The much-rumored jumbo iPad Pro will enter mass production in late September. Inside sources familiar with the matter told Taiwanese publication DigiTimes that Foxconn will be responsible for the production of 12.9-inch tablet. The iPad Pro will be launched in mid-November.
Apple places lower than expected orders for iPad Pro
The Cupertino-based tech giant has historically announced new iPads in October, and launched them in the first week of November. That lines up well with the mid-November launch. However, the Taiwanese publication has a hit-and-miss track record when it comes to revealing the timing of Apple’s future product launches.
DigiTimes reports that Apple has been “rather cautious” when placing component orders for the iPad Pro. Apple has placed orders for limited quantities in an attempt to play it safe. Without providing a precise number, DigiTimes said the volume is much lower than what most industry experts were expecting. Rapidly declining iPad sales could have been the reason behind lower orders.
The iPad Pro has been in the works since at least 2013. However, the device was delayed repeatedly due to production issues and falling market demand. The iOS 9 code offers evidence that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is imminent. App developers discovered in iOS 9 code that the iPad Pro will have a display resolution of 2,732-by-2,048-pixel, giving it a pixel density of 264ppi.
iPad Pro specs and features
Developer Steven Troughton-Smith also found in iOS 9 beta that the new OS has a keyboard capable of scaling to a larger tablet size by rearranging keys. It adds an extra row of symbols at bigger screen resolutions. It also supports shortcut bar, Caps Lock and Tabs keys.
The iPad Pro is expected to feature an all-new Bluetooth stylus, a pressure-sensitive touchscreen, 2GB RAM, A9 processor, USB-C connector port, and NFC functionality. It will go against Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3, targeting power users. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has signaled that he remains bullish on iPads.
