iPad Pro Work Tablet Postponed To 2015 Release Date, Analyst Claims

The rumored 12.9-inch iPad Pro will not release until 2015, Taiwan's Economic Daily News reports (via BGR).

EDN sources analyst David Hsieh of DisplaySearch, who has reportedly stated that Apple may postpone the device until next year.

As BGR notes, the Pro has been rumored as another 2014 iPad release alongside the Air and Mini 3 with Retina Display, a 2015 device and a canceled device.

Trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also recently stated that Apple will only release the Air 2 and new Mini in 2014, with the work-tablet "Pro" set for next year.

Kuo believes that Apple is working on the iPad Pro tablet for 2015 with an eye on a "richer entertainment and productivity experience," AppleInsider reports. He added that it will pack new usability features.

"With the 12.9" iPad, we think Apple will come up with a new user interface that's more innovative and intuitive, so that input will be as efficient as a device with keyboard," Kuo said.

The Pro has also been rumored for 2K/4K display options with with 2560 x 1600 and 4096 x 3072 pixel counts, respectively, an A8 chip and an eye-tracking sensor. Digitimes reports that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, or possibly "Max," would target "North America's educational market [and]... be manufactured by Quanta Computer." The tablet would arrive as a competitor to Samsung's work tablet and feature new cases with integrated keyboards and batteries, according to the report.

While the latest leak is another indication that the tablet is in the works, each day that passes without an iPad Pro is a missed opportunity for Apple, which should be capitalizing on a $63 billion market, according to JP Morgan analyst Rod Hall.

The iPad Pro, Apple's rumored large tablet with laptop capability, could be a real game-changer for Apple, with 25 million units sold serving as a realistic figure if the device is priced between $500 and $1,000, Hall recently stated.

Microsoft was the first to offer a tablet of the sort with the Surface Pro.

"We believe that Apple is currently missing a $63bn market opportunity by only partially playing in the $500-$1,000 laptop market via the iPad," said Hall. "Our central assumption is that lower priced laptop buyers are not willing to purchase what amounts to an expensive tablet that doesn't fully replace a laptop. Should Apple address this market through iAnywhere we believe it could rapidly grow share toward the 40% it currently has in $1,000 laptops."