It seems Apple has adopted a super-sizing strategy for its upcoming mobile devices.
According to a new leak, the company is set to work on its biggest iPad ever, which will come fitted with a screen that measures 12.9 inches diagonally. If the report turns out to be true, the newest version of Apple's tablet would be more than three inches bigger than the biggest iPad model. The largest iPad model in existence is the iPad Air, which has a 9.7-inch screen. The iPad Mini, on the other hand, has a 7.9-inch screen.
According to Bloomberg, the company's suppliers are already preparing to manufacture the device. Sources with knowledge of the matter said that production for the rumored tablet would start by the first quarter of next year.
Rumors of a larger iPad coincide with reported bigger screens for the upcoming iPhone 6. The new smartphone, which is expected to be unveiled in an Apple press event scheduled for Sept. 9, is rumored to come in two variants. According to leaks, the device will come in 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions. This makes it larger than previous versions of the smartphone. The iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c both had a 4-inch display.
Apple is said to have been working for a year with display makers for the rumored device. This is not the first time that reports about a super-sized iPad have surfaced. There have already been leaks about the tablet for months, and informers have gone as far as christening it as the iPad Pro.
The new device may be Apple's way of reviving the flagging iPad brand. Apple's tablet sales are on the decline, with the company's second-biggest product behind the iPhone slumping over the past two quarters. The weakening appeal of the tablet line has been attributed to the lack of new models. The iPad is also facing tough competition from Android tablets. According to research firm Gartner, tablets running on Google's mobile operating system accounted for 62 percent of market. Aside from working on the larger iPad, Apple's suppliers are also said to be busy manufacturing a new version of the iPad Air.
