iPad Pro rumors: Apple to release a larger 12.9-inch tablet

Apple is reportedly preparing to produce its largest iPad yet. The company, it is said, is getting geared up to start production of the 12.9-inch model in the first quarter of 2015.

While the world awaits the launch of the iPhone 6, presumed to take place on Sept. 9, as well as the introduction of what has been dubbed as the iWatch, the company remains mum about its projects. It certainly has not officially revealed any information about the big iPad. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped Apple fans from speculating.

But if Bloomberg's source is accurate with their information, then consumers can expect to see an iPad display considerably bigger than its predecessors. Current iPad models sport 7.9-inch and 9.7-inch screens, and only a few other companies have ventured into the turf of large-display tablets. This includes Samsung with its 12.2-inch Galaxy Tab Pro and Galaxy Note Pro, and Microsoft with its 12-inch Surface Pro 3.

According to the report, the new model could perform more tasks generally done on a regular laptop, thus making it suitable for businesses – something that the Surface Pro 3 has already addressed, being what Microsoft calls "the tablet that can replace your laptop".

Even while the company has yet to confirm or deny the rumors, people are already reacting to the possibility of having a large-sized iPad.

In an interview in Bloomberg Surveillance, Bloomberg Businessweek's senior writer Sam Grobart said, "There seems to be, in the market, a desire for a diversity of sizes when it comes to these things... and so, in the end, you want to have a product at every spot for all those small slices of consumers."

Further, he said, "... sales of the iPad had actually gone down, which is actually surprising, so perhaps adding a new model at a larger size will pick up some of that business along the way."