It's about time for Apple to start ordering components for the reported iPad Pro, but sources in the supply chain have revealed the company has placed very modest order numbers.
Components are scheduled to arrive late in September to give Foxconn Electronics time to produce the 12.9-inch tablet for release in mid-November. According to supply chain sources, Apple has placed its orders but is being highly cautious, with initial shipment volume below what market watchers expected.
This may have had to do with weakening demand for iPads and tablets in general, which could have been caused by the growing popularity of smartphones with bigger screens as well as phablets. Apple isn't alone in trying to weather slowing demand but, as a market leader, it has always been seen as rather confident in reaching its targets.
Apple has been rumored to come up with a larger iPad since 2013. Apparently the company never pushed through with its plans because it was worried that bigger tablets have poor market demand.
It's still not clear what the iPad Pro (and if it will truly be called as such) will be like, but reports have pegged it as taking on Microsoft's Surface 3 Pro, at least in the productivity segment.
The 12.9-inch tablet is also rumored to have a 2,048 x 2,732 display, which will let it enjoy the same PPI as the iPad Air 2, a pressure-sensitive touchscreen (for Force Touch to be enabled), and USB 3.1 ports with Type-C connectors. The iPad Pro is also likely to be fitted with an A9 processor and 2 GB RAM and will use Touch ID.
Last month, iOS developers discovered certain features within the iOS 9 beta code pointing to an increased size for Apple's new tablet. Aside from a high-resolution modifier hinting at the 264 PPI display that the iPad Pro shares with the third-generation iPad up to the iPad Air 2, the code also shows a keyboard capable of being rearranged to scale to a larger size, which at the very least suggests Apple as laying down the groundwork for a larger tablet.
As with all tech rumors, nothing is ever official until a company announces a product. In Apple's case, confirmation on details about the new iPad are expected around September, the usual time the company makes its announcements.
Photo: Yutaka Tsutano | Flickr
