Apple Inc.'s iPad Pro Could Be Its Largest Tablet Yet, Blueprints Reveal

Apple’s next iPad is going to be its biggest yet -- if the latest renderings are to be believed. The so-called iPad Pro is not only going to be larger but likely thinner as well, says French Apple blogger Steve Hemmerstoffer of Nowhereelse.fr.

The blueprints say that the iPad Pro may measure 305.7 mm long, 222.6 mm wide and 7.2 mm thick. Those measurements would make it the largest iPad Apple has ever released, while being only slightly thicker than the iPhone 6 Plus and thinner than the original iPad Air. Unlike previous iPads, the blueprints also call for two speaker grilles on each end of the iPad for a total of four. Despite rumors that Apple could introduce an iPad Pro with a lightning port and a USB type-C port, the blueprint design calls for only one located at the bottom of the long end.

What the leaked blueprints don’t show is the front side of the iPad Pro, which may come equipped with a 12.9-inch display. But since the blueprints are from December 2014, it’s entirely possible that Apple’s iPad Pro design may have been modified since then.

The iPad Pro has previously been expected to be unveiled this spring. However, manufacturing problems with the larger display may push its release into September. The tablet is expected to be Apple’s latest answer to turning around iPad sales, which have been plummeting for several quarters.