Everything we know about the iPad Pro
What is the iPad Pro? We look at all the rumours surrounding the 12.9-inch iPad, including the potential iPad Pro release date, iPad Pro specs and a look at a few iPad Pro concepts to see what a 12.9-inch iPad might look like.
The idea of a 12.9-inch iPad Pro isn't a new one as there have been rumours about such a device since 2013 and earlier. While there's no official word on it, there's some evidence Apple is working on or has considered a 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
The first iPad Pro 12.9 evidence dates from April 2013 and a patent filing detailing a potential iPad and MacBook hybrid. Clearly the product, pictured below, never saw the light of day and probably never will. But it shows that Apple continues to consider ways to extend the iPad range.
There have also been numerous suggestions that Apple has an innovative stylus in development. This would play well to the idea that the iPad Pro will cater to professionals, particularly creative professionals who want an iPad with more creative tools to use.
Apple is believed to be planning a joint iPad and Mac launch in mid-October, which is the earliest we're likely to hear anything about the iPad Pro, most likely alongside the iPad Air 2.
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This shows a proposed hybrid design from an Apple patent filing
iPad Pro 12.9 Release Date: When will it come out?
For a long time tipsters were convinced the iPad Pro 12.9 release date would be this year, but that seemed unlikely then and is even more so now.
The busy schedule for 2014, which will likely include launches for the iPhone 6 and the long-rumoured iWatch as well as updated iPads, makes launching another new product difficult. Serial Apple tipster Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities admitted as much in an investors note back in February.
However we do expect a joint iPad and Mac event in mid-October, which could be a potential venue for an iPad Pro announcement. While a 2014 iPad Pro release date is unlikely, it could choose to announce it this year and release it next year. This would give developers time to adapt and develop apps for the new, larger iPad, a move that would mimic Apple's decision to delay the Apple Watch release date until next year in order to give developers time to work on it.
iPad Pro 12.9 Rumours: What do we know so far?
The only consistent thing we know is that the iPad Pro will have a 12-inch screen — possibly 12.2 or 12.9. Sources from Foxconn, the company that makes many of Apple’s products, suggested a 12.9-inch screen with a 4K resolution, but the details are very thin.
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More solid info comes in the shape of patent filings for a stylus dubbed the iPen. The ‘iPen’ already has over 20 patents associated with it. One filing from February suggested a battery powered pen with built-in gyroscope, accelerometer and microphone.
Such a stylus would support gestures and voice commands, and could be used as a voice recorder.
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iPad Pro concept by Ramotion
iPad Pro 12.9 Concepts: What could the iPad Pro look like?
No rumoured Apple product is complete without some ‘concepts’ for people to gawp at and there’s no shortage of iPad Pro concepts. We’re only going to look at one iPad Pro concept, though, mainly because it provides some useful information to help us imagine what the iPad Pro could look like.
SEE ALSO: iPad Air 2 (2014) release date, news, specs and rumours 
Obviously it looks like an iPad, but the key point is the dimensions comparison. Assuming Apple retains the same basic design, it provides a decent guide to how large a 12.9-inch iPad Pro would be. In this case, around 6cm taller and just over 3cm wider than the iPad Air and about the same weight as previous iPads before the Air.
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3, another 12-inch tablet, also provides a useful guide to how large the iPad Pro could be. It measures 292mm tall and 201mm wide, very similar numbers to the speculated figures of the concept.
iPad Pro 12.9 Specs: How fast would it be?
This really is anyone’s guess, but clearly an iPad Pro would use an Apple Ax processor just like all other iPads and iPhones. You could make an argument that it would be the logical choice to be the first quad-core iPad, but that’s all it would be at this stage: an argument.
If you accept the premise of the iPad Pro as a tablet for ‘creative professionals’, however, this would necessitate some reasonable hardware upgrades to power more advanced features. Given Apple’s pretentious to ‘desktop class’ performance from its A-series processors, the iPad Pro could be the perfect platform for a serious upgrade to its mobile processors.
iPad Pro 12.9: Will it ever happen?
We’d be lying if we said we knew. The likelihood is that Apple is considering or has considered a larger iPad, but that’s no guarantee it will ever come out. Apple, just like most tech companies, will often consider and abandon ideas and perhaps rediscover them again at a later date. It’s the nature of developing products.
But the fact the idea of an iPad Pro continues to attract attention suggests it’s an idea some people like the sound of, which might be enough to convince Apple to make one. An iPad Pro is more likely than an Apple TV set, that much we can assure you.
Next, read our Surface Pro 3 review - the next best thing to an iPad Pro.