Apple Has An iPad Pro In The Works That Could Be A Hybrid Tablet-Laptop
We're calling it the iPad Pro, but who knows what Apple will call it.
There have been a flurry of reports about Apple working on an iPad with a 12-inch screen. There's also been a report about Apple developing a new laptop that will change laptops forever.
It seems like those are the same project. Evercore analyst Patrick Wang dropped this nugget in a note picked up at Barron's yesterday:
Arriving in fall '14, Apple goes Enterprise with an 12" iPad. Powered by the A8 chip (perhaps 4C), this expands ARM's reach and, once again, transforms the traditional notebook market as we know it. Expect a 2-1 hybrid - think iPad + MBA - similar to how most iPads are used in the workplace and in the same spirit of MSFT's Surface. We discussed A7 in detail, the benefits of 64b, and why it makes sense in our note. Two obstacles: (1) Microsoft Office not just Office 365 and (2) local storage. This would hit Intel in an area of strength - enterprise NBs - and open up the monopoly to price competition, a common theme for Intel in 2014.
We're intrigued by this notion of a hybrid from Apple.
For the past two years, CEO Tim Cook has been loudly dismissive of the Surface.
- At Apple's recent iPad event, Cook said, "Our competition is confused. They're turning tablets into PCs and PCs into tablets. Who knows what they're going to do next?"
- In October 2012, he said, "it's a fairly compromised, confusing product... I supposed you could design a car that flies and floats, but it wouldn't do those things very well."
- In April 2012, he said, ""You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator," but it won't please anyone.
So, it would seem foolish to expect an Apple Surface. Maybe it's just going to be a really slick laptop?