Apple is reportedly delaying production of its long-rumoured 12.9in iPad Pro, as its manufacturing partners struggle to produce enough iPhone 6 Plus handsets to meet demand. The larger tablet would be the first device aimed specifically at business users and creative professionals, but if rumours prove accurate it may not now see the light of day until 2015.
According to the Wall Street Journal, mass production of the large tablet was originally supposed to begin in December, but those plans have been put on hold in order to focus on the company's first phablet handset. "The top priority for the supply chain is to meet the overwhelming demand for the larger screen iPhones," an anonymous source at one supplier told the site. "The output of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus remains unsatisfactory. 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."
Part of the problem is reportedly down to Foxconn struggling to hire staff for its Zhengzhou plant in China, which is one of the sites where the iPhone 6 Plus and smaller iPhone 6 are being manufactured. The source declined to provide further details, but did suggest the iPad Pro would have the same 2,048x1,536 resolution as the current iPad Air.
Whether the rumours prove to be true or not, we'll find out whether Apple feels ready to announce a larger iPad at next week's 'It's been way too long' event - where the company is also expected to relase OS X Yosemite to the public, debut an updated iPad Air 2 and possibly refresh the MacBook Air, Mac Mini and iMac line-ups.
We'll be at the event to bring you all the details, so be sure to check back on the 16th for the latest information.
