Rumored 12.9-Inch 'iPad Pro' May Include More Powerful A8X Processor

Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablet is rumored to be landing as soon as early 2015, with the latest report from Taiwan's TechNews (via G For Games) suggesting the tablet will feature an improved A8X processor. Similar to Apple's previous A5X and A6X processors, the A8X would presumably be an graphics-enhanced version of Apple's current A8 processor that debuted in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

ipadpromockup
Apple shifted away from using an "X" version of its base iOS device chip last year, opting to power the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini with the same A7 chip found in the iPhone 5s, albeit clocked slightly faster on the iPad Air. But with a higher-resolution "iPad Pro", the graphics needs are likely high enough to require an enhanced main chip.

In its recent report, TechNews also reiterates its previous claim that Apple's iPad Air 2 will feature 2 GB of RAM. This increased RAM would be a boost from the 1 GB present in both the current-generation iPad Air and the company's new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets. It also may serve to set the iPad Air 2 apart from the next Retina iPad mini, which is rumored to keep its current 1 GB RAM configuration.

While the iPad Pro may land next year, Apple's iPad Air 2 is expected to be introduced sometime in the coming month. The new tablet may launch in time for the holiday shopping season with a redesign possibly including marginally a thinner body, redesigned speaker grille and other improvements such as Touch ID.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...

Top Rated Comments

sshambles Avatar
145 months ago
4 bend jokes in a row there. How original! :rolleyes:
Score: 54 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleFan115 Avatar
145 months ago
I can't wait to watch porn on this thing.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
McFreggle Avatar
145 months ago
*sigh*

I guess we'll have to learn to live with the "will it bend" "joke" with every Apple-related news item in the coming weeks. :(

Oh well. At least nobody's asking if Safari runs snappier on it.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sholzer Avatar
145 months ago
calling it now.. only 1GB of RAM
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ombrenelcielo Avatar
145 months ago
But the real question is: will it bend?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
145 months ago
i will probably get flamed for this on here but its useless if they wont re-design iOS to take full advantage of bigger screens with adjusted features in the future.

lets face it our iPads basically run the iOS of a 3.5/4.0 device (i mean just look at the damn folder layout) and even the iPhone 6 / 6+ doesnt add much more functions than being able to read more at the same time.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)