With the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPad Air and iPad Mini coming off of their respective unveilings form earlier this year, as well as the subsequent holiday sales that came with each, it may seem like it's far too early to begin talking about the newest models from Apple's tablet and smartphone family. However, new reports indicate that Apple might be on its way to sending something new through the pipeline earlier than many thought it would.
According to reports from Digitimes' supply chain sources, Apple is "rumored to be planning a larger sized iPhone for May 2014, using a 20nm processor manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company."
The new 12.9-inch, rumored to be out in Oct. of 2014, is apparently meant to target the North American educational market, an area of sales that is only just starting to recognize the significance of tablets.
In terms of whether or not the large-sized tablet will be adopting a better processor, Digitimes notes that performance will likely be a huge factor for iPads in 2014 as the product line has shifted, meaning that a large-tablet would be replacing the 11-inch MacBook Air.
In addition to the tablets, Apple is still rumored to be caving to pressure form its rival Samsung and creating a larger display iPhone variant to appeal to the emerging "phablet" (phone/tablet) market created by the Galaxy Note family of smartphones. Most reports put the device, likely the iPhone 6 but not necessarily, as having a 5-inch screen, which would be larger than the iPhone 5 but still smaller than the behemoth-sized Galaxy Note III.
Tell us what you think. What would you like to see Apple do with its next lineup of smartphones and tablets in 2014? Are you a fan of bigger and better or do you think different variants of the same devices aren't going to hold your attention for too much longer? Comment and share your thoughts with us below.
