Apple reportedly exploring iPad designs with larger screens: Here's when they could be launched

According to a new report, Apple is reportedly exploring the possibility of newer iPad designs with larger displays, but you won't be able to buy them in the near future. Here's what you need to know.

Apple's 2021 iPad Pro models arrived earlier this year.  (Apple)

Apple sells its iPad models in 11-inch and 12.9-inch screen variants, to cater to the different needs of its customers. However, users who are immersed in Apple's hardware ecosystem do not have any options if they are looking for a larger display – this could be for educational purposes, or for better artwork design – or simply to enjoy better media content. Apple could be looking to change that by working on new screen sizes, according to a new report.

According to a report by Mark Gurman in Bloomberg's Power On newsletter spotted by 9to5Mac, the Cupertino company is reportedly considering the possibility of including larger iPad designs in future models. However, according to Gurman, Apple is currently in the ‘exploratory stages' and the new screen sizes could be a couple of years away.

The recently launched iPad that features Apple's M1 chipset, has the same 12.9-inch screen that was found on the older iPads all the way back to the first large-screen iPad Pro six years ago in 2015. If Gurman's claims are correct, this could mean that the world could see the first iPads arrive with screens as large as Apple's current laptops in the next couple of years.

However, as Gurman points out, the idea itself is still in the exploratory stage and could take at least two years to actually materialise. Bloomberg has previously reported that the iPad Pro model that is supposed to arrive next year will swap the instantly recognisable iPad rear panel with a new glass panel – so as to add support for wireless charging. However, it looks like even if the iPad Pro's back were to get an upgrade, the screen size itself might not be changing any time in the near future.

A more pertinent question for Apple would be whether the company has plans to improve how its iPadOS takes advantage of bigger screens. With the recent unveiling of better software features and multitasking options for the upcoming iPadOS later this year, Apple looks like it has made some progress in that direction, but it remains to be seen whether the iPad will eventually gain another screen size variant that is larger than the current maximum 12.9-in inch model.