iPad Pro Release Date Delayed Due To iPhone 6's Massive Demand?

Apple's hot new item may have delayed the launch of it's next highly-anticipated device, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Suppliers are reportedly struggling to meet the high demand for the iPhone 6, delaying the initial Dec. production start for the rumored 12.9-inch Pro tablet.

"The top priority for the supply chain is to meet the overwhelming demand for the larger screen iPhones. The output of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus remains unsatisfactory," an unidentified person familiar with Apple's supply chain said. "It would be challenging for display makers to split resources and spend a few months to ramp up production for a new larger screen iPad now."

"Everyone is busy with the new iPhones, Foxconn's bread and butter. Chairman [Terry Gou] has also gone to the Zhengzhou site to monitor the production closely," a Foxconn official added.

Apple sold 10 million iPhone 6 units during the devices' first weekend in stores and recent projections suggest the tech giant sold around 21 million of the new smartphones during their first two weeks of availability.

Suppliers are reportedly gearing up to produce the 12.9-inch iPad "Pro" with a schedule aimed at commencement in the first quarter of next year, Bloomberg's sources "with knowledge of the matter" informed them.

The 12.9-inch display would easily be the largest iPad to date - the Cupertino-based company currently offers 9.7-inch and 7.9-inch iPads.

See Also: iPad Pro Rumored For Apple A8X Chip

The publication's sources also claim that Apple has been working alongside suppliers "for at least a year to develop a new range of larger touch-screen devices."

The rumored 12.9-inch iPad Pro work tablet may also do something Apple recently described as "a waste of energy."

Digitimes reports that the Pro will release in two versions - with one offering an operating system that integrates Mac OS and iOS:

"The sources pointed out that Apple's Mac OS 10.10 Yosemite, unveiled at WWDC 2014, showed many features that are very similar to those seen in iOS such as calendar, notification center and phone function," Digitimes writes. "Apple has also recently applied patents for the voice assistance function for Mac, which is believed to be the Siri of the Mac."

The rumor raises some red flags, however, as Apple executives told MacWorld in January that a 2-in-1 device isn't in their plans.

"We don't waste time thinking, 'But it should be one [interface]!' How do you make these [operating systems] merge together?'" Apple exec Phil Schiller said. "What a waste of energy that would be."

See Also: iPad Pro, Air 2 Tipped For Samsung Display Panels

"There is a super-important role [for the Mac] that will always be," Schiller added. "We don't see an end to that role. There's a role for the Mac as far as our eye can see. A role in conjunction with smartphones and tablets, that allows you to make the choice of what you want to use. Our view is, the Mac keeps going forever, because the differences it brings are really valuable."

"We have a common sense of aesthetics, a common set of principles that drive us, and we're building the best products we can for their unique purposes," Craig Federighi added. "So you'll see them be the same where that makes sense, and you'll see them be different in those things that are critical to their essence."

As we have witnessed this fall with the iPhone 6, Apple can change its mind about products they previously vowed to stay away from, so it's entirely possible that a change in thinking occurred since the time of the interview and today.