iPad Air Plus Release Date: Specs & Features: Apple to Launch Device This Year?

Are you ready for the bigger iPad?

According to a recent report from the International Business Times, the alleged new iPad Air Plus is scheduled to be unveiled by Apple this year. However, it remains as rumors as Apple has not yet confirmed or issued a statement regarding this.

The rumored iPad Air Plus, which others also call as iPad Pro, is known as Apple's bigger iPad version, according to Mac Rumors which cited Japanese magazine Mac Fan. It reported that the new iPad will be larger than the usual ones as it measures 305.31mm x 220.8mm x 7mm or 12 inches x 8.7 inches x 0.28 inches. It will have a 12.2-inch display, it claimed.

Bloomberg, on the other hand, says that the new iPad will probably measure 12.9 inches diagonally. As for comparison, current iPads have 9.7-inch and 7.9-inch displays. "The Cupertino, California-based company has been working with suppliers for at least a year to develop a new range of larger touch-screen devices, said the people," the report said.

But Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller refused to answer questions when Bloomberg tried getting her reaction. The report also said that there are attempts to increase the screen size of iPhones. This obviously pushed through with the release of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

According to the October report of the Wall Street Journal, the larger iPad is set to be mass produced early this year but it was delayed as it was originally set to be mass produced starting December last year.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, meanwhile, suggests that Apple will face difficulties in pushing for the mass production of the larger iPad version by second quarter. Mac Rumors says the tablet will probably be launched between April and June this year.

Mac Rumors, in a separate report, says that the new iPad will "closely resemble" the recently released iPads -- Air 2 and Mini 3 -- in terms of its design. It noted that it is also seen to have a thin chassis and slim bezels just like the two other iPads. However, the new iPad will be thicker than the iPad Air 2 which is 6.1 mm thin.

It is also thicker than the iPhone 6 which is 6.9 mm. The new tablet which is expected to measure 7 mm however will slightly be thinner than the new iPhone 6 Plus which is 7.1 thick.

The iPad Pro is rumored to get the new triple-core A8X processor which was first received by the new iPad Air 2. This processor, Mac Rumors said, is "up to 55 percent faster" than the A8 processor which is in the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. As for the operating system, the iPad Pro is expected to get the current and latest iOS 8 and a 2 GB RAM.

Mac Rumors also says that the device would probably have an 802.11ac Wi-Fi and an LTE Advanced in its Cellular + Wi-Fi models. It will also likely get a motion coprocessor with several sensors, a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, barometer, touch ID, and compass functionality.