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It looks as though the iPad Pro will launch this year - here's everything you need to know about the big-screen tablet

There’s one Apple rumour that just refuses to go away: the 12-13in iPad Pro. Rumours that Apple was getting ready to launch such a devices were hotting up last year, but we got the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3 and that, it would seem, was that. Fast forward to this year and those pesky rumours have started to gather momentum again, bringing new hope that we’ll get the larger iPad model this year.

Fortunately, we've just had the official unveiling of iOS 9 at Apple's WWDC conference, which has given away a few juicy secrets that seem to show that a larger iPad is on its way. The biggest clue of the bunch is the code for a larger iPad keyboard, as spotted by 9to5Mac. On a larger screen with more resolution, the keyboard introduces new keys when in portrait mode. These include a Tab key and dedicated Caps-lock, plus a row of punctuation across the top of the keyboard. The second keyboard page now fits on all of the other symbols and numbers, so there's no longer need for a third page.

It seems obvious from this that Apple has a larger-screen device in the works, the iPad Pro. As we've known for a while, the new iPad is designed to give people a more powerful tablet that will let people work properly on it. A better keyboard is certainly a step in the right direction, as is the split-screen multi-tasking mode (see below for more information), which is coming to the iPad Air as well. For more rumours and information, keep reading.

What you need to know, quickly

In detail

Side-by-side multi-tasking coming

Apple's iPad sales have been falling, and the company is keen to reinvigorate the market by making some substantial changes to the way that they work, particularly in regards to their larger screens. One key feature, introduced with iOS 9, is split-screen multi-tasking.

The new side-by-side feature would let you split the screen in two, using either side for a different Safari tab or two completely separate apps. Apparently, the mode will let you choose 1/2, 1/3 and 2/3 views, depending on the apps you're using, letting you use the screen space in the most efficient way.

It's not the first time that this kind of mode has been mooted, with many people thinking that it would come out with iOS 8. This new mode will be rolled out to 9.7 iPads, although this kind of mode arguably makes even more sense on a larger 12in screen.

Force Touch

If you can rely on Apple for one thing, it's that once it likes a new feature, it tends to roll it out on all of its devices. The big thing at the moment is Force Touch, which was first announced with the Apple Watch and has since appeared on the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display and the new MacBook. In case you haven't come across the technology before, Force Touch uses a pressure sensor: when you press once, it's a normal click; push a little bit harder and you operate the secondary mode (a Force Click). This additional click performs different options, such as giving you a preview of a link in Safari.

It's an additional and unique way of interacting with a touch device and, given that Apple has included it on so many devices so far, not to mention that it looks likely to use the technology on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7, it makes plenty of sense that the iPad Pro would also get Force Touch. Quite what it will do is, as of yet, unknown, but it's very likely that iOS 9 (the next version of Apple's operating system), will introduce support for the technology. As with OS X, Apple will write an API for Force Touch, allowing iOS developers to create their own apps that use the additional Force Click.

Release date

There have been lots of conflicting rumours about the larger screen iPad. Last year, Bloomberg said that the iPad Pro would be launched in Q1 2015, although that’s clearly wrong given the current date. There’s a good chance that there was some confusion created by the new 12in MacBook, which was launched in March and will be available in the UK soon.

Reuters has stated that the iPad Pro will come out in September, and this is due to component shortages. Once again, we have to point out that we’ve never seen a true report about Apple products being delayed due to shortages. In fact, we’re now getting quite bored of reading these kinds of stories about every single upcoming Apple product.

Far more likely is that Apple will wait until it’s ready to launch the iPad Air 3 later this year, Given that it likes to release products on a yearly cycle, that means that we should see the new iPads around September/October time, including the iPad Pro.

Specs

It’s currently a matter of guess work at the moment, but we’ve had some tantalising glimpses of what might be on offer with the new iPad Pro. First up, it’s likely to have a 12.9in screen, making it considerably bigger than the 9.7in iPad Air we’ve currently got.

According to ETNews, LG is ramping up production of high-resolution oxide TFT panels, which will be used by Apple to manufacture the new iPad. Speaking to the publication, an LG Display related official said, “Investment to produce 30,000 sheets next year’s second quarter have started. Apple is creating iPads with 12.9 inch display, which shows they are increasing the panel size. And because so, we are planning in expanding production rate as well.”

Some rumours have said that the panel will have a 2K resolution, which is 2,048x1,536: the same as the iPad Air 2. Given that this resolution on a larger screen would reduce the pixels per inch (PPI) and make the screen a non-Retina one, we can’t see that happening. Instead, Apple’s likely to increase resolution. The Korean Times has reported that the iPad Pro will have a 4K resolution. This is normally 3,840x2,160, although that’s on a display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. As Apple has used 4:3 screens on previous iPad’s, a 4K resolution would most likely be 3,840x2,880. In truth, we’re likely to get something somewhere between the iPad Air 2’s resolution and 4K.

When it comes to the processor, the iPad Pro is likely to get the latest mobile chip available. Given that Apple created the special tri-core A8X for the iPad Air 2, we’d safely say that the iPad Pro is likely to get a new the A9X chip, which will launch later in the year. We’re also likely to see 2GB of RAM, which the iPad Air 2 also ships with.

According to the Wall Street Journal Apple is considering adding USB ports to the iPad. We don’t know if this will be in addition to the Lightning connector, or as a replacement: the new MacBook uses USB C for everything.

Otherwise, the rumours are that the iPad Pro will weigh 700g, have an 11,000mAh battery and will be 7mm thick. There’s also a chance that the tablet will ship with a stylus, making it the first touchscreen Apple device to do so.

Design and leaked photos

It seems as though the iPad Pro won’t be too different from the existing iPad line. Alleged leaked photos shown on HDBlog.it show a close-up of a case that looks reassuringly familiar. It also seems to show a second port on the side, which could well be a USB C port.

A second leaked photo of an iPad Pro dummy unit has also made its way onto Chinese social networking site, Weibo. While you can’t see a lot of detail, the shot shows what a 12.9in iPad would look like and the design is familiar enough.

Finally, nowhereelse.fr has leaked shots of an iPad Pro case, which shows how big the new model would be compared to the iPad Air 2. Of course, anyone can make a case for a product that doesn’t exist, so these shots don’t reveal a lot; however, they’re interesting to give us a feel for the size of the new product.

Operating system

Given that the iPad Pro is likely to launch later in the year, the smart money says that it will launch with the latest operating system, iOS 9. This operating system is due to be announced at WWDC in June and will have a beta available for it later in the year before it launches alongside the iPhone 6S.

Price

It’s hard to work out the pricing at the moment, but it’s safe to say that the iPad Pro will cost more than the iPad Air 2. The question is, how much more? If we take the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus the price difference started at £80 more for the larger screen model. We can expect at least that between the iPad Pro and iPad Air 2, so the minimum that the iPad Pro will cost is £489. Realistically, we can expect a bit more of a premium, but we’ll have to wait until there’s more information.