Rumors claim Apple is working on a 12.9-inch iPad, and now a new report says we may see the bigger model by the end of the third quarter thanks to increased competition from Samsung. Insider sources are saying Samsung's recent introduction of a 12.2-inch Galaxy tablet have Apple pushing to get its new iPad model out sooner than the company originally planned.
No confirmation from Apple, but reports say a bigger iPad is coming
Apple current makes a 9.7-inch iPad -- the iPad Air -- and a 7.9-inch model called the iPad mini. Considering Apple makes the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and Mac Pro, speculation has the company using the same naming scheme in its tablet product line, hence the idea that a bigger screen iPad Pro is in the works.
It isn't a stretch to assume Apple is designing a bigger screen iPad, although the sources claiming it's coming at the end of the third quarter are potentially dubious. The news comes from market sources talking with DigiTimes, a news outlet that has a mixed track record with Apple-related rumors.
Sources from within the parts supply chain and, as DigiTimes calls them, market sources, aren't necessarily reliable because they offer a very small view into Apple's activities. Parts orders tell only a piece of the story, for example, and can be easily misconstrued to fit an idea an analyst or journalist already has about what it is that Apple is up to.
With that in mind, we're taking the DigiTimes report on the iPad Pro launch time frame with a grain of salt even though it's very likely that Apple is working on a bigger iPad screen and wants to get it on the market as soon as it reasonably can.