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12.2-Inch 'iPad Air Plus' May Launch Between April and June 2015 With A9 Processor

Friday November 28, 2014 10:37 am PST by Juli Clover
Japanese magazine Mac Fan has published some possible schematics depicting the design of the larger-screened "iPad Pro" or "iPad Air Plus" in its January issue, which have been shared by Mac Otakara [Google Translate] along with some information about the upcoming device.

The schematics suggest the tablet will include a 12.2-inch LCD display, and it points towards dimensions of 305.31mm x 220.8mm x 7mm, or 12 inches x 8.7 inches x 0.28 inches, which is in line with previous rumors about the larger tablet. Many rumors have suggested a size of 12.9-inches for the larger tablet, but this is the second report from Mac Otakara that has suggested the device will have a 12.2-inch display.

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The "iPad Pro" or "iPad Air Plus" as Mac Fan calls it, is said to include a new A9 processor that's an upgrade from the A8X processor in the iPad Air 2, which is a bit of a deviation from previous rumors that have indicated the larger-screened tablet will use the same A8X processor introduced in the iPad Air 2.

Along with an upgraded processor, the tablet is said to have dual top and bottom speakers to allow for improved stereo audio, and design wise, the iPad Pro may look similar to the existing iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini.

Mac Fan also believes that Apple is working on an iPad mini 4, which will be equipped with the same A8X processor found in the iPad Air 2 and a thinner design that more closely resembles Apple's latest iPad Air. With the launch of the iPad mini 4, Mac Fan says both the iPad mini and the iPad mini 3 will be discontinued.

According to the report, both of these tablets may launch between April and June of 2015, which is in line with previous iPad Pro rumors. Earlier this month, reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested the iPad Pro may not enter mass production until the second quarter of 2015, following rumors that Apple had pushed back production to focus its attention on improving iPhone 6 Plus supply.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: 12.9" iPad Pro (Neutral)
[ 466 comments ]


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sualpine
60 months ago
Let me guess... Another row of icons?
Rating: 40 Votes
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gmcalpin
60 months ago

A9 + bigger display isn't gonna cut it. Give full OS X functionality or kthxbye

Okay, bye. Because that will never happen. You'll get iOS apps with desktop-level features eventually (some apps already have them) — and a bigger display will help enable that. But touch UIs and mouse UIs are fundamentally incompatible.
Rating: 29 Votes
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kepler20b
60 months ago
A9 + bigger display isn't gonna cut it. Give full OS X functionality or kthxbye
Rating: 22 Votes
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spyguy10709
60 months ago
between June and April...

This just in - Apple reinvents the calendar!
Rating: 16 Votes
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BenTrovato
60 months ago
Apple's Q3 board meeting:
Larger screen iPhones are a big hit. Smaller iPads are tanking. Here's an idea, let's do bigger iPads. YAY! Great idea folks, let's make it happen! I'll call Samsung, you call Foxconn.
Rating: 15 Votes
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gmcalpin
60 months ago

So the iPad Pro will just be a larger iPad?

Hopefully it'll have Wacom-level pressure sensitivity, too. I'd like to use one instead of a Cintiq… but I wouldn't hold my breath for that.
Rating: 15 Votes
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MacSince1990
60 months ago
We've come a pretty long way from a 3.5" iPhone and a 9.7" iPad as the only options.
Rating: 14 Votes
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ButteryScrollin
60 months ago
"Between June and April"

that's a big gap :)
Rating: 14 Votes
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oliversl
60 months ago
I won't be surprised if Apple copies the Microsoft Surface 3 Pro. They already copied the Samsung Phablet thingie
Rating: 12 Votes
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zedsdead
60 months ago

Uh....the iPad Mini 3 will not be discontinued less than a year after release. If anything the 2 will be gone if the 4 is released in Q2.


The iPad 3 was discontinued after 7 months or so and Apple kept the iPad 2 around.

This makes sense, the iPad mini has an A5 and will be extinct soon. The mini 2 can be sold for less since there's no Touch ID, so better to keep that around as the cheap option and dump the iPad mini 3 for an updated iPad mini 4.

The current iPad mini lineup is so convoluted and disappointing. Very strange misstep from Apple. They need to definitely consolidate it.
Rating: 11 Votes

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