Previewed at WWDC, launching in the fall.
Apple Delaying Mass Production of 12.9-Inch iPad to Deal with Strong iPhone 6 Plus Demand
Apple and its suppliers are delaying plans to mass produce the larger 12.9-inch iPad in order to deal with strong demand for the iPhone 6 Plus, reports The Wall Street Journal. Apple was originally planning to mass produce the larger tablet in December, however the company has remained unsatisfied with the production output from its suppliers for its larger iPhone.
Mockup of a 12.9-inch iPad next to a 13-inch MacBook Air
A report from Bloomberg in August claimed that Apple would be launching the 12.9-inch iPad in early 2015 after plans for the tablet was put on hold earlier this year. However, that report also noted that the larger iPad would include a high pixel density that nears ultra high-definition quality. The larger tablet was said to be an effort to "shake up the iPad line" as sales of the iPad have been on the decline for the past two quarters.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPad Air 2 and next-generation Retina iPad mini along with new iMacs and perhaps a new Mac Mini at a special event next Thursday, October 16.
“The top priority for the supply chain is to meet the overwhelming demand for the larger screen iPhones. The output of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus remains unsatisfactory,” said a person at a supplier. “It would be challenging for display makers to split resources and spend a few months to ramp up production for a new larger screen iPad now.”The report also states that Foxconn is having issues with hiring enough factory workers to assemble the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus at its factory in Zhengzhou, China, making it even more difficult to begin production on a new device. Sources told The Wall Street Journal that the 12.9-inch iPad will feature a resolution similar to the current iPad Air's 2048 x 1536 display. Suppliers are also said to be preparing for mass production of the 12-inch MacBook Air in December, which follows similar information from a report yesterday.
A report from Bloomberg in August claimed that Apple would be launching the 12.9-inch iPad in early 2015 after plans for the tablet was put on hold earlier this year. However, that report also noted that the larger iPad would include a high pixel density that nears ultra high-definition quality. The larger tablet was said to be an effort to "shake up the iPad line" as sales of the iPad have been on the decline for the past two quarters.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPad Air 2 and next-generation Retina iPad mini along with new iMacs and perhaps a new Mac Mini at a special event next Thursday, October 16.
Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Tag: wsj.com
Buyer's Guide: 12.9" iPad Pro (Caution)
[ 139 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
50 months ago
The same iPhone 6 plus that:
Doesn't Exist
Won't Sell
Bends
Cuts Hair
Apple Doomed
Doesn't Exist
Won't Sell
Bends
Cuts Hair
Apple Doomed
50 months ago
These constant backtracking rumours are making me weary.
It seems this is the cycle:
1) Analyst makes an unsubstantiated guess on a new Apple product and its release date
2) No part leaks/product not released/product never existed
3) Analyst stipulates why this didn't come to fruition (e.g., iPhone demand, iOS bugs, Saturn's alignment with Jupiter)
I know I'm probably on the wrong website to make this comment, but it seems every time there's a rumour about an upcoming product, there's a conflicting rumour a few days later.
It seems this is the cycle:
1) Analyst makes an unsubstantiated guess on a new Apple product and its release date
2) No part leaks/product not released/product never existed
3) Analyst stipulates why this didn't come to fruition (e.g., iPhone demand, iOS bugs, Saturn's alignment with Jupiter)
I know I'm probably on the wrong website to make this comment, but it seems every time there's a rumour about an upcoming product, there's a conflicting rumour a few days later.
50 months ago
Whenever they do start selling this giant iPad, it - along with the Apple watch - will be two of the most underwhelming products in Apples lineup in terms of sales.
And oh, by the way Apple - just making the same basic product thinner and/or bigger every once in a while doesn't count as ground breaking innovation.
And oh, by the way Apple - just making the same basic product thinner and/or bigger every once in a while doesn't count as ground breaking innovation.
50 months ago
I simply don't believe this product exists.
Just how many believed the 6+ didn't exist?
50 months ago
I simply don't believe this product exists.
You're right. The product doesn't exist :)
50 months ago
I just don't get why anyone would need a 13" iPad. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPad, and I use it every single day, but a 13" iPad seems like an overkill for what it's capable of. Wether we like it or not, a truly productive device needs a keyboard and a mouse, and iOS apps were never designed to have a mouse.
Who says it wont be able to do more?
Many Artists out there bought the Surface Pro line simply because it was a good drawing device. If the 13 Inch iPad had a digitizer Input device I would buy it day one.
50 months ago
I think a 13" iPad would be great, especially for business. Makes more sense than a giant phone where portability is more important. If a touch interface is great at 10" it's even better at 13".
They also need to add multiuser support to iOS like android has had for a while. That's why I bought a nexus last time around.
Merging and mixing of iOS and Mac OS X is inevitable. Just not sure it's going to happen yet.
They also need to add multiuser support to iOS like android has had for a while. That's why I bought a nexus last time around.
Merging and mixing of iOS and Mac OS X is inevitable. Just not sure it's going to happen yet.
50 months ago
On the last earnings call Cook said Apple had "interesting" things planned for the iPad space. I doubt A8 and Touch ID qualifies as interesting.
50 months ago
I believe the 12.9 iPad is designed to push the iPad into new, more PC-like territory. It will coincide with new 'pro' software (perhaps a touch Final Cut Pro and Logic, use of Adobe Suite with touch control), feature a powerful processor, super sharp display, ultra sensitive touch control (including allowing the use of a real stylus which makes sense for pro users), new ways of allowing apps to interact with each other, and new ways of interfacing with external devices. Probably not all of this right away, but this is the eventual dream of the iPad Pro.
I see this device being a bigger deal than many are anticipating. It will be a huge hit with people in design, photography, animation, filmmaking... Similar market as the MacBook Pro essentially. This is a completely natural evolution of the iPad in the direction it's always been intended to head in, and now the technology to make it possible has arrived. This could really be awesome and a total game-changer.
...new Apple product covering new territory, another round of disbelievers, doubters, and haters... and it'll be a great product and a huge hit. What a surprise.
I see this device being a bigger deal than many are anticipating. It will be a huge hit with people in design, photography, animation, filmmaking... Similar market as the MacBook Pro essentially. This is a completely natural evolution of the iPad in the direction it's always been intended to head in, and now the technology to make it possible has arrived. This could really be awesome and a total game-changer.
...new Apple product covering new territory, another round of disbelievers, doubters, and haters... and it'll be a great product and a huge hit. What a surprise.
[ Read All Comments ]
Dutch media is reporting that an Apple Store at Leidseplein in Amsterdam was briefly evacuated today, likely after an iPad battery overheated.
Image Credit: AS Media
At 2:20 p.m. local time on...
Facebook is contesting a demand from the U.S. government that it break the encryption of its popular Messenger app so that law enforcement can listen in to a suspect's conversations as part of an...
Child actress Brooklynn Prince has been cast in the lead role of Apple's upcoming drama series that's based on the life of young journalist Hilde Lysiak, reports Deadline.
Eight-year-old...
Netflix is testing a new feature that adds video promos in between episodes of TV shows, Netflix confirmed to TechCrunch this afternoon.
The promos Netflix is showing to some users include...
Logitech often works with Apple to introduce new accessories for Apple devices, and in early August, Logitech announced its latest product designed in collaboration with Apple, the new POWERED...
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Choetech to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a 7.5W Wireless Car Charging Mount that can be used to charge an iPhone X, iPhone 8, or...
The developers of the Transit app this week announced the expansion of real-time crowdsourced data for buses, trains, streetcars, ferries, and so forth to 175 cities across the United States, Canada,...
In a new interview today with The Los Angeles Times, Beats 1 host Zane Lowe discussed a few topics related to Apple Music's daily streaming radio show, including the company's rivals. Without...
