Kuo: 12.9-inch iPad Unlikely This Year – iPad Air Possibly Only Refreshed Tablet

If you’re waiting for the much-rumored 12.9-inch “iPad Pro,” don’t hold your breath, because blue isn’t your color…

AppleInsider:

The iPad Air may be the only model in Apple’s tablet lineup to receive a refresh this year, with an allegedly still-in-development 12.9-inch model unlikely to launch, and even a successor to the iPad mini with Retina display in doubt, according to one well-connected insider.

In a report obtained by AppleInsider, Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities predicts overall iPad shipments will drop this year. He says that’s because he expects the iPad Air will be the only iPad model to receive a refresh for 2014, upgrading to an A8 processor and Touch ID sensor late in Q3.

Kuo says the development of the iPad Air, and the larger iPad will be Apple’s main focus for this year, leaving chances of an updated iPad mini as “slim.”

Kuo also believes development on the 12.9-inch “iPad Pro” won’t be completed for a 2014 launch.

Kuo does expect the “Pro” to be a growth driver for Apple, and says it will require a revamped operating system to take advantage of the larger display.

Saying Apple has placed its priorities on finishing the operating system for its much-rumored “iWatch,” he says it will launch later this year.

Kuo does have a decent track record in his past predictions of Apple product moves, however, any of the information in his report is merely conjecture on his part, and should be treated as such.

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