The Internet is a great source of information; the greatest even. So it’s not a surprise that because of it nothing stays a secret anymore. Sneak it a couple of photos of it, and it’s done – everyone and their family will find out in no time.

That’s exactly what happened with the latest rumors of a new iPad coming out. Based probably half on common sense deduction and half on word of mouth, the rumors seem to have been true. An image travelling around, depicting a mold said to make Apple’s upcoming, larger tablet pretty much confirmed speculation. The image is said to have been taken in China and was posted on Chinese website Weibo – saying that it was taken in Apple’s Foxconn factory.

What do the experts say?

Experts have taken the photo and got to work on estimating size and weight of the upcoming Apple iPad – rumored to be either iPad Air Plus or the iPad Pro. From the looks of it, the next iPad will be a 12.2 inches tablet – the dimensions seem to be 305.3 mm x 220.8 mm x 7 mm which is definitely quite a leap from the current largest model, the iPad Air 2. As a comparison, the Air 2’s dimensions are 240 mm x 169.5 mm x 6.1 mm so the difference is tangible to say the least.

The Future for iPads 

So the question will surely arise: what made Apple take such a turn when it comes to releasing tablets? Before the iPad Air 2, Apple seemed to have steered production the other way around by releasing the iPad Mini series – something that to some seemed to defeat the purpose of tablets in the price place, when users confronted the 7.9 inch iPad.

Recent studies reflect some explanations when it comes to handheld device sizing issues however. Given the fact that the smartphone market is partially turning into a phablet one raises several concerns. The mere fact that the term “phablet” exists and is considered a viable term for some devices hints towards that in the first place.

So we live in a time when there’s a crossing of roads happening – with the steady increase in size of so many smartphones out there, while companies release actual phone and tablet hybrids sized as large as 6 inches, users tend to lose interest in tablets for many of the things they normally do on portable smart devices.

Why bother with watching a movie on your 8 inch tablet when you can do it on the nearly just as large phablet that you recently acquired?

And stop to think of it, that’s precisely the way things work. While tablets might give you a little more versatility when it comes to work, making things such as text editing much less of a pain even without an attachable or Bluetooth keyboard, let’s be frank. If work is what you’re using your devices for, might as well go for a notebook or at least a tablet/notebook hybrid instead.

So if we’re talking entertainment alone, with the diminishing difference in size between tablets and smartphones, the number of reasons you’d use your former over the latter are very few.

Taking all of these into consideration, Apple seem to be doing a great thing – by focusing on producing larger scale tablets again, they can draw back the interest of people who purchased devices such as the iPhone 6 Plus for example.

Whether the intent will catch on to users out there or not is something we will have to wait and see once the actual thing is released. It’s not as certain that people will still give up the option of having a device that allows you all forms of media entertainment while still being able to keep it in your pocket for a large, 12 inch tablet that despite having to carry it around will most likely offer outstanding performance and visual goodies.