a keyboard cover, combed over by none other than AppleInsider.
The patent illustration paints the picture of something similar to the
existing iPad Smart Cover, but with a detachable portion replete with
touch-sensitive keys. Now, you tell me what a keyboard cover would be
ideal for.
Despite
late Apple chief Steve Jobs's derisive comments on styluses before,
rumor has it that the Mac maker just might go through with creating a
stylus for the would-be iPad Pro. The above image comes from one of
Apple's alleged 20 patent filings regarding a potential iPen, Patenly Apple reports.
Reputable analyst Ming-Chu Kuo of KGI Securities has produced a report which backs Apple to introduce a stylus
with the iPad Pro, which he predicts will surface in the second quarter
of 2015, Apple Insider reports. Kuo formed his prediction on several
stylus-related patents filed by the company, in addition to his own
research. In the report, Kuo notes that in some cases styluses can be
more convenient that keyboard and mouse setups, and that Apple may move
beyond traditional 2D input to 3D handwriting sometime beyond 2015.
While
it might sound silly for Apple to head down this road, it might be a
necessary move. Lacking a stylus could be a ding against a potential
iPad Pro when the business-minded Galaxy Note Pro line rocks Samsung's S-Pen.
Patently Apple strikes again, unveiling even more Apple patents for a possible iPen accessory.
This time, details include potential features like a laser pointer, the
ability to project images and scanning capabilities among other. If
Apple really is to make an iPen, it will be more than just any old smart
stylus.
iPad Pro, meet iOS 8
While no rumors specifically
point to this, it's pretty much a given that the iPad Pro will run the
latest iOS. If the pro-level pad launches in October 2014, then this is
almost a certainty, as we expect iOS 8 to launch alongside the awaited iPhone 6 in September. However, our friends at MacLife seem to disagree.
The
latest rumor, as of May 13th, surrounding iOS 8 makes it sound as if
the refreshed operating system will be crafted with larger screens in
mind across the board. 9to5Mac recently reported
that iOS 8 will ape split-screen multitasking from devices like
Microsoft's Surface. That would definitely be an iPad Pro-ductivity
booster. Get it? I'm here all week, try the veal.
iPad Pro storage
This
is Apple's chance to differentiate the iPad Pro from the iPad Air even
further. Professionals expect lots of space from their computing
platform of choice, and while the current 128GB iPadmaximum is nice, it might not be enough.
Of course, a 256GB, 12.9-inch iPad would cost a small fortune, but what does the end user care when it's on company dollar?
iPad Pro home button
You can bet the farm that Apple will include its TouchID
technology into the iPad Pro home button. Fingerprint security has
become all but a must-have feature on enterprise laptops, and this
professional iPad will have to meet that standard to gain better
traction.
Rumors point to an iPhone 6 prototype having no home button, according to Business Insider. But that seems an unlikely fate for both devices, given that the iDevice form factor is minimalist enough as is.
iPad Pro screen
This is where things get way interesting.
First, the Korea Times reported, citing Apple's "local first-tier
display supplier," that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will sport an almost-UHD
resolution when it arrives in early 2014.
A later rumor, this time
from China's Pad News, pointed to both 2K and 4K resolution iPad Pro
models in the works. Per the story, Apple is prototyping a 2K model that
would likely exceed that of the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9's
2560 x 1600 (339 pixels per inch) and blow away the iPad Air's 2048 x
1536 (264 ppi). The same source indicates that the device will boast a
whopping 11,000mAh battery to ensure those pixels don't cause it to run
out of juice in a hurry.
A 4K iPad Pro would likely come in around 4096 x 3072, beating the 4K TVs available today.
There have also been a number of rumors that suggest that the iPad Pro will come with a slightly smaller 12.2-inch screen, so don't get your hopes up too much for a 12.9-inch model.
Again,
this shouldn't be a major shocker. The iPad Pro will almost undoubtedly
use a beefier version of Apple's 64-bit A7 chip, if not the new A8X
processor or even a completely new A9 chip.
It will be interesting
to see whether 64-bit processing has an effect on the iPad Pro's
enterprise capabilities. But what will be even more important is Intel's
response to such a product, given its long-standing relationship with
Apple on the MacBook line, Daily Finance suggests.
New rumours have also emerged courtesy of Macotakara that suggest that Apple will be including a completely new processor; the A9.
We
don't have much more information about the A9 processor at the moment,
but if it does exist then it looks like it will be an upgrade from the
A8X processor found in the iPad Air 2.
iPad Pro camera
Not
much, if anything, has been said of the iPad Pro's shooter. Given that
this tablet will be as large as (although lighter than) a number of
laptops, we wouldn't be concerned too much with what kind of photos the
tablet can take.
More important will be the iPad Pro's
front-facing webcam. Will we see a higher resolution snapper on the
front for quality video conferencing? Well, we sure hope so. A truly HD
webcam would get heavy travelers more jazzed about an iPad than ever.
iPad Pro eye tracking
To
put an even finer point on the importance of the iPad Pro's webcam,
Apple would be remiss not to include eye tracking technology. The
company has already seen startups like uMoove interested in providing the tech, and IBT's sources claim that this will be a key feature.
The iPhone 6
is expected to come with eye tracking. Now, all that's left is to
implement them in a way that makes sense on an iPad Pro. Sharing with
others what we're looking at on our own screens in conference calls
immediately comes to mind.
