Apple is reportedly getting ready to begin production of iPads with 12.9-inch displays by the beginning of next year.
People with knowledge of the situation said the device would be the tech giant's largest iPad to date, and that the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has spent the last year working with suppliers on creating larger touch-screen devices, according to Bloomberg.
Apple current sells iPads with 9.7-inch and 7.9-inch screens. While tablets are the company's second most successful product in revenue, sales for the devices have decreased for two quarters in a row due to more customers starting to prefer smartphones with bigger screens. The sources said it wasn't until recently that Apple's suppliers started producing the 9.7-inch-screen iPads. They added that the suppliers were getting ready to begin production for a new version of the iPad mini, which would be made available later this year around the holiday season.
Rumors have spread for the past year about Apple developing an iPad with a 12.9-inch screen, The Verge reported. In addition to the new iPad, Apple has been rumored to be making two larger iPhones available to customers in September.
People with knowledge of Apple's iPhone plans said that one of the devices would come with a 4.7-inch screen, and the other would come with a 5.5-inch screen, Bloomberg reported.
iPads with larger screens have the potential to be successful with businesses. Apple announced in July that it had formed a partnership with International Business Machines Corp. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said the arrangement was formed to improve iPad sales, since the company would sell the devices to corporations so they could "be a catalyst for future iPad growth."
