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Apple Suppliers Said to Begin Production of 12.9-Inch Retina Display for Early 2014 'iPad Pro'

The iBoard will soon become reality....

iboard.png
 
iPad Pro (with iOS) is like making Crayons Pro and trying to sell it as actual art supply.

I'm sure Aunt Betty will think it is great as she uses her iPad Pro to make her grandson christmas card.

The race to the lowest common denominator continues over at Apple.
 
the8thark said:
If true Apple is repeating it's mistakes of the 1990's. Too many SKUs. No product focus. Making products just for the sake of them. Not having a proper target audience for each SKU.

Jobs first move as CEO again was to remove all the surplus SKUs Apple was making. Too bad he can't rise from the grave to do the same again. Apple surely need it.
Click to expand...

You are always so negative!

If a new SKU sold millions of bigger iPads, you'll be foolish not to introduce it.
 
Renzatic said:
Yeah, it could. This has been discussed time and time again around here.

If you only think of the iPad as a content consumption device and nothing more, then why look forward to every new keynote? The iPad is just about perfect as is. It's simple, small, and easy to use. The only thing Apple needs to do is make it thinner and lighter, and maybe update the resolution once every 5 years or so.

...but there are markets where a light and powerful touchscreen tablet with expanded functionality would excel in. Markets the current iPad doesn't address, but something like the iPad Pro would.

A larger iPad isn't useless. It just covers a use you don't want or need.
Click to expand...

Apple isn't going to fit everyone needs ... it's just unrealistic.
There is a market for regular tablets (iPad Air) and a market for compact tablets (iPad mini).
Those market have big numbers involved.

Niche markets like 12-13" (or bigger) tablets have less potential buyers.
 
Max(IT) said:
Niche markets like 12-13" (or bigger) tablets have less potential buyers.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but there's still a market, and thus money to be made.

Not everyone wants a tablet just to browse the web. Some people want to create stuff on theirs. They can already do that to a limited extent with the current iPads, but a larger one with a digitizer and more ram would be able to do it so, so much better.

You want proof? Styluses are among the bestselling accessories for the iPad. Writers and artists, drafters and doctors, designers all see the potential of the platform, but want more. If Apple doesn't provide that more, they'll go to someone who does.
 
dannyyankou said:
Mac mini, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro

iPad mini, iPad Air, iPad pro


Filed under: common sense
Click to expand...

Creating common sense by mixing and matching form factors to suit your story?

Desktop
Mac Mini, iMac, Mac Pro.

Laptop
Macbook Air, Macbook Pro.

iPad
iPad Mini, iPad Air
 
o0smoothies0o said:
Oh dear god. It's sad people don't understand why Apple changes the names of their devices. It is called marketing. iPad > iPad 2 (nothing substantially different, so normal numbering sequence) > iPad with retina display (calling it this instead of 3 probably earned them millions more sales, but either way it was specifically to let people know it had a million times better display) > the new iPad (came about 6 months later, and was named the new iPad specifically to let people know it was new, so they would actually purchase it, was released because the iPad with retina display was slightly slower than the iPad 2) > iPad Air (named this to let people know it is drastically smaller and lighter whilst retaining the same display size). It is all about marketing. iPad mini > iPad mini with retina display (hello? It's not iPad mini 2 because the marketing team knows more people would purchase iPad mini with retina display than iPad mini 2).
Click to expand...

Yes... but calling the new 9.7" iPad the iPad Air in preparation for the release of a 12.9" iPad also makes sense from a marketing standpoint.


Anyway, about this iPad Pro. It's not happening, or if it does it is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. It's honestly hilarious that someone would want to hold a screen that big in their hands. It's impractical and would look hideous and ridiculous, and more importantly be far too cumbersome and heavy to be usable. I don't care if they had 0 bezel all the way around it (not possible/not happening as the home button is permanent especially after touch ID), it would still be far too big. As someone else said, these displays are probably for a retina MacBook Air.
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I don't understand this attitude. This thread and others contain post after post from people giving examples of where a bigger iPad would be useful, assuming it has certain features, so saying it would be "impractical" is unfounded. Calling it "hideous and ridiculous" is completely subjective, because others have posted that they think it would be beautiful. Calling it "far too heavy and cumbersome to be useful," without actually holding and using one, is also unfounded and subjective. I've never had an issue with the weight of my iPad 1 or my iPad 4, yet I've read dozens (if not hundreds) of posts from people over the years who think that the 9.7" is too heavy and cumbersome.

Yes, at this stage, the iPad Pro is just a rumor. However, I see it as a potentially viable product. Obviously, it wouldn't interest you, but it would interest me. As many others have pointed out, there was a similar debate when rumors of the iPad mini first came out: "Apple would never release such a thing! Steve said so!" "The screen would be too small to be useful." "If you want 'smaller,' use your iPhone." It would be a piece of crap, like the other 7" tablets out there."
 
Wild-Bill said:
"Make just a few things, but make them Insanely Great". - SJ


iPhone 5C (yeah, that was a success... :roll eyes: ), iPad Mini, iPad Pro, etc....

Cook needs to stop expanding the lineup. Seriously.
Click to expand...

This and more this. Apple is fragmenting their products by stretching out essentially the same concept into different shapes and sizes, the opposite of what Jobs did when he returned and slimmed Apple down into four segments of consumer and professional systems. Aside from hardware modifications, the multitouch mobile device has been Apple's backbone since development as an iPad in 2004, commercial release as an iPhone in 2007, then commercial release as the iPad that started it all. It's not enough to carry an electronics company through the next decade.
 
Renzatic said:
Yeah, but there's still a market, and thus money to be made.

Not everyone wants a tablet just to browse the web. Some people want to create stuff on theirs. They can already do that to a limited extent with the current iPads, but a larger one with a digitizer and more ram would be able to do it so, so much better.

You want proof? Styluses are among the bestselling accessories for the iPad. Writers and artists, drafters and doctors, designers all see the potential of the platform, but want more. If Apple doesn't provide that more, they'll go to someone who does.
Click to expand...
Don't get me wrong.
I know there could be a market for a larger iPad.
It's just not big enough.
There was a market also for 17" MacBook Pro ... and we all know what happened.
 
fertilized-egg said:
Jobs never said he would never release a smaller iPad. Jobs just dumped on the 7" tablet calling them "DOA". It's just Jobs being Jobs, holding strong opinions weakly and putting Apple products in a good light.

Interestingly this is one rare case we know for sure Jobs wasn't lying or even doing something contrary while he was speaking out. We have court evidence where Eddie Cue discusses his attempts to convince Jobs on a smaller tablet in late 2010. Jobs made the DOA comment before that.
Click to expand...

OK... He wasn't lying... whatever. I don't really care if he was anyway. My point is that people that were saying that a smaller iPad would never happen were probably just saying that because of what Jobs said. I don't think most people were saying that Apple shouldn't release a smaller iPad, which the OP implied.
 
Seems a plausible speculation. The "iPad Air" is an odd name for the high end iPad, but it fits in Apple's naming scheme if this rumor is true.

As to questions about why people would want a tablet that large, this is America, home of Hummers, giant cheese, and phallic assault weapons. Bigger is always better in the land of the insecure. I can think of a dozen people offhand who would rush out to buy this iPad just so they could have the biggest, most expensive iPad around.

This also expalins the mini's gimped gamma: Apple views it as the runt of a three tablet litter.
 
Max(IT) said:
Apple isn't going to fit everyone needs ... it's just unrealistic.
There is a market for regular tablets (iPad Air) and a market for compact tablets (iPad mini).
Those market have big numbers involved.

Niche markets like 12-13" (or bigger) tablets have less potential buyers.
Click to expand...
Niche 13" iPad will be a godsend to all pro users :)
Can't wait...
 
Count me in with the "the display is likely for the retina Macbook Air" people.

All uses aside, I just don't see this product happening. I'm not denying there are those who would use the product, I just don't think it fits what Apple is trying to accomplish.

Someone already posted the product lines:

-Mac mini, iMac, Mac Pro
-MBA, MBP
-iPad mini, iPad Air
-iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S (I think this naming convention's days are numbered)

Now perhaps, they introduce an "iPad Pro", but I'd guess that would be at the expense of the MBA, leaving only the MBP in Apple's laptop line. Just doesn't seem probable to me - at least not in 2014.

Much more likely we see these things next year:

-Larger iPhone
-iWatch
-retina MacBook Air
-higher res iPad Air
-wider gamut iPad retina mini
-new AppleTV (set top box)
-iOS 8 offering additional functionality to the iPad

All with the obligatory speed bumps and camera improvements.

Of course, in the future I don't think this product lineup is too convoluted:

-Mac Mini, iMac, Mac Pro
-Macbook Air, Macbook Pro
-iPad mini, iPad Air, iPad Pro
-iPhone mini, iPhone Pro
-iWatch (men's and women's)
-Apple TV (actual TV set)

All products have retina displays, all run latest SoC's.
 
Maybe this is for a MacBook?

Apple might discontinue the 11 and 13" Air's and instead offer a redesigned 12" Air with 4k screen and no bezel allowing it to have a smaller footprint than the current 13" Air, negating the need for the two 11 and 13" sizes.

(I wish Apple would do this regardless ... or just improve the screens on the Airs...)
 
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