First case design leaked for Apple's giant 12.1 inch 'iPad Pro'
By Victoria Woollaston and Mark Prigg for MailOnline 20:20 30 Jan 2015, updated 08:03 31 Jan 2015
- claims case is first to be designed for Apple's new tablet
- It approximately measures 12 inches by 8.7 inches by 0.27 inches
- By comparison, the iPad Air 2 is 9.4 inches by 6.7 inches by 0.24 inches
- The iPad Pro, or iPad Air Plus, is rumoured to have a 12..2-inch screen
- Image suggests it will look similar to the rounded iPad Air 2 in design
- It follows leaked mould of a sketch for the iPad Pro that appeared last week
A leaked design for a case has revealed more details of Apple's much rumoured iPad Pro tablet.
The giant tablet is expected to have a large screen over over 12 inches.
It could go on sale within months, and help reinvigorate iPad sales.
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The tablet is also expected to have four speakers, and could even featur two charging ports allowing it to remain plugged in when in either portrait of landscape mode.
According to French blog nowhereelse.fr, the case is from a 'reliable source' which has previously given them advance details of Apple's product, which the firm is notoriously secretive about. 'The iPad or iPad Air Plus Pro should be unveiled sometime between the months of March and April,' the site claims, and 'would be equipped with a screen measuring from 12.2 to 12.9 inches diagonally,' it says.
The tablet is also expected to have four speakers, and could even featur two charging ports allowing it to remain plugged in when in either portrait of landscape mode.
It comes weeks after an image was leaked that appeared to be a mould for the device.
The photo was reportedly taken at Apple manufacturer Foxconn's factory in China and is said to measure approximately 12 inches high by 8.7 inches wide.
It follows a leaked sketch from last week that claimed to show one corner of the so-called megapad, iPad Pro or iPad Air Plus.
The photo of the mould (pictured) was reportedly taken at Apple manufacturer Foxconn's factory in China. Experts have estimated that the mould would produce a tablet that measures 12 inches in height, 8.7 inches wide and 0.27 inches deep (305.3mm x 220.8 mm x 7mm).
The latest image was posted on Chinese social network
Weibo.
If the rumours are true, the iPad Pro would be significantly larger than the current iPad Air 2.
Experts have estimated that the mould would produce a tablet that measures 12 inches in height, 8.7 inches wide and 0.27 inches deep (305.3mm x 220.8 mm x 7mm).
By comparison, the iPad Air 2 is 9.4 inches by 6.7 inches by 0.24 inches (240mm x 169.5mm x 6.1mm).
iPAD PRO/AIR PLUS RUMOURS
Name: Popular suggestions for the name of the supersized tablet include the iPad Air Plus - taking its lead from Apple's iPhone 6 Plus smartphone, and the iPad Pro.
Size: The tablet is rumoured to have a 12.2 inch screen, although other dimensions have also been suggested.
Rumours suggest it will be just 7mm thick.
Design: The leaked 'sketch' suggests that the iPad Air Plus will be similar in design to the iPad Air 2, with its rounded corners and also share the same placement of buttons on its edges.
USP: The image differs from the smaller tablet however, because of grilles on the top of the shell, which suggest the device will include stereo speakers, as rumoured.
Launch: Sources have suggested different launch times, but there is some consensus that the tablet may make its debut before the summer.
The iPad Air 2 has a 9.7-inch display, while the iPad Pro is rumoured to have a 12.2-inch screen.
This would put the Pro on par with Samsung's 12.2-inch Galaxy Note Pro, which launched in February.
Last week's leaked sketch, also reportedly taken by an employee who works at Foxconn seemed to show a grille that will also boast four speakers for stereo sound.
The image was released by French website
Nowhere Else, which has previously leaked details from unannounced smartphones and Apple gadgets which proved to be true, citing a Foxconn source.
The source said that initial testing for the iPad Air Plus was stopped in the summer and Apple's suppliers will soon start mass production of the tablet.
The sketch suggests that the tablet will look similar to the iPad Air 2 in design, with rounded corners and the same standby button, rear camera, microphone and volume buttons placement.
However, seemingly confirming rumours that the larger tablet will offer stereo sound, there appears to be a speaker grill on the top of the shell.
Japanese magazine
Mac Fan claimed in December that the iPad Air Plus will also feature a much faster A9 processor and is set to launch between April and June.
By comparison, the iPad Air 2 (pictured) is 9.4 inches x 6.7 inches by 0.24 inches (240 mm x 169.5 mm x 6.1 mm). Sources have suggested different launch times for the iPad Air Plus, but the general consensus is that the supersized tablet may make its debut before the summer
A leaked photo of a sketch (pictured) reportedly taken by an employee who works in a Foxconn factory, where iPads are made, also suggests that the rumours of an 'iPad Air Plus' with a 12.2 inch screen, are true
Bloomberg and other publications reported that Apple was planning on releasing the device sometime in early 2015, while a recent report from The Wall Street Journal said the Californian firm had postponed mass production of the larger iPad from December 2014 into next year as suppliers struggled to meet demand for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch.
These designs showed the gadget as just 7mm thick, but the size of the screen is uncertain, with rumours suggesting measurements between 12 inches and 12.9 inches.
The first suggestion of a supersized tablet came just weeks after claims that the large screen size of the iPhone 6 Plus was impacting on iPad usage.
The release of Apple's iPhone 6 Plus means there is now only a 2.4-inch difference between the size of the phablet's screen, and the display on its iPad mini.
Analysis has revealed that as phones become larger, more people are using them for watching videos or reading - making their tablets almost redundant.
The iPad Air 2 has a 9.7-inch display, while the iPad Pro is rumoured to have a 12.2-inch screen.This would put the Pro on par with Samsung's Galaxy Note Pro, which launched last February (pictured)
The iPad Air Plus is expected to have a 12.2inch screen or even larger, dwarfing the iPad Mini with its 7.9inch screen (left) and iPad Air (right) with a 9.7 inch screen
A study by Pocket - an app that lets users save webpages, videos and other content for reading - recently found that people who upgraded to an iPhone 6 Plus use their tablets 36 per cent less than before.
It analysed more than two million articles and videos that were opened using the app, and compared the before and after behaviour in people who previously owned an iPhone 5, 5C and 5S and those who now own an iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
It also looked at the use of tablets by the same people...
A survey comparing the before-and-after behaviour of iPhone and iPad users revealed that people with an iPhone 5S use their phone 55% of the time, but this increases to 72% for the iPhone 6 and 80% for the iPhone 6 Plus - both at the detriment of the iPad, perhaps explaining why Aple is planning a larger one
Apple debuts new iPad Air
Pocket also saw users with both an iPhone and an iPad watched significantly more content as soon as they upgraded to an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. Those with the iPhone 6 (centre) opened 33% more articles and videos inside Pocket than they did with a 5S (left), and those with a 6 Plus (right) opened 65% more items than before
IPHONE 6 VERSUS IPHONE 6 PLUS
The iPhone 6 accounted for 68 per cent of all sales through September and into early October, while its larger model took between 23 and 24 per cent.
Apple's cheaper iPhone 5S and 5C handsets made up the rest of the sales.
Following last year's launch, the 5S and 5C accounted for 84 per cent of total iPhone sales in the first 30 days - proving the 6 range is more popular.
The skew is being blamed on reports that stocks of the iPhone 6 Plus are lower because Apple is struggling to complete orders.
Recent figures from Pocket also found that two-and-a-half more Pocket users are opting for an iPhone 6 as opposed to a 6 Plus.
'The bigger your phone's screen, the more time you'll spend reading and watching on it,' explained the researchers in a blog post.
'In fact, the bigger your phone's screen, the more you'll read and watch as a whole.'
It discovered that users who upgraded to an iPhone 6 now view content on their phones 72 per cent of the time, up from 55 per cent when they owned on a smaller screen.
Pocket also saw that users with both an iPhone and an iPad watched significantly more content as soon as they upgraded to an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus.
But, a larger screen does make the smartphone less portable and Pocket noticed that people with an iPhone 6 Plus read 22 per cent less on their morning commutes than those with a smaller model.
Recent figures from Pocket also found that two-and-a-half more Pocket users are opting for an iPhone 6 as opposed to a 6 Plus.
'This tells us that, at least for now, convenience and portability trump a better, and bigger, entertainment and reading experience.'
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