Rumor: larger iPad with 12.2 “screen coming in second quarter and has A9-soc

Apple is rumored to have plans to release a larger iPad in the second quarter of 2015. The 12.2 “tablet would also have a new soc: it would be the A9 soc, the successor to the A8X that is in the iPad Air 2.

The rumors come from Japan’s Macotakara, which previously reported on the larger iPad and was also one of the first to announce the arrival of the iPhone 5. The site states that a new iPad with a diagonal of 12.2 should be released in the second quarter of next year.” Macotakara previously spoke of a release in the third quarter of this year.

An A9 soc would be built into the housing. In terms of naming, that seems to be the successor to the current A8X soc, which is built into the iPad Air 2. For the time being, however, it is unclear what the specifications and performance of the A9-soc are. The larger iPad would measure 305.3mm by 220.8mm by 7mm, according to a schematic image of the tablet that Macotakara has. The dimensions correspond to previous rumours. If the numbers are correct, the large iPad will be significantly thinner than Microsoft’s Surface 3 Pro, a similarly sized tablet and likely its main competitor.

Macotakara also mentions the unannounced iPad mini 4. Which should also be released in the second quarter of next year and have the A8X soc. With the release of the fourth generation, the previous versions would disappear from the shops. Apple previously received criticism with the release of the iPad mini 3, because it hardly offered any innovations compared to the previous generation.

There have been rumors for some time about an iPad with a larger screen diagonal than the current models. The previous rumors would show that the price would be around that of the iPhone 6 and that stereo speakers are built into the front.