'iPad Pro' Said to Feature 12.2-Inch Display, 7-mm Thickness, Stereo Speakers at Top and Bottom

[MrCrowbar]

With all the bench marks of the A8X coming in close to MBAs and MBPs of a few years ago, I am convinced Apple is working towards building an ARM-based Mac portable.

That would be fantastic indeed. My Macbook Air is my main computer, over 2 years old but still going strong (except the battery only has half capacity now... I might have to take that "service battery" more seriously). I love how it's silent, the built-in speakers and display are flawless, keyboard and trackpad are comfortable.

A tablet running full OS X would be very cool, especially with a keyboard-dock for being productive.

 

[brendu]

This is dumb beyond dumb ....
Tabs are fading out: not because they're unpopular, but because iPads are
so damn well-made, there's no compelling reason to buy a brand new one every year.

I bought an iPad 2 in 2011 and the ONLY reason I bought another new iPad Air
was 'cause the frackin' thing slipped outta my hands [blasted slippery aloomineeum ....],
plummeted to the sidewalk and spiderwebbed the entire screen. Not a happy moment.

So, again, other than "keeping up with the Jones"/early adopting,
the need for a brand spanking new iPad every year is nil at best.
And certainly not the need for a 12-inch plus new one, at that!

Sorry, but put this "iPad Pro" nonsense firmly in the FAIL column.

Your reasons for not needing an upgrade have nothing to do with whether or not someone might want a larger iPad. If it comes it will be expensive and designed to be used for several years before replacement. Apple doesn't expect most users to buy a new tablet every year, if they did they wouldn't release software updates for 3+ years...

 

[ProVideo]

Without Wacom like pen input, no iPad deserves the "Pro" name.

 

[Robert.Walter]

If it is a Pro, it will have a mouseable pointer.

 

[gnasher729]

Look at the past financial results posted, sales are flat, in fact for the first time in years Apple sold more Macs then iPads. I'm not saying Apple is losing money, but unlike the iPhone, sales are not increasing.

Analysts Predict Flat iPad Sales for Q3 2014, Slight Increase in iPhone Sales

More revenue with Macs than iPads. Apple still sells twice as many iPads as all Macs together.

 

[BenTrovato]

iPad pro makes sense. What makes more sense is to do away with the current tablet sizes. Make the iPad mini slightly larger (8.4) and have an iPad pro (12.2). Do away with the 7.9 and 9.7. Now that the phones have adjusted in size, they should have the tablets follow suit.

 

[akatsuki]

I can't get excited about this at all. I'd rather have an MBA that had a fold back keyboard and could switch into iOS/touch mode. Not elegant, but way the hell more useful

 

[Kissaragi]

It needs a really good Wacom digitiser or it will be a relatively pointless device.

 

[sonicrobby]

They are probably already experimenting ARM installations of OSX. Apple is just waiting a call from the "market forces" to launch the real MacPad.

I sure hope so!

 

[jks2014]

the iPad pro will come with keyboard,

it is targeted to compete with surface pro

 

[Traverse]

It needs a really good Wacom digitiser too or it will be a relatively pointless device.

I agree.

Finger input is fine for general navigations (email, Safari, etc.) and games, but note taking, PDF annotation, and artistic apps would benefit greatly. I was near a guy using a Surface Pro the other day in class with it's pen taking notes. They looked like actual HAND WRITTEN notes! When I tried to take notes with a stylus on my iPad they were so sloppy and thick. Yes, there are some expensive "pens" and apps that try to compensate with software optimization, but it still isn't perfect and kind of annoying. Just like with a keyboard, I don't want to use it ALL the time, but it definitely has it's uses.

I returned my iPad Air 2 and went back to my 3. The Air was a great device (except for the vibration, which was more annoying than I anticipated), but ultimately it didn't feel like 3 years worth of upgrade. Thinner, lighter, faster is great, but the only thing I really saw benefiting from the performance was iOS 8. I still couldn't do much more with an the 6th generation iPad than I could with my 3rd generation and that wasn't worth almost $1,000.

I skeptical of a 12.2/12.9 inch iPad. I love the thought of a more "professional" feature set, but I'm not sure how I'd like that size for carrying it around all day. I could do 10 inches, or 10.3" but not much bigger or it's be a stay at home on the desk thing. I want a device with the capability to be productive and creative at a desk and still fun and enjoyable on the couch.

 

[Piggie]

And put the very best Camera on the back you can fit in.

At LEAST as good as the iPhone 6+ or even better, plus a flash unit.

Then can use it for the best and most versatile Video capture and editing all in one great device.

Finally this COULD be the product the iPad always should of been, and fix all it's glaring faults it's had since day one.

Please go for it Apple, Make it the best it can be, don't limit THIS one.

 

[Alimar]

Calvin and Hobbes author, Bill Watterson, must have drawn that.

The screen size is enticing. It may only weigh the same as the iPad 1? Suitable for back packs and school desks, tripod mounts, location photo shoots, audio recording...

 

[acblue94]

Wait this is for real? Are you kidding me. I really hope this has OS X. If not this is one big joke.

 

[cube]

Just seems..... odd. I don't know a ton of people begging for a 13" tablet. It will be fairly heavy, and I just can't imagine business or creatives picking this thing up unless it adds additional functionality on the OS level (power user features).

In the same way that you don't know that's why people like me switched from iPad to Samsung.

 

[braintumor]

I hope when Apple comes with an "iPad Pro" they don't just make it a bigger iPad... They should do something like the Surface, where you can use it as a tablet (in iOS mode) and then switch to a desktop mode, where you wirelessly connect a keyboard and mouse (in OSX mode).

Certainly the new A8X certainly has the power to offer desktop class performance like a MB Air.

 

[MacDarcy]

This is dumb beyond dumb ....
Tabs are fading out: not because they're unpopular, but because iPads are
so damn well-made, there's no compelling reason to buy a brand new one every year.

I bought an iPad 2 in 2011 and the ONLY reason I bought another new iPad Air
was 'cause the frackin' thing slipped outta my hands [blasted slippery aloomineeum ....],
plummeted to the sidewalk and spiderwebbed the entire screen. Not a happy moment.

So, again, other than "keeping up with the Jones"/early adopting,
the need for a brand spanking new iPad every year is nil at best.
And certainly not the need for a 12-inch plus new one, at that!

Sorry, but put this "iPad Pro" nonsense firmly in the FAIL column.

I agree. The only reason I am updating my iPad mini 1 is because I dropped it and cracked the screen. That along with the fact that the earphone plug isn't working properly now either. The A5 chip is also showing its age. I guess Apple will always tweak the iOS to try and "encourage" people to update.

It seems that ipad chips begin to show their age at the 2 yr mark or 2nd iOS update. So the A7 will show its age when iOS 9 comes out.

Which kinda bums me out cause the new iPad mini 3 didn't get the A8X chip like the iPad Air 2 did. Heck, it didn't even get the regular A8 chip!

This is why I plan to update my broken iPad mini 1 with a refurbished iPad mini 2.

I just don't see the point in spending the extra money on a new iPad mini 3 when all it got was Touch ID and a gold color option(which I wouldn't choose anyway).

I'll be curious about an ipad pro if its a legitimate laptop replacement that can run both iOS & OSX. Otherwise, I don't see the point in getting one instead of an iPad Air or iPad mini.

 

[jackson83]

If it doesn't run OS X then I see no point in it.

Well, let's say, there's no point if the software inside it doesn't provide user with more professional opportunities, power user features and freedom (more open OS)!!!?

Will it be some special version of iOS or OS X, remains to be seen!

P. S. They could easily provide users with the choice for touch and mouse/keyboard (through attached keyboard with trackpad)!!!?

 

[skinned66]

If it doesn't run OS X then I see no point in it.

To serve people who want a Mac Book Air with no keyboard running iOS?

It doesn't make sense to me either. But hey I think the iPhone 6+ is too big too.

I could see these being popular in demo advertising and POS.

 

[carlgo]

It is an interesting market. How to get people to buy new versions when there isn't really a need to.

If you envision using a big iPad it would be easier to scribble with one hand while holding it with the other. The software could translate it to typing if desired. If you want to use the keyboard you have to put the device down and in that case it is probably better to use an Air or other laptop.

Scribbling ability actually makes it more portable. There could be all sorts of interesting new apps to take advantage of this.

Styluses suck for phones, but make sense for iPads.

Oh, and do something to utilize the larger area of iPads. It is not just a giant phone.

 

[d4rkc4sm]

please make ios suck less / bring back ios6. all these hardware "improvements" kinda pointless otherwise...

 

[Max(IT)]

For what it counts, I really don't care about a gigantic almost unusable iPad.
What I really want is a 13" MacBook air with retina display.
Not a 12".
Just a 13" MacBook air with retina display.
Is it so difficult????

----------

If this is true apple might end up getting me to replace my iPad 2

Did you ever use a 12" tablet? I tried the Samsung and believe me it is absolutely awkward to handle.

 

[guzhogi]

Looks like a lot of you want something like this:

http://www.modbook.com/

 

[Wild-Bill]

Let's hope they don't make the same mistake like they did with the iPad Air 2, and make it so obsessively thin that the whole thing resonates when music is played.

 

[8CoreWhore]

For the iPad to replace Wacom Cintiq, it would have to have pressure sensitivity and better pens. Both of which Apple has patents for.

The iPad already has apps that require the use of special pens, and they are not the same as styluses and they have nothing to do with what Jobs was complaining about.

Jobs' complaint about styluses was that they were the primary and only way you interacted with the screen.

For artists, pressure sensitive pens are far, far superior to a finger.

I wonder if Apple is thinking of the iPad Pro as a merchant Point Of Sale device as well... It could accept NFC payments without the use of an add-on device.

This device, it's screen size, additional battery, other power features, will allow it to be used in ways the current iPad is not, and as such, should not be thought to be too heavy and bulky to carry around, should not be thought of using it like you currently do.

I hope they finally add mouse support along side keyboard support. When an iPad is in a vertical stand and not your hands, it is a pain to reach out and touch the screen. Jobs even said that, which is why I'm surprised mouse support isn't yet available.

If you're using a keyboard, we should have the option for a mouse. I hate trying to move the curser between two letters, it is slow and tedious and even causes the iPad to move. If you rather use your finger, that would be your choice, but to not give us a choice is dumb.