After iPad Air, Apple to launch iPad Pro

2014 seems to be the year that Apple will adopt big screens. While reports of bigger iPhones have been doing the rounds since early this year, latest reports say the iPad too is set to get bigger.

According to a report by International Business Times Australia, the Cupertino-based company is working on a 12.9-inch iPad with high-resolution display. This model is said to combine the capabilities of the Macbook Air and Macbook Pro in a keyboard-less format.

Korea Times has also reported that Apple is working with one of its first-tier display suppliers to develop a 12.9-inch Retina display. This panel is being currently manufactured in Korea and features picture quality similar to that of UHD (ultra high definition) displays.

The upcoming model, currently being termed iPad Pro, will come with both 2K and 4K displays. While the former is expected to hit the market in April next year, the latter is slated to launch in October.

This falls in line with earlier rumours of Apple readying iPad with 12-inch screens next year.

Last year, Apple launched the third-generation iPad in April and followed it up with the fourth-generation model in October. Then in February this year, it launched the 128GB variant of the fourth-generation, improving only the storage while retaining the rest of the configuration. Therefore, Apple launching more than one iPad model in a year will not be a surprise.

Apple is reportedly interested in making professional-grade iPads because it acknowledges that tablets are steadily replacing computers in today's "era of convergence."

Manufacturers like Dell, Asus, Acer etc have been developing Windows 8-based hybrid computers that offer the functionality of a laptop and the portability of a tablet. However, these products have not tasted much success, whereas the tablet market has been booming across the globe.