Apple is rumoured to be developing an “iPad Pro” tablet for an early-2014 announcement. The tablet will be a larger-screen variant of the original 9.8-inch iPad, and rumours indicate that the display will be a massive 12.9 inches across – almost two inches larger that 11.6-inch hybrids available today.
According to a report in the Korea Times, a “first-tier” display supplier – likely to be either Samsung or LG – is already manufacturing these 12.9-inch screens with a view to the new iPad’s announcement early next year. More interesting is the display’s resolution: an official at an Apple supplier in Korea said the following:
“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.”
The large-screen iPad is likely a move to counter Samsung’s slow but steady chipping of Apple’s previously unassailable market share in tablets. A Strategy Analytics analysis reported that last quarter alone Samsung’s tablet market share was only 6.9% away from Apple’s, the first time that Samsung’s market share difference was narrowed to a one-digit figure.
(Source: Korea Times via Unwired View)
