Since the iPhone’s launch in 2007, Apple has kept screen sizes simple, offering only four options. Now, the company may be taking a different approach. Bloomberg reports that Apple will launch a 12.9-inch iPad in early 2015, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
This a pretty significant jump from the 9.7-inch iPad Air that’s currently available, and it could be an attempt to help jumpstart recent sluggish iPad sales. This rumoured tablet monster isn’t the only large format slate out there. For example, Samsung released a slightly smaller 12.2-inch Galaxy Note Pro tablet in February this year. Bloomberg’s report only adds credibility to the rumours we heard around this time last year suggesting that Apple was testing screens for larger devices — with one of those devices being a 12.9-inch tablet.
Apple is also rumoured to be embracing its phablet side for the upcoming iPhone refresh, meaning years of stingy screen size options are finally coming to an end. For late 2014 and early 2015, it looks like Apple is hoping to cash in on an age old conceit — bigger is better. [Bloomberg]