A 16-Inch iPad Pro Could Be Apple's 2023 Wildcard

A little over a week ago, Apple made several changes to its tablets lineup, with the iPad Pro and standard iPad models receiving much-needed feature updates. This product refresh saw the vanilla iPad model undergo a major design update. Aside from permanently shedding its once ubiquitous home button, the iPad ditched the good old lighting port in favor of the modern USB-C standard. The removal of the home button enabled Apple to equip the new device with much slimmer bezels. Interestingly, the refreshed Apple iPad ended up looking eerily similar to the existing iPad Air series.

Besides giving a new lease on life to the standard iPad model, this update cycle saw Apple make several changes to its 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro lineup. As expected, the 2022 editions of these large tablets now feature Apple's latest M2 chips. Thanks to these chips, the 2022 iPad Pro models have become among the most powerful tablets ever released. Combined with the newly introduced desktop-level capabilities offered by iPadOS 16, the refreshed iPad Pro lineup does make for a powerful tool for people working in the creative space.

While Apple's existing iPad Pro models already feature large enough displays, it seems Apple has identified a niche market for tablets with even larger screens. According to a recent report by The Information, Apple is working on a massive 16-inch iPad Pro model that could debut as soon as next year.

The Information — which bases its claim on a person allegedly familiar with the rumored iPad — adds that Apple's 16-inch tablet will blur the lines between tablets and laptops. It would also make for an interesting product from Apple, given that the company has been making constant attempts to transform iPadOS into a capable operating system with desktop-rivaling features. The 16-inch iPad — if ever released — will be targeted at professionals like graphic artists and designers who wouldn't mind lugging around a monitor-sized object with them at all times.

Given that it's a task to carry even the existing 12.9-inch iPad for extended time periods, it will be interesting to see how many people would be actually interested in this jumbo-sized tablet. At this juncture, it is hard to predict how the company intends to market the 16-inch iPad after it launches. Will the company market it as a tablet with a massive display or as a tablet-like device with the capabilities of a full-fledged computer? Will it run macOS or iPadOS when it finally launches?

Interestingly, this is not the first time we have heard of Apple developing a larger iPad Pro. Earlier this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that Apple is working on a 14-inch iPad Pro model that could feature a mini-LED display. If the 14-inch and 16-inch iPad rumors become a reality, these two machines could indirectly compete against Apple's existing 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook models.