Rumors of an iPad with a larger screen simply will not die. Bloomberg is today reporting that a 12.9-inch iPad will hit manufacturing lines in September. That is later than previously speculated, and the screen is to blame, according to the report.
But building the larger iPad could be the easy part. Apple then has to convince people that they actually want a tablet that large, which is a task other computer makers have so far been unable to do. Tablets larger than the iPad are nothing new. Several have been released in the modern era of tablets, but I challenge you to name more than two.
I’ll wait.
Tablets with screens over 12 inches have several things going for them. The larger screen real estate opens a new paradigm in semi-portable computing. Suddenly developers have more room to work with, which consumers benefit from. Games can be more immersive, applications can display more options, and you can never have too many cells in a spreadsheet. The larger frames also make room for more batteries and more powerful chipsets.
Yet interest has so far been low for the larger tablets. There are few options available. HP announced the HP Slate 12 in January and Samsung released the Galaxy Note Pro 12.1 last year. It will then be up to Apple to invigorate and define a product category. It’s been widely speculated that a larger iPad will help Apple court businesses into the tablet dance.
Rumors of a larger iPad have been around for several years, but have recently gotten louder, as screens have improved and Apple’s chips have increased in power. And as they say, where there’s smoke, there’s probably a BBQ.