Do We Really Need A 12.9 Inch iPad Pro?
On occasion I post on Apple rumors because largely it is wishful thinking on my part especially pertaining to any rumor of a larger screened iPhone. Even though my biggest pet peeve with Apple seems to be working it’s self out, it would also seem Apple is keen to increase the size of their iPad as well. Dubbed the ‘iPad Pro” in all the rumor mills, there has been analyst speculation and a variety of leaked prototype devices like the one attached below. The iPad Pro is said to be 12.9 inches and obviously have a much larger screen. The Wall Street Journal last year reported that Apple was testing larger screen versions of the iPad. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo however it was unlikely we would see a larger screened iPad in 2014 but Apple still had it in the “pipeline”.
Honestly the value of a larger than 10 inch screen iPad seems a little lost on me. Really the iPad without any peripheral device capabilities like USB or software that would support a mouse makes the larger screen nothing more than a glorified media player that the iPad really is. I could see some really practical business solutions to the iPad pro with improved memory, peripheral device support and the ability to use a mouse which could perhaps replace the need for a laptop. As much as I like the iPad I have not been able to fully depend on it when I travel. The company I work for in fact is testing Microsoft Surface Pro grade tablets to replace the company issued iPads and Laptops we are issued. Something I am hoping I can be one of the first beta testers of!
So the whole iPad Pro which will undoubtedly come in at a substantially higher price than the current iPad version, leaves me a bit underwhelmed if Apple cannot improve the business class needs of the iPad as well. What say you? Sound off and drop a comment.
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Agreed. A 12.9″ any tablet running a phoneOS is silly. Except as a Netflix player for the kids. Something like a Surface RT running a desktop OS, and with out of the box KB/Touch Pad support, is a much better choice, and at a lower price.
But the haters will cry, “with RTs limited capabilities its useless”. Agreed, but there is an easy way to fix that. RT already runs full versions of desktop Office. So we know that’s possible on an ARM device. And some sleuthing types have already found registry keys that will allow you to run virtually any desktop app on an RT device. So Microsoft, allow users to install up to 5 desktop type applications on an RT, only after users have enabled it, getting past the bad stuff warnings, etc. And, only allow 1 of those desktop apps to run at a time. That will limit the demands on the lower speced RT machines, but give users more flexibility. If this was the case, all but my desktop machine could be lower cost, lower energy RT devices without any drawbacks.
Now if Apple were to do the above on a 12 9″ tablet they may have something. And as they have some forward thinkers in Cupertino, they may have already done that. That could change the game.