Rumor has it that a 12.9-inch iPad is in the works. Apparently, that is not true. The latest buzz in the very active Apple rumor mill says Apple is working on a 12.2-inch iPad that is said to be named iPad Pro or iPad Air Plus.
Japanese website Mac Otakara discovered what is said to be the schematics for the bigger-screened iPad in Japanese magazine Mac Fan. The schematics suggest that instead of the 12.9-inch screen earlier reported, the new iPad Pro or iPad Air Plus will have an LCD screen measuring 12.2 inches x 8.7 inches.
According to Mac Otakara, Apple's giant new tablet will have a thickness of 0.28 inch or 7 mm, which will make it slightly thicker than the iPad Air 2. The iPad Pro, which Mac Fan calls iPad Air Plus, will also run on the rumored next-generation A9 processor, which will be an upgrade over the A8X processor powering the current iPad Air 2.
The news is a deviation from earlier rumors that say the new iPad Pro will be running on the same modified A8 processor, but if Apple is indeed working on a bigger, productivity-oriented iPad for the mobile worker, it makes sense if the new slate comes fitted with an upgraded processor.
Apple's new tablet will also reportedly have four front-facing speakers, one on each corner of the iPad Pro, presumably to give users a better stereo listening experience whichever corner of the iPad is nearest them.
Mac Fan also says that Apple is also working on the new iPad mini 4, which is said to run on the A8X processor that currently powers the latest iPad Air and will have a sleeker, thinner design similar to the iPad Air 2.
The magazine believes Apple will be discontinuing the recently launched iPad mini 3 running on an older A7 processor and the iPad mini powered by a dated A5 chip once the new iPad mini is launched.
Apple fans can expect to get their hands on the new iPad sometime next spring, as Mac Fan reports the iPad Pro will be released anytime between April and June.
Earlier this year, news surfaced that Apple was supposed to release a bigger iPad soon after the launch of its new iPhones, but the huge demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus forced Cupertino to push back its production of the iPad Pro to early next year.
