iPad 6 Release Date Rumors: Is Apple Preparing To Launch A 12.9-Inch iPad With Up To 4K Resolution In 2014?

Tuesday a Chinese website reported that Apple is considering a new iPad model for 2014 although the company just released their new iPad Air model and iPad mini 2. IBTimes reports that Apple, with Taiwan-based Foxconn, is preparing multiple prototypes of the device featuring 2K or 4K screen resolutions. The website also reports that PadNews has said Apple is testing five different models with a 12.9-inch screen size. The report from PadNews also suggest that Apple may launch an iPad version with a 2K resolution screen in the first half of 2014 and then follow-up with a newer version, with a 4K resolution screen, a few months after.

PadNews quotes anonymous sources as saying the 2K resolution version of the bigger iPad could be launched in April of 2014 while the better, 4K resolution, iPad could be released around Apple's usual target release date of October. Apple Insider also mentions this new 2K and 4K resolutions but report that there is no mention of a specific panel resolution for either device. The newest addition to the iPad lineup, the iPad Air, boasts a 9.7-inch Retina display with a 2,048 x 1,536 pixel resolution, which is weirdly enough already a 2K panel.

A few rumors have also been reported out of Korea. The first from The Korea Times who claim an official local Apple parts supplier said that a "first-tier" display supplier" was producing a new iPad with a 12.9-inch Retina display. The other rumor came from Korean website ETNews who reported back in March that Apple's upcoming 12-inch iPad would be called the "iPad Maxi" which was later dismissed. Then late July the Wall Street Journal corroborated the ETNews report stating that Apple asked their suppliers for screen designs which measured slightly under 13-inches.

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