Report: Apple Prepping 12.9 Inch iPad

AppleInsider, a popular blog and one of the leading authorities on all things Apple Inc. AAP related reported over the weekend that Apple is working on a large 12.9 inch iPad with a host of new features and changes from prior models.

The publication, citing a "person familiar" with Apple's future product plans, said that the all-new iPad will include an NFC radio that could allow for an "iPad Pro" to serve as a payment receiving terminal for Apple Pay users.

The source also noted the "jumbo-sized" iPad will sport a new touchscreen with improved touch latency that will further improve the end user's experience, especially when used with a new Apple-built Bluetooth stylus pen that will feature a pressure-sensitive input.

The iPad will also feature for the first time the inclusion of a USB-C input, although it is unclear if it would be a new, second port option or replace the Lightning connector found on current iPads. Speculation of the new feature is reinforced by leaked case designs that include spaces for two port openings.

Related Link: RBC Analyst: 'Optimal' For Large Screen iPad To Come In The Second Half Of 2015

Finally, AppleInsider was told that the new device will support a new next-generation A-series processor. This would mark an improvement from the A8X processed that is included in the current high-end iPad Air 2.

User "joninsd" commented on AppleInsider's article, speculating that Apple may actually be "testing the market" to see how close the company can bring a tablet to perform like a laptop – perhaps as a rival device to Microsoft Corporation MSFT's 12-inch Surface Pro 3 that markets itself as "the tablet that can replace your laptop."