Steven Troughton-Smith, an iOS app developer, stumbled onto some interesting revelations with the new iPad keyboard in the iOS 9 beta.
He discovered that the new keyboard scales up to a larger size and a somewhat different key layout. This is in line with the rumored iPad Pro that is expected to launch sometime in the near future, as a 12.9-inch version of Apple’s popular tablet.
The UIKeyboard
The UIKeyboard automatically adjusts itself and repositions keys to fill up the extra space at higher resolutions. This new keyboard features larger keys and dedicated Caps Lock and Tab buttons on the left as is seen in the image.
The alternate keyboard view fits all symbols and characters in one go and features “Undo” and “Redo” buttons. Fitting all the symbols and characters onto one view makes it a lot easier to work with this larger keyboard, especially on larger devices.
iPad Pro Rumors
Recent rumors suggest that the new 12.9-inch device from Apple would have a number of innovative features, and come with a new screen made with silver nanowire-based materials. This means that the new iPad might have a pressure-sensitive Force Touch display.
Another rumor suggests that a new pressure sensitive stylus might accompany the iPad Pro, paired over NFC or Bluetooth, giving it added functionality. Whether these rumors are true or not remains to be seen but a number of features in the iOS 9 beta are pointing toward a device like the iPad–but with a larger screen.
Split View, Slide Over, and Picture in Picture
Along with the keyboard, a number of multitasking features that have made their way into iOS 9 for the iPad Air 2 suggest that Apple might be preparing for a larger device.
While the 9.4-inch device handles it well, multitasking features such as Split View, Slide Over, and Picture in Picture work best with larger screens. If there were a 12.9-inch device incoming, these multitasking features would be a perfect fit for it.
While this sounds great, multitasking requires a lot of processing power and memory, which is why the new tablet is rumored to have a powerful A9 processor and at least 2GB RAM. That would round off the new iPad as a truly post-PC era device that Apple has been working towards for quite some time.
So, are you looking forward to a new, 12-inch iPad? What do you think about these recent rumors and findings? Let us know in the comments below.
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