Tuesday Apple Rumors: 12.9-Inch iPad Pro Not Likely to Launch This Year

by Christopher Freeburn | February 18, 2014 12:58 pm

daily apple rumors AAPL[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Not Yet: Though recent rumors have suggested that Apple (AAPL[3]) is developing an iPad with a bigger screen, one prominent analyst says a larger iPad won’t bow in 2014[4], MacRumors notes. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that the iPad Pro “is unlikely to be offered” until next year. While Apple doesn’t plan to launch a 12.9-inch iPad this year, Kuo indicated that Apple “will accelerate the development” of the larger iPad. Kuo also notes that given relatively weak sales of the Retina iPad Mini during the holiday season, Apple will likely delay updates to the iPad Mini line until next year, concentrating instead on an updated iPad Air and work on the larger iPad Pro. When it launches the next-generation iPad Air later this year, Kuo expects the 9.7-inch flagship iPad to include the Touch ID fingerprint scanner found on the iPhone 5s and a new A8 processor. A 12.9-inch iPad is expected to be marketed toward education and enterprise customers.

New Target: Apple is one of a number of tech companies[5] said to be circling Basis Science, which makes a health-tracking wristwatch, TechCrunch notes. Sources say the company has been shopping itself for under $100 million. In addition to Apple, Basis Science has reportedly had talks with Google (GOOG[6]), Microsoft (MSFT[7]) and Samsung. Apple has recently hired a number of health professionals. Most analysts believe those hires are joining its iWatch development team. Over the past few months, Apple has been rumored to be adding health-monitoring capabilities its much-anticipated smartwatch, possibly including pulse and blood glucose tracking features.

Debut: Brazil’s first Apple store opened to quite a crowd on Saturday[8], AppleInsider notes. The first Apple Store in Latin America is located in a mall in Rio de Janeiro. More than 1,700 people were waiting outside when the store opened its doors. That was more than the 1,500 customers that Apple had expected. More than 160 people camped outside the store on Friday night. Apple launched its Brazilian online Apple Store five years ago. High import taxes in Brazil drives up the cost of Apple products in the emerging nation. Due to the taxes, a 16GB iPhone 5s without a wireless contract sells for almost $1,200 in Brazil, compared to $649 in the U.S.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[9] stories.

Endnotes:

  1. [Image]: https://investorplace.com/hot-topics/apple/#.UwOdKHlhOf3
  2. Apple rumors: https://investorplace.com/search/?q=Apple+Rumors&searchsubmit=Search
  3. AAPL: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=AAPL
  4. won’t bow in 2014: http://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/15/ipad-air-2014-12-9-ipad-ipad-mini-2015/
  5. one of a number of tech companies: http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/16/basis-in-acquisition-talks-with-everyone/
  6. GOOG: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=GOOG
  7. MSFT: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=MSFT
  8. opened to quite a crowd on Saturday: http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/02/17/thousands-show-up-for-the-opening-of-the-first-apple-store-in-latin-america
  9. Apple Rumors: https://investorplace.com/2012/04/hot-topics/apple-rumors-stock-news/

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2014/02/tuesday-apple-rumors-12-9-inch-ipad-pro-likely-launch-year/