AppleInsider Staff
If Apple does launch a new, larger iPad with a 12.9-inch display this year, a new report from the Republic of China suggests that the device could ship with an upgraded "A8X" variant of the A8 introduced alongside the iPhone 6 series, while the next-generation iPad Air might double the RAM of its predecessor.
The iPad Air is currently Apple's largest tablet with a 9.7-inch display.
The so-called A8X would be manufactured in conjunction with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the same firm that builds the A8, according to TechNews.tw. The report was first noted by GforGames.
Rumors have long pointed to an eventual jumbo-sized tablet from Apple, though numerous reports have indicated that it is unlikely to launch this year.
If the "iPad Pro" does materialize, the move to an upgraded A8X chip would not come as a surprise. The quad-core Imagination Technologies graphics processing unit in the A8 has been shown to struggle with the scaling required on the 5.5-inch, 401-pixels-per-inch display of the iPhone 6 Plus, with some users reporting stuttering in various system components.
The publication also reiterated its previous prediction that the second-generation iPad Air would gain an additional 1 gigabyte of RAM. Relatively little else is known about the new tablet, which is likely to be unveiled late next month, though it is expected to add the A8 and a Touch ID-equipped home button.
Sponsored Content
Wesley Hilliard
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
80 Comments
okay let's just get them out of the way:
Does it bend?
Bigger and even more bendier
The most bendable iPad yet.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
"The quad-core Imagination Technologies graphics processing unit in the A8 has been shown to struggle with the scaling required on the 5.5-inch, 401-points-per-inch display of the iPhone 6 Plus, with some users reporting stuttering in various system components" I'm curious to know how widespread that is.
[SIZE=4]The iPad MacBook Air. The MacBook iPad. The MacBook Air Pad. The MacPad.[/SIZE] How about an interdependent hybrid mobile computer with an active digitizer? In Steve Jobs' introduction of the wedge Macbook Air, he asked... "What would happen if a Mac and an iPad hooked up?" What would that actually look like? Apple can take the bottom of the Macbook Air (with its logic board and battery) and an iPad (with its logic board and battery), and in the words of the late Steve Jobs "hook them up". The iPad could physically attach or dock to the Macbook Air and become a detachable screen. While the iPad is docked to the Macbook Air, the Macbook Air could access and control the iPad's apps through the glass trackpads' multi-touch gestures. This way, through the trackpad, your hands would still be naturally interacting with the iPad horizontally, while the iPad is attached vertically to the Macbook Air Because the iPad and Macbook Air are two separate computers, you can interact with both environments interdependently while using both simultaneously - in that the iPad functions as a display for the Macbook Air, which allows you to use the Macbook Air's desktop environment, while at the same time, you can access the iPad's mobile apps through the Macbook Air's keyboard and trackpad, completely independent of the Macbook's desktop environment. And because both are physically connected as well as connected by the cloud, data transfer could be both hardwired and wireless. The great thing about this is that because the screen is independently powered, the laptop's batteries would last longer, which should also see a similar increase in the iPad because it is using minimal processing power as a monitor. With this hybrid, it is no longer a choice of either/or but it can be both, in that you can carry both your Macbook Air and your iPad as one computer in the same chassis. Together, the hybrid would be about the average weight of a normal laptop; while at the same time, the iPad could detach from the Macbook Air, and be naturally light to carry as a tablet. This is better than carrying a slate computer like the Surface that is neither laptop nor tablet.
Too bad iphone6+ was left without a8x, 2gb and likely split screen multitasking. Many benchmarks show gpu performance is underwelming on 6 plus due to too many pixels to handle. And Split screen is likely out because of 1gb limitation.
That would be great! The most powerful iOS device ever!
And I've said this before, but definitely a day one purchase for me.
But who knows with all of these dumb rumors.
And BTW - AAPL sure is taking a beating today!