Apple may be working on 12.9-inch iPad with Surface-like keyboard cover

Apple may be working on a larger version of its iPad tablet, from what we have heard so far, and a report from the Korea Times suggests that the version may fall in the 12-inch range. An unconfirmed translation of a report from Pad News claims that Foxconn was already at work on a 12.9-inch version of the iPad, and the new report seems to validate that.

The first report, while quoting an official at a local Apple supplier in Korea, said, “Apple’s local first-tier display supplier is now producing a 12.9-inch Retina display to be used in the new iPad, which will be coming out sometime early next year. That display is now being manufactured by the supplier’s plant in Korea”. The source also stated that Apple is increasingly becoming interested in rolling out bigger iPads to keep up in an “era of convergence” where tablets will be replacing PCs.

12.9-inch version in the pipeline?

While talking about the new features that will be packed into the new tablet, the source claimed, “The 12.9-inch iPad will have improved picture quality. As the Apple partner intends to boost its lineup for displays that have almost ultra high-definition (UHD) quality, the upcoming iPad will provide very clear quality similar to that of UHD.”

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Talk of a new iPad has been supplemented with speculation that Apple might also be working on a new keyboard cover similar to what we have seen with the Microsoft Surface tablets in the past. While quoting inside sources, a report claims that, while the cover designs were not ready for last month’s iPad event, Apple had been testing different styles for a while now. Apple already sells a Bluetooth keyboard that functions well with the iPad, but it is not as integrated as the keyboard cover that Microsoft currently offers.

Apple’s move to introduce a tablet with a large screen opens up a lot of possibilities. While iOS does not come with as many higher-end apps as MacOS does, the vast majority of users don’t really need the latter, according to Phone Arena. The report speculates that it is possible that a larger iPad with a keyboard dock could completely remove laptop offerings like the MacBook Air from the line-up.

Apple has already said, when it launch the iPad Air last month that its tablet offerings can do “anything and everything”. This includes many functions that are normally associated with a laptop. Thus, the idea of a larger tablet replacing a laptop offering may not seem too far fetched.  All this, however, is pure speculation, as there is no official word from Apple either about a larger iPad or whether it plans to revamp its product line-up.