Seeking tablet revenue growth, Apple to reportedly launch 12.9-inch iPad Pro in 2015

Apple is preparing to roll out a larger, 12.9-inch version of its iPad for 2015, with production set to begin in the first quarter of next year, Bloomberg cited people with knowledge of the matter as saying on Tuesday.

The report comes as Apple struggles with declining sales of its 10-inch and 7.9-inch tablets, which are faltering as people replace iPads less frequently than expected and larger smartphones made by Samsung and other rivals encroach upon sales.

Apple has been working with its suppliers for over a year on larger touch-screen devices, Bloomberg cited the sources as saying. It is expected to introduce larger versions of its 4-inch iPhone next month, although the company has not publicized plans for its most important device.

Apple was not immediately available for comment.

Late last year, reports about Apple working on a 12.9-inch iPad with high-resolution display surface. The iteration is believed to be a blend of the Macbook Pro and Macbook Air, but without a keyboard. Previous reports also claimed that the device could be named iPad Pro. Very apt, we must say.

Recently, Apple also posted its quarterly revenue at $37.4 billion and a quarterly net profit of $7.7 billion. The overall revenue rose a meagre six percent. Moreover, the figures were driven by iPhone and Mac sales. While iPhone and Mac sales rose and new bigger screen devices are expected from Apple, the iPad hasn’t been doing so well. Sales of the iPad were down drastically for the company.

Apple sold close to 13.2 million iPads in the quarter, which is again less than the 16.3 million sold in Q2 of 2014, and less than the 14.6 million iPads sold in Q3 of 2013. With the new iPad, Apple certainly aims at increasing the iPad sales numbers.

Over in a jiffy: Flipkart sells 20,000 Xiaomi Mi3 units in 2.4 seconds this time around

In Xiaomi’s sixth Mi 3 flash sale on Flipkart,  20,000 units were wiped off the shelves in mere seconds once again. This comes as no surprise as the company has been setting some records with its Mi3 flash sale in India ever since the first batch up on sale on July 22. Read our extensive interview with Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra, where he goes over the surprise success of the brand in India. 

Needless to say, as soon soon someone hits the buy button, Flipkart considers the device sold. And those who joined the throngs said they couldn’t find the phone in stock right on the stroke of 2PM. That does indicate that Flipkart managed to pull off yet another quick sell-out. Barra tweeted saying the company had sold out all phones ni 2.4 seconds.

The company hasn’t mentioned anything about the registrations for the next sale. However, at event held inDelhi, Hugo Barra has launched Xiaomi’s budget Redmi 1s for Rs 5,999. The registrations for the Redmi 1s will begin today evening at 6PM.

By calculating the numbers disclosed by the company, Xiaomi is likely to have sold over 90,000 phones in India so far. The first day, it reportedly went off shelves within 40 minutes, while the second batch sold in five seconds, and the third one at a record of less than two seconds. The fourth and fifth batch had a similar tale to tell. Even with the evident demand, Xiaomi has been releasing meagre units, much to the frustration of the masses.

At just Rs 13,999, the Mi 3 packs a Snapdragon 800, which is by far the cheapest high-end phone available in the market. It competes with the likes of the Nexus 5, Galaxy S4, Xperia Z at nearly half the price. Read our Xiaomi Mi 3 review, to find out if it is worth buying.

For those who were unable to get their hands on the device this time, check out four alternatives to the Mi 3.