New Delhi, August 27 – Rumours of a bigger iPad, also dubbed iPad Pro, are not new. But on Wednesday a report on Bloomberg, a website that covers business news, gave credence to these rumours.
Citing unnamed sources, the report said that Apple was working on a bigger iPad that would have a 12.9-inch screen. This bigger iPad would launch next year, said the report.
Sources told Bloomberg that Apple “has been working with suppliers for at least a year to develop a new range of larger touch-screen devices”. Currently, Apple sells two versions of iPad – iPad Air, which has a screen size of 9.7 inches, and iPad Mini that has a 7.9-inch screen.
If the Bloomberg report is correct, it looks like Apple is preparing to evolve the iPad into a productivity device. Currently, the iPad has limited functionality. It is fantastic for consuming content.
For example, the iPad works great if you want to watch videos or browse through beautiful photos on a Flickr stream. But for majority of customers it doesn’t work that well if the task requires creating a PowerPoint presentation and editing a 300-page report.
It is likely that Apple will pair the big screen iPad with a keyboard dock to make it a device that is suitable for productivity-related tasks. Already, a number of third-party keyboards are available for iPad and a lot of working professionals use them with their iPads.
At the same time, the current iPads are also limited by the functionality in iOS. Compared to Windows or OS X, which power laptops and desktops, iOS is very limited in its functionality.
It doesn’t allow users easy access to file system, something that makes organising a bunch of office documents on the iPad difficult. Even tasks like attaching multiple files in an email feel like a chore in the current version of iOS that powers the iPad.
It is possible that Apple may come up with an iPad-only version of iOS that will be more flexible, feature-rich and open compared to the current version of iOS. This iPad-only version of iOS may help Apple position the tablet as a productive tool that can replace a laptop for a user.
The sale of iPads is slowing. In the last two quarters, Apple sold less iPads compared to what it had sold in the same period in 2013. A lot of people already own iPads and it is possible that they don’t see value in upgrading it because of its limited functionality.
Meanwhile, in developing countries a lot of consumers are going for a large-screen phone plus laptop combination for their computing needs. These consumers do not see value in getting another computing device like iPad that neither offers the mobility and communication features of a phone nor offers the power of a laptop.
It is possible that with the bigger iPad, Apple will position the device as a replacement of a laptop and not as a third computing device that you should have along with a phone and laptop.
If the bigger iPad materialises it is also possible that Apple may kill its MacBook Air laptops. The iPad has already been given the “Air” moniker, something that hints that the other category of Air devices may go away.
-INDIA TODAY
