12.9 Inch iPad Maxi, More iPhone Models Coming?

The iPad is still the king of the tablet market. Apple has managed to generate a ton of momentum for the iPad brand by releasing the iPad mini last year. The iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 are expected to be bestselling devices also. Could Apple release an even bigger iPad in the upcoming months? We are talking about a 12.9 inch iPad for folks who find the current generation iPads too small. That’s what Korea’s ETNews is suggesting.

We are quite skeptical about this. A bigger iPad is going to cost more. If the success of the iPad mini has shown us anything, Apple does not need a larger tablet to generate more momentum for the iPad brand. We have already seen Sony, Lenovo, HP, ASUS, and Dell release all in one desktop PCs that can serve as huge tablets. Apple won’t be following their lead. A 12.9 inch iPad could potentially challenge ultrabooks but so could a convertible MacBook Air, which we have also heard rumors about. Apple could prove us wrong but it will most likely not release an iPad Maxi in 2013.

Speaking of new iOS devices, Apple might release more iPhone variations in the coming years. Many experts have suggested that Apple needs to think about branching out and releasing more iPhone models. Tim Cook addressed the issue at the D11 conference yesterday:

Well, we haven’t so far, that doesn’t shut off the future. But let me answer the question on why we haven’t so far. It takes a lot of work, a lot of really detailed work, to do a phones right when you manage the hardware, software, and services around it. We’ve chosen to put our energy into getting those right, and have made choices in order to do that.

Tim Cook also dismissed the idea of Apple releasing a phablet. Things could always change in the future though.