really? —

Rumors that just won’t die, gigantic iPad edition

"People with knowledge of the matter" once again point to a 12.9-inch iPad.

Maybe two screen sizes aren't enough anymore?
Maybe two screen sizes aren't enough anymore?
Andrew Cunningham

Some rumors spring eternal, and today it's the one about the larger iPad. Sometimes dubbed the "iPad Pro" by Apple rumor sites, Bloomberg claims that a new 12.9-inch iPad could join the current 9.7- and 7.9-inch models at some point early next year.

This rumor has been floating around for a while now, though information has generally been gleaned from disreputable sources like DigiTimes. The most credible report dates back to July of 2013, when the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was "testing" larger displays for the iPad and the iPhone. We've since seen plenty of proof that at least one larger iPhone is coming, though aside from a rumored split-screen display mode, we don't have much that points to a bigger iPad.

Some of Apple's competitors are already making tablets around 12 inches in size, including Samsung's Galaxy Note Pro and Tab Pro and Microsoft's Surface Pro 3. There's little indication that either is generating much consumer interest, however—Samsung's tablet sales are generally slowing down, and the entire Surface lineup generated $0.41 billion in revenue last quarter, compared to about $5.9 billion for the entire iPad lineup.

It's possible that the strength of the Apple, iPad, and iOS brands could drive a larger Apple tablet to greater success, but it's far from certain that a larger model would reverse two consecutive quarters of down-to-flat iPad sales and a tablet segment that seems to have hit its ceiling. A larger tablet could also step on the toes of the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models, though Apple hasn't been afraid to risk product cannibalization in the past.

Bloomberg's report is reasonably specific about timing, saying that the new iPad will go into production in the first quarter of 2015 (implying a launch a few weeks or months afterward). Remember, though, that even when rumors are correct about the product itself, they're often wrong on timing—Bloomberg specifically predicted that the fabled "iWatch" would be released in 2013 and that a new Apple TV could appear as early as April, neither of which has come to pass. Companies change their plans all the time, so don't mark your calendars just yet.

Channel Ars Technica