Much Larger ‘iPad Pro’ Rumored to be Debuting in Mid-2015

When Apple launched its iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 in October, many fans were also hoping to see a rumored big-screen iPad, dubbed the iPad Pro, make its debut. Unfortunately for them, Apple showed off only two tablets at its event, with the same screen sizes as the previous iPads.

Now, less than two months removed from Apple’s iPad unveiling, we’re once again hearing murmurs about a new giant iPad.

Japanese magazine Mac Fan reportedly got its hands on schematics for the new iPad, which it refers to as the iPad Air Plus; according to its report, the tablet will sport a gigantic 12.2-inch display.

Housing that giant screen is a 12.0 × 8.7 × 0.28-inch body that’s just a bit thicker than the 0.24-inch iPad Air 2. Still, that’s thinner than the original Air and the iPad mini 3.

Inside, the iPad Pro is said to be getting a new Apple A9 processor, which would likely be a step up from the Air 2’s current A8x chip. Mac Fan also claims that the Pro will feature four speakers, two on its top edge and two on its bottom, ensuring that you get stereo sound no matter which way you hold it.

Mac Fan says the new iPad will hit store shelves between April and June 2015. That matches up with previous reports that stated that the tablet wouldn’t be ready until the second quarter of 2015.

This new report does, however, run contrary to earlier rumors about Apple’s iPad Pro that pointed to the tablet coming with a larger 12.9-inch screen.

Still, this is all conjecture, so it’s all worth taking with a grain of salt until we see something more concrete. Mac Fan is not one of the more reliable sources for Apple rumors, so you’d be wise to be wary of this report until a more trusted source corroborates it. Indeed, this schematic could turn out to be baloney.

That said, a significantly bigger iPad would certainly be fun to play with.

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+ here.