A new report says Foxconn has built as many as five test models of a new 12.9-inch iPad for Apple to choose from, with the company considering both 2K and 4K “ultra HD” resolution panels for the tablet. Actual resolution details have not been mentioned by PadNews (via UnwiredView), the Chinese publication reporting the story. Furthermore, the publication speculates that Apple may launch a 2K iPad in the first half of 2014, followed by a 4K tablet later in the year. In 2012, Apple released two different 9.7-inch generations including the iPad 3 in March and the iPad 4 in November. Both devices had the same Retina display on board.
While this is an unconfirmed rumor so far, it isn’t the first time we have seen reports that Apple is working on a 12.9-inch iPad. A couple of weeks ago, The Korea Times wrote that the new 12.9-inch iPad would be launched in early 2014, although a followup report from Digitimes noted that such a tablet would launch in late 2014. The Wall Street Journal has also reported that Apple is working on a new version of its iPad with a display measuring between 12 and 13 inches.
In its report, The Korea Times wrote that the 12.9-inch iPad would offer improved picture quality, as it would pack an “almost UHD” (3840 x 2160 resolution) display.
Currently, Apple is selling a variety of iPads in its store including iPad 2, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad mini with Retina display. Of those, the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display feature displays with 2048 x 1536 resolution, while the other tablets have 1024 x 768 resolution screens.
