Apple did something interesting with the launch of the
latest full-sized iPad (aside from a total hardware revamp): Gave it a new
name. The iPad Air alludes to the Cupertino, Calif. company adopting the naming
convention of its laptop lines, the MacBook Air and Pro series, for its
premiere range of tablets.
Logic would dictate, then, that if Apple were to release an
even more sizable iPad, it would be with a professional bent and named the iPad
Pro. So, we're looking at 2014 for a newer, bigger iPad entering a product
category that has seen little success thus far. Will Apple be the one to
legitimize the "professional's tablet?"
Cut to the chase
What is it? A brand new, larger iPad
When will it release? Either spring or fall 2014, we expect
What will it cost? Likely somewhere between the iPad Air and
MacBook Air
iPad Pro release date
The iPad Pro release date will be in 2014, following the
iPad Air, which released November 1, 2013. However, there are many rumors
regarding the tablet's firm release date.
Unnamed Foxconn sources have told Chinese news site Pad News
that Apple plans either a late winter/spring or October 2014 release date. To
further confuse things, these sources also claim that Apple is working on two
versions of the pro-level slate.
According to Pad News, an iPad Pro with a 2K screen
resolution will launch in April 2014, while a 4K iPad Pro will land in October.
Korea Times's sources at a "local first-tier display supplier" report
that a single version will launch "sometime early next year" with a
nearly UHD resolution.
Even more sources reporting to China's United Daily News,
point to another iPad Pro manufacturing partner entirely: Quanta Computer.
DigiTimes's sources (hit-and-miss with rumors) recently backed up this report,
claiming that Apple expected the manufacturer to have either a 12.9 or
13.3-inch model ready. Now, the Taiwanese outlet's sources say that Apple is
leaning toward the smaller screen.
As if to mix things up even more, International Business
Times reports that Apple is aiming for winter or even a spring 2015 release,
according to its Foxconn sources.
Computer World points out that most US school districts
determine their budgets in January or February each year. So, a fall or winter
2014 launch would make the most sense.
The competition already heats up
Samsung beat Apple to the punch in
unveiling its 12.2-inch
Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab Pro tablets during CES 2014. With that,
DigiTimes expects Apple "to release its competitor by the end of the third
quarter at the earliest."
iPad Pro design
It's doubtful that Apple would do much to change the shape
of the iPad Pro in its leap to 12.9 inches, the supposed size most rumors point
to. The iPad Air's design was applauded by critics (us included), and early
sales projections say that consumers are into it. However, an Evercore Partners
analyst suspects the size to be a smaller 12 inches to align itself closer to
the 11.6-inch MacBook Air, AppleInsider reports.
It should go without saying that the iPad Pro will
inevitably be heavier than the iPad Air. To even meet the iPad Air's feathery
453.6 g at 12.9 inches would be a miracle of modern engineering. That said, not
much should stop Apple from meeting the Air's super svelte profile at 7.5 mm
thin.
The concept designers at SET Solution seem to disagree. In
the video above, SET Solution dreams of a device with an even narrower bezel
with sharper edges, a camera with the dual LED flash found on the iPhone 5s,
Touch ID and a textured aluminum backing.
iPad Pro keyboard case
Back before the iPad Air unveiling, former Apple fellow
Jamie Ryan claimed to have heard from current Apple employees that an iPad
keyboard case was in the prototyping stage. Ryan went on to say that the
keyboard case mimicked the Microsoft Surface Touch Cover.
While it didn't make the latest iPad debut, the iPad Pro
would provide the perfect stage for the reveal of Apple's proprietary iPad
keyboard case. Ideally, this keyboard would connect physically to the tablet
much like the Smart Cover does today, but use Bluetooth for the interaction.
Plus, an included keyboard would all but be a must for a professional-grade
tablet.
iPad Pro, meet iOS 8
While no rumors specifically point to this, it's pretty much
a given that the iPad Pro will run the latest iOS. If the pro-level pad
launches in October 2014, then this is almost a certainty, as we expect iOS 8
to launch alongside the awaited iPhone 6 in September. However, our friends at
MacLife seem to disagree.
iPad Pro storage
This is Apple's chance to differentiate the iPad Pro from
the iPad Air even further. Professionals expect lots of space from their
computing platform of choice, and while the current 128GB iPad maximum is nice,
it might not be enough.
Of course, a 256GB, 12.9-inch iPad would cost a small fortune,
but what does the end user care when it's on company dollar?
iPad Pro home button
You can bet the farm that Apple will include its TouchID
technology into the iPad Pro home button. Fingerprint security has become all
but a must-have feature on enterprise laptops, and this professional iPad will
have to meet that standard to gain better traction.
Rumors point to an iPhone 6 prototype having no home button,
according to Business Insider. But that seems an unlikely fate for both
devices, given that the iDevice form factor is minimalist enough as is.
iPad Pro screen
This is where things get way interesting. First, the Korea
Times reported, citing Apple's "local first-tier display supplier,"
that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will sport an almost-UHD resolution when it arrives
in early 2014.
A later rumor, this time from China's Pad News, pointed to
both 2K and 4K resolution iPad Pro models in the works. Per the story, Apple is
prototyping a 2K model that would likely exceed that of the Kindle Fire HDX
8.9's 2560 x 1600 (264 pixels per inch) and blow away the iPad Air's 2048 x
1536 (339 ppi).
A 4K iPad Pro would likely come in around 4096 x 3072,
beating the 4K TVs available today. Pad News also claims that Apple intends to
launch both of these prototypes in 2014, with a 2K version to come in April and
a 4K model to launch in October. It seems unlikely to us that Apple would
release two models in the same year. No, wait, that's already happened.
iPad Pro processor
Again, this shouldn't be a major shocker. While actual
rumors are scarce, the iPad Pro will almost undoubtedly use a beefier version
of of Apple's 64-bit A7 chip, if not an all-new A8 processor.
That said, it looks like Apple intends to drop the amount of
Samsung-made A8 chips in 2014, thanks to its increasingly intense rivalry with
the Korean handset maker. At any rate, expect even further gains in power and
battery life from Apple's latest processor.
It will be interesting to see whether 64-bit processing has
an effect on the iPad Pro's enterprise capabilities. But what will be even more
important is Intel's response to such a product, given its long-standing
relationship with Apple on the MacBook line, Daily Finance suggests.
iPad Pro camera
Not much, if anything, has been said of the iPad Pro's
shooter. Given that this tablet will be as large as (although lighter than) a
number of laptops, we wouldn't be concerned too much with what kind of photos
the tablet can take.
More important will be the iPad Pro's front-facing webcam.
Will we see a higher resolution snapper on the front for quality video
conferencing? Well, we sure hope so. A truly HD webcam would get heavy
travelers more jazzed about an iPad than ever.
iPad Pro eye tracking
To put an even finer point on the importance of the iPad
Pro's webcam, Apple would be remiss not to include eye tracking technology. The
company has already seen startups like uMoove interested in providing the tech,
and IBT's sources claim that this will be a key feature.
The iPhone 6 is expected to come with eye tracking. Now, all
that's left is to implement them in a way that makes sense on an iPad Pro.
Sharing with others what we're looking at on our own screens in conference
calls immediately comes to mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment