Here is why Apple is keeping the iPad Pro close to the vest

Is Apple working on the iPad Pro? While no confirmation was given from Apple, no evidence of the contrary can be found, and by looking at where the market is headed, a 12.9 inch iPad has a lot of appeal, considering that iOS 9 integrates features clearly able to handle larger format touchscreens.

Having said that, this is not a post about whether or not the iPad Pro will happen, but rather about how consumers will welcome the new product and how it will impact sales for the existing iPad line up.

The iPad Pro will feature a larger format that, at least as far as iOS devices go, has never been tried before. The bigger screen is a reasonable chance that Apple is taking, and it’s definitely not a gamble. Apple has been working on providing consumers with intermediate options for all its products, such as the 12 inch MacBook, or the iPhone 6 Plus, which makes a “plus-size” iPad a potential hit for consumers looking to get more out of their favorite iOS apps, and be more productive over a larger active surface.

With that said, the iPad Pro is not a laptop, and it doesn’t need to be. Sometimes consumers need simply a device with low power requirements, constantly ready for use, and powerful enough for everyday tasks, both at home, at work and on the go. Most office applications perform very well on many iOS devices, as far as hardware resources, but the deal breaker is ultimately screen size, and that’s where a 12.9 inch iPad would really shine. Handling spreadsheet and word processing applications is simply easier on a bigger screen, especially when there is plenty of real estate for the iOS keyboard to display in landscape mode, without taking too much of the application’s real estate.

What’s taking so long for the iPad Pro to happen?

The iPad Pro is a killer concept, but when it comes to Apple, timing is everything. With Apple updating all of its product lines, from Macs to iOS devices, the iPad Pro can’t be too far down Apple’s list in where resources need to be allocated. By this token, there is a strong chance we won’t see the 12.9 inch tablet until after Apple releases the 2016 refresh of the MacBook air. According to sources close to the supply line, Apple has started placing orders for internal components and already picked a handful of manufacturers to line up for the touchscreen displays, namely Sharp, and Samsung as the fallback, just in case Sharp falls short on delivering enough displays by September.