Rumors that Apple is working on a larger edition of iPad called iPad Pro have been doing the rounds since last year. Now, reports suggest that the Cupertino giant may announce the new tablet in October this year.

According to DigiTimes, Apple has partnered with Sharp to supply 12.9 inches Open Cell LCD screens for the iPad Pro. The touch modules as well as LCM assembly will be provided by a company called General Interface Solution (GIS) that belongs to Foxconn.

The manufacturing of the Apple iPad Pro is scheduled to begin in September and full-fledged production will commence in October. An analyst with KGI Securities claims that Apple is aiming to produce 5.5 million units of the large-sized tablets, 9 to 5 Mac reported.

Rumors have it that the iPad Pro will be available with a stylus powered by Force Touch technology. The 12.9-inch display will support a resolution of 2048 x 2732 pixels. It will sport a strong 7000 series aluminum chassis along with stereo speakers.

Phone Arena claims that sales of the iPad Pro may begin in October or November this year. Incidentally, the Surface Pro 4, the much awaited successor to Surface Pro 3, is also pegged for release in October 2015.

The Verge reported that the form factor of the Surface Pro 4 will be similar to that of the older Surface Pro 3. The docking station and other accessories meant for Surface Pro 3 will also be compatible with Surface Pro 4.

Speculation is rife that Microsoft may launch the Surface Pro 4 with a larger display and better resolution without making any change in the form factor. The newer device is expected to be lighter and thinner than the Surface Pro 3. The Surface Pro 4 is pegged to arrive with the power-efficient Skylake chip and refined keyboard

What do you think about the upcoming clash between the Surface Pro 4 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro? Will the large iPad be able to disturb sales of Microsoft’s slate? Do let us know your thoughts by adding comments.

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