iPad Pro Release Date, Price & Specs: Leaked Image Shows 'Super Tablet' Now Being Manufactured

A new leaked image is believed to confirm that the alleged "super tablet" called iPad Pro is now probably in the works.

According to the January 12 report of the British news website Daily Mail, the leaked photo which is gaining some attention on the Internet is an image of a mold for the new Apple tablet. It noted that the new leaked photo was found on Chinese social network Weibo. Click here to see the alleged photo of the Apple mold. Daily Mail says the image was allegedly taken at a Foxconn factory in China.

Mac Rumors said that it not clear whether the mold is used for the actual iPad shell or if it is just for a dummy unit. It also says that even though the photo is not of high quality, you could still see Apple's logo at the center of the mold. This may indicate that the photo is indeed legit.

However, Mac Rumors says that this may also be an unofficial mold for dummy units considering the "relatively simple design" used. Although the size of the new device is not revealed in the said photo, Mac Rumors says that it will be definitely larger than the latest iPad model, just by basing it on that photo.

Earlier, another leaked photo from French blog Nowhereelse popped out. The photo showed some changes on the position of the tablet's speakers. The leaked photo shows the upper back part of the iPad wherein we see that the rear camera, power button, and volume buttons remain where they are. However, it is noticeable that the speaker holes are now on top next to the power button. Business Insider said that the device will have "four integrated speakers" to boost volume and sound quality.

The rumored iPad Pro, which others call as iPad Air Plus, is known as Apple's bigger iPad version. Mac Rumors in another report which cited Japanese magazine Mac Fan, the new iPad will be larger 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. However, Bloomberg 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.

As for the thickness, the International Business Times says the tablet will be measuring between 6.9 and 7.5 mm. Note that this is obviously thicker than the recently released iPad Air 2 which is 6.1 mm thin and than the iPhone 6 which is 6.9 mm. It is however slightly thinner than the new iPhone 6 Plus which is 7.1 thick.

The new iPad will reportedly "closely resemble" the recently released iPads -- Air 2 and Mini 3 -- in terms of its design. It is seen to have a thin chassis and slim bezels just like the two other iPads. The iPad Pro is seen to get the powerful triple-core A8X processor which is currently in the new iPad Air 2 and the latest iOS 8 as its operating system. The new tablet is expected to be unveiled anytime this year.