Japanese magazine Mac Fan has published what it claims are drawings for the much rumored upcoming 12-inch iPad (via Macotakara).
The report in Mac Fan, which refers to the 12-inch iPad as the iPad Air Plus, claims that the new iPad will include a 12.2-inch display, new A9 processor, four speakers to offer stereo sound in any orientation, and arrive sometime between April and June of next year.
Latest rumors for the device claimed iPad Pro would sport a smaller 12.2-inch display and a profile of 7mm, which lines up with the drawings published in the latest Mac Fan issue today. Several reports have pointed to a yet to be announced iPad that will reportedly include a display measuring somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-inches, however reports have claimed various sizes ranging from 12 inches to 12.9 inches.
Bloomberg and others reported that Apple was planning on releasing the device sometime in early 2015, while a recent report from The Wall Street Journal claimed Apple had postponed mass production of the larger iPad from December 2014 into next year as suppliers struggled to meet demand for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch. The latest rumors from the supply chain point to delays that will see mass production of the larger iPad start sometime in Q1 or Q2 of next year.
We can’t verify if the drawings published by Mac Fan are legit, but it’s worth noting the publication published drawings with accurate dimensions for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus before their launch. The translated report also seems to claim that Apple will introduce an iPad mini 4 with a design that takes after iPad Air 2 to replace previous generations.
