Apple Apparently 'Got Close' to Launching a 14-Inch iPad This Year

[2009 mac user]

Apple "got close" to releasing an all-new 14-inch iPad model this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.

In his most recent "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple has been exploring the concept of an even larger iPad since 2021 and almost released a 14-inch model, in what would have been the biggest iPad to date, this year. Now, there is apparently no such product in Apple's imminent product pipeline.

One complication was apparently the transition to OLED displays in the iPad lineup, which could invoke considerably higher costs on larger tablet displays. As previously rumored, the first iPad Pro models are expected to top out at 13 inches when they go on sale in the first half of 2024.

Gurman was first to float the rumor of Apple designers and engineers exploring iPads with bigger screens that could further "blur the lines" between a tablet and a laptop. In January 2022, this was followed by the news that multiple suppliers, including BOE and LG, were converting factories to be able to supply Apple with OLED displays around 15-inches in size suitable for future iPad models.

The leaker known as "Majin Bu" then claimed that Apple was working on an iPad with a 14.1-inch display and the M2 chip – a rumor corroborated by oft-accurate display industry analyst Ross Young, who added that the device would have a mini-LED display but no ProMotion for variable refresh rates up to 120Hz. In July last year, he amended his forecast, saying that Apple had switched to an LCD display for the device, the likes of which are used on the iPad mini and iPad Air.

In October 2022, The Information's Wayne Ma reported that Apple was developing a 16-inch iPad that it hoped to release in the fourth quarter of 2023. The prospective device would have approximately the same screen size as a 16-inch MacBook Pro, providing users with a significantly larger canvas to work with. Finally, Young said in December that Apple had shelved its plans to launch a 14.1-inch iPad.

Despite the tumultuous state of rumors about larger iPad models, Apple could still be interested in the prospect of launching such a device in the future. The biggest iPads that have been available since 2018 have been the 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro. This means that the largest iPads are still smaller than the smallest MacBooks, the M1 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro, which feature 13.3-inch displays. Since the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ is already in a similar range to the 13.3-inch MacBooks and is rumored to increase to 13-inches next year, it seems like just a matter of time before Apple offers a significantly bigger iPad model.

Bloomberg has repeatedly discussed Apple's interest in bigger iPads and although the 14.1-inch iPad model that was in the works is now believed to be canceled, the 16-inch model last reported by The Information could still be in active development, although we have not heard anything about it for quite some time.

Article Link: Apple Apparently 'Got Close' to Launching a 14-Inch iPad This Year

Part of me thinks a tablet this big would be ridiculous, the other part of me reallly wants it

 

[2009 mac user]

They're putting the camera on the horizontal side now, though.

It would honestly be nice to see SOME design change other than the cameras for the ipad

 

[return2sendai]

The same horizontal side as the iPad 10.

Which is vertical in portrait. So again, which horizontal side?

 

[return2sendai]

The same horizontal side as the iPad 10.

Which is vertical in portrait. So again, which horizontal side?

 

[smulji]

I know the obvious statement. A 16” iPad Pro is going to be crazy expensive. Why not just buy a Mac.

iPad users are vastly different from Mac users. Even if the fully spec‘d iPad Pro tops at $4,000, an avid iPad user will buy it. Individuals like myself use iPads as their primary work device and have [over the years] established the apps and workflow that works.

The convenience of iPadOS over MacOS is Completely different.

If the rumors of the below are true. I will 100% sell my 16.2“ M1 Max MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM & 8TB SSD.
- 16” OLED display
- M3 Pro
- 4TB storage
- 24 GB RAM
- Redesigned Magic Keyboard to be similar to MacBooks

I know many people who would love this device.

 

[smulji]

There are two kinds of people when it comes to the iPad. Those who want it to become a laptop, and will be always frustrated because a tablet-like device is worse than a laptop when following a PC workflow. Then, those of us who like the iPad as a completely different device and conceptual approach.

At this point, the iPad Air / Pro are neither a laptop or a tablet. It's Apple's vision on a 2-in-1 device that can adapt to differing input methods (touch, Pencil, KB, mouse, trackpad). I don't envision it ever running macOS. Instead, I see iPadOS getting more capable every year to the point where only a niche user base will require macOS. And I'm not talking over the next year but the next few years.

 

[smulji]

I think the iPad is meant to be the next great thing.
As in
"If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it's worth -- and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago."

A lot of Mac folks don’t like the iPad (like a lot of Apple II users didn’t like the Mac), but new users choose the iPad over the Mac.

One could make the argument that the iPhone and Apple's wearable initiatives are the next great thing.

 

[darngooddesign]

Which is vertical in portrait. So again, which horizontal side?

Same vertical side as the iPad 10 in portrait; same horizontal side as the iPad 10 in landscape.

 

[Realityck]

I think the iPad is meant to be the next great thing.
As in
"If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it's worth -- and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago."

A lot of Mac folks don’t like the iPad (like a lot of Apple II users didn’t like the Mac), but new users choose the iPad over the Mac.

I prefer its Apples device solution for something in-between a iPhone and a Mac. As screens get larger on a iPad along with battery sizes, it becomes more of a disadvantage for general consumer usage. It's not like with a larger iPad you can put it on your lap like a Mac laptop and type with both hands and it's supported. But you can certainly put it into some kind of stand and do creative work as other very large tablets are utilized.

Now the question is did Apple survey the current marketplace and recognize as a iPad price goes ways up as the display size increases that less and less consumers want something like that? Perhaps that is exactly why this extra large iPad concept was considered and tabled after stats showed it would not be that marketable due to the lower priced competition.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Part of me thinks a tablet this big would be ridiculous, the other part of me reallly wants it

I’m starting to think those rumors of a glass front iMac were actually for a larger iPad.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

One could make the argument that the iPhone and Apple's wearable initiatives are the next great thing.

One could! And all of those together pull in more money than Apple makes from the Mac year over year.

 

[mectojic]

A larger iPad would be a game changer in my field (music performance). Can't wait for it!

 

[Flabasha]

For real. I tried that new Galaxy Tab monstrosity out of curiosity and it just does not feel right in any orientation or for any of my needs for a tablet. Shame, too, because the S-Pen is so much more enjoyable to use than the Apple Pencil, IMO.

Wow, I LOOOOOVE that 15” Galaxy Ultra. I just bought a new one to replace last year’s model. For drawing and movies, the 12.9” iPadPro just doesn’t compete for me.

And I own three generations of the 12.9”.

 

[bookofxero]

Wow, I LOOOOOVE that 15” Galaxy Ultra. I just bought a new one to replace last year’s model. For drawing and movies, the 12.9” iPadPro just doesn’t compete for me.

And I own three generations of the 12.9”.

It was less the size than the screen ratio. Too long and narrow for my liking.

 

[bluespark]

The advantage of 14" would be that it is pretty close to A4 / letter size, so it would actually become a device that's more convenient for reading and annotating any sort of articles. In that regard, 14" makes more sense to me than the current 12.9"/13".
For sketching, I have to agree that more is better. But even there, using it on the go would impose upper limits for the size. But 16" would certainly be possible.
In both cases, it would probably not come cheap if they want to keep the pixel density of the current device. But I would personally strongly consider it.

Good points, and perhaps explains why I do not make Apple's product decisions.

 

[bookofxero]

The advantage of 14" would be that it is pretty close to A4 / letter size, so it would actually become a device that's more convenient for reading and annotating any sort of articles. In that regard, 14" makes more sense to me than the current 12.9"/13".
For sketching, I have to agree that more is better. But even there, using it on the go would impose upper limits for the size. But 16" would certainly be possible.
In both cases, it would probably not come cheap if they want to keep the pixel density of the current device. But I would personally strongly consider it.

The 12.9” Pro is literally the same usable area as an 8.5x11 sheet of paper (US letter), though, and the same proportions. The Galaxy was proportioned too long and narrow for my tastes, and 12.9 starts to seriously push the limits of portability that define a tablet.

Plus, size is about to become largely (but not completely) irrelevant when the AR headset(s) hit broader availability. Your table and a pencil in your hand can be your “virtual canvas”.

 

[USB-Adapter]

Putting MacOS on an iPad would be a big bag of hurt. Either you would have to have a keyboard or programs would need to recognize when it’s an iPad and change how fields are completed; or you would have to use the on screen keyboard covering much of the screen space, as one example. As a result the UI would be inconsistent and frustrate users. Not a good thing.

Yeah, we heard that one. Just buy a new MacBook for $2999 and don't forget to carry it around.
I don't use the keyboard on the MacBook either, because it's always connected to a monitor with a keyboard and mouse.
And for mobile use, Apple could make two versions of every app and use the iPad version of Mail for the touchscreen and the MacOS one with a keyboard, etc.

It’s not a phone. Watch needs to have a data connection to use many features so pairing with non-cellular iPads would limit the watch to a few basic functions.

My iPad mini has a cellular connection. My watch is already limited to a few basic functions if I don't have the iPhone on me istead of using the iPad's cellular connection.
I don't see why I need an extra device to carry around, other than to pay Apple more.


Apple Watch Ultra and iPad Mini are the perfect pair.
If Apple would allow macOS apps on the iPad, I couldn't be happier.
I would use it as my main PC instead of the M1 MacBook Air and could leave the MBA and iPhone at home.
But that's the main and only reason Apple won't allow it: people would buy fewer devices.

 

[schneeland]

The 12.9” Pro is literally the same usable area as an 8.5x11 sheet of paper (US letter), though, and the same proportions.

I don't think I agree here. Yes, the total device size is 11.04"x8.46" (as per Apple's specification). However, due to the bezels, the effective screen size is smaller (my own measurement says 10.35"x7.75"; this PPI calculator has it at 10.32"x7.74"). So the screen size would need to increase by a little less than 1" (~0.7" if we want to be more precise) to match letter size, and by a little more than 1" to match A4 size (~1.3"). So at the same bezel size, the overall device size would need to increase to roughly 14" to achieve that. But of course Apple could also do smaller bezels.

 

[Bazza1]

Remember the aborted "What's a computer?" advertising campaign? How it failed miserably?
Apparently Apple doesn't.
Each new MacOS release tries to jam more iOS / iPadOS app functionality into it - just bite the bullet Apple, and produce a touchscreen 'real' computer OS and device.

 

[jlc1978]

Yeah, we heard that one. Just buy a new MacBook for $2999 and don't forget to carry it around.
I don't use the keyboard on the MacBook either, because it's always connected to a monitor with a keyboard and mouse.
And for mobile use, Apple could make two versions of every app and use the iPad version of Mail for the touchscreen and the MacOS one with a keyboard, etc.

For the love of God, no. Two different UI, sets of features depending on whether you have A keyboard attached? That’s a user’s worst UI nightmare. Not to mention if you rely on a feature when using the keyboard but it goes away when you are in tablet mode you will frustrate users and files created on the same machine may not be compatible with apps depending on how it is physically setup; adding to user confusion and frustration.

My iPad mini has a cellular connection. My watch is already limited to a few basic functions if I don't have the iPhone on me istead of using the iPad's cellular connection.
I don't see why I need an extra device to carry around, other than to pay Apple more.

Not sure of your point. You need an iPhone to setup an Apple watch, but certainly can use it without it, and as long s it has WiFi much of teh functionality works.

Apple Watch Ultra and iPad Mini are the perfect pair.

Ok. For you, which is fine. Everyone has their own ideal setup.

If Apple would allow macOS apps on the iPad, I couldn't be happier.
I would use it as my main PC instead of the M1 MacBook Air and could leave the MBA and iPhone at home.
But that's the main and only reason Apple won't allow it: people would buy fewer devices.

I suspect at some point we will see a convergence but for now they are best kept separate. The problem is devices that try to do everything well wind up doing nothing well due to trade-offs; which is why I suspect the trade-offs are why Apple hasn’t done MacOS on an iPad yet.

 

[Bazza1]

....and - for what it's worth - given what I know I'd use a tablet for (reading books and news aggregators, dealing with emails, a little internet cruising, watching videos - streamed or on device, music playback and the occasional game) and taking mobility into consideration (including being able to stuff it into a small shoulder bag), I purchased an 8" Lenovo M8 on sale for under $100. Leaving real computing to a real computer with unhobbled software. Better screen ratio for videos than iPad Mini - and if the thing does slip off a coffee table, I don't see my bank account flash before my eyes.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I suspect at some point we will see a convergence but for now they are best kept separate. The problem is devices that try to do everything well wind up doing nothing well due to trade-offs; which is why I suspect the trade-offs are why Apple hasn’t done MacOS on an iPad yet.

I believe Apple’s fine continuing to sell Macs even if it gets to the point where they are only sold to developers and similar smaller groups of people especially since they’re not having to support an entirely different hardware infrastructure anymore. Convergence may come in that they start to look more and more alike visually (with macOS taking on more iPadOS features), but underneath I think they’ll stay as separate products.

With no more Intel overhead, I can see them allocating processors for 5 million or so Macs a year for those still willing to pay the price for macOS while they continue to grow the iOS and iPad related devices like Vision Pro. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Vision Pro is based on an OS with an integrated and required App Store, unlike the Mac.

 

[USB-Adapter]

For the love of God, no. Two different UI, sets of features depending on whether you have A keyboard attached? That’s a user’s worst UI nightmare. Not to mention if you rely on a feature when using the keyboard but it goes away when you are in tablet mode you will frustrate users and files created on the same machine may not be compatible with apps depending on how it is physically setup; adding to user confusion and frustration.

It already works in both ways:

Creating a Mac version of your iPad app | Apple Developer Documentation

Bring your iPad app to macOS with Mac Catalyst.

developer.apple.com

And you can run iPad apps on macOS.
If you don't want to do two versions of your app, don't. But allow others to do so.

Not sure of your point. You need an iPhone to setup an Apple watch, but certainly can use it without it, and as long s it has WiFi much of teh functionality works.

Nah, no notifications from the iPad to the Watch, no internet connection from the iPad to the Watch.
Apple Watch requires an iPhone to run and does not work with an iPad.
Believe me, I use an Apple Watch with and without an iPhone since the first model.

Ok. For you, which is fine. Everyone has their own ideal setup.



I suspect at some point we will see a convergence but for now they are best kept separate. The problem is devices that try to do everything well wind up doing nothing well due to trade-offs; which is why I suspect the trade-offs are why Apple hasn’t done MacOS on an iPad yet.

The only reason is money. If they make macOS for the iPad, they will lost a half of MacBook Air buyers.

 

[jlc1978]

It already works in both ways:

Creating a Mac version of your iPad app | Apple Developer Documentation

Bring your iPad app to macOS with Mac Catalyst.

developer.apple.com

And you can run iPad apps on macOS.
If you don't want to do two versions of your app, don't. But allow others to do so.

The issue is not that you can’t get it to run on both devices, it is that you would have different UI’s and some things taht work in one UI will not work well in the other. Even Apple suggest you make teh app more Mac like, in the link you provded. You need a consistent UI that is desgined for teh environemnt, not kludging a bag on teh side of both. That is poor human factors design.

Nah, no notifications from the iPad to the Watch, no internet connection from the iPad to the Watch.
Apple Watch requires an iPhone to run and does not work with an iPad.
Believe me, I use an Apple Watch with and without an iPhone since the first model.

Which is what I said - you need an iPhone to set it up, it will work independent off it and if you have WiFi many of teh features work with the watch. Never said it works with an iPad.

The only reason is money. If they make macOS for the iPad, they will lost a half of MacBook Air buyers.

Hardly. It likely would cost more, have an inconsistent UI, and not offer much advantages over an Air. Apple may eventually converge the two into a single design; but that requires rethinking the UI and OS, not just slapping one on the other.

 

[darngooddesign]

The only reason is money. If they make macOS for the iPad, they will lost a half of MacBook Air buyers.

The 13” iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard costs more than the equivalent MacBook Air.