Gee, I don't know. Android doesn't seem to have a problem with it. And they have lots of different sizes of tablets and phones to deal with. Apple basically only has 3 at the Moment. Ipad, Ipad Pro 12.9, and the Mini. So it can be done, just that Apple doesn't want to do it. It goes back to my biggest issue of why I stayed away from Apple in the past, because of their locking down on everything and control over everything. The number one reason I will never own an IPhone.
I do own a Mac, which I like and don't have to deal with the issue there, but on the IPP, it just seems stupid to waste all the screen real estate with just so many icons, and only folders to stop from having pages and pages of Icons. Some people like me have a lot of apps on their devices. I like to try new ones, and keep a lot, but I do get rid of the ones I never use, except of course the ones you can't delete.
[doublepost=1479701447][/doublepost]There is some difference in the layout of IPP specific apps for the 12.9, although there still are alot that come up like the Iphone. Those are apps though. I'm talking about changing the grid the icons sit on on the homescreen, maybe adding a larger grid with smaller Icons. More fitting on the space of a page.