According to market sources cited by Digitimes, Apple will unveil and start selling the largest iPad sometime near the end of 2014 at the earliest, possibly alongside new revised versions of the regular iPad and the iPad mini. The new model would have a screen size of 12.9 inches, making it direct competition to the smaller laptops on the market today including Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro ranges.
Samsung recently unveiled its own large screen Galaxy Tablets with 12.2-inch screens. Unfortunately the devices didn’t go down well with many technology reviewers who claimed that the devices were uncomfortable to hold for a long period of time. There’s also the issue of Android apps, which are already largely optimized for tablets. When a phone app is stretched to a 12.2-inch screen, it just doesn’t look right. Apple arguably has an advantage here, since the App Store is full of tablet optimized apps.
The 12.9-inch model might have its own resolution to ensure it’s of Retina grade. Reports are currently suggesting it would be 2732 x 2048 with a 265 ppi (the same as the iPad Air). That’s quite an awkward resolution, which might create problems for current apps. That being said, a 12.9-inch iPad will probably require custom-made apps for the screen to be truly useful.