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IN PHOTO. A man looks at his iPad while sitting in a cafe in central Beijing June 6, 2012 Reuters/ David Gray

In order to reenergise its tablet computer business, Apple is reportedly supersizing the device screen to 12.9-inch and call it the iPad Pro on release date. The slate, a new report said, will feature functionalities that consumers have previously seen with the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Note 4.

Also alternately known as the iPad Air Plus, the rumoured device is said to rely on an A8X chip as main engine though the likelihood of the gadget being powered by the newer A9 application processor is not totally ruled out, based on the latest report by Apple Insider. For the most part, the device will mirror the banner features of the iPhone 6 with a touch of the tool popularised by Samsung with its Galaxy Note phablet.

Business-centric features

The iPad Pro’s near 13-inch panel is also a candidate to sport the Force Touch screen sensor, Apple Insider said. Force Touch is already with the Apple Watch and the latest MacBook and rumour has it that the same feature will find its way to the 2015 iPhones. With Force Touch on the board the biggest iPad to come, users are afforded extra device capabilities that will be pulled up on the screen when the panel is tapped or pressed slightly harder.

The same feature and its accompanying redesigns are also believed to accommodate the fresh iPad functionalities that are mostly designed for business use. One of them is the inclusion of the near-field communication or NFC chip with the device – to be used chiefly as payment terminal, the Apple Insider said.

Another redesign is the likely addition of USB-C port but the same report is unclear if this move will eliminate the Lightning port that is the current wired-connectivity option to the most recent iOS devices. If true, USB-C will facilitate for the expanded functions of iPad such as the sharing of its screen to a regular television set.

Stylus

With the biggest iPad, it appears too that Apple is deviating from the declaration made by its late co-founder Steve Jobs that mobile devices with touchscreen functions can do without stylus. This input tool will reportedly be paired with the iPad Pro via Bluetooth connection but it is unclear if the stylus will be part of the device package or it will be offered as an optional accessory.

Regardless, with Force Touch and stylus emerging as part of the iPad Pro menu, the device screen is said to be far different from the previous models in terms of touchscreen technology. In the iPad Pro, the touch panel is likely better calibrated for pressure-sensitive taps and swipes, according to the Apple Insider report. Somehow this resurrects rumours that circulated in the past years that IGZO panel from Sharp will be the preferred touchscreen component of the upcoming iPad.

First rumoured to come out with the iPhone 6 in late 2014, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro market debut was then moved in the first quarter of 2015. Now the device release date is being pegged to coincide with that of the iPhone 7, around September or October this year, if not earlier.

To report problems or leave feedback on this article, email: r.pineda@ibtimes.com.au.

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