Love your Mac desktop interface and wish to see it on an iPad?
You might just get your wish as Apple is looking to integrate OS X and iOS on its upcoming big screen tablet, according to Taiwanese tech site DigiTimes.
“Sources in the supply chain say that Apple has two 12.9-inch tablet prototypes in development: one is a 2-in-1 device and the other is a regular tablet. However, whether Apple will release both devices to the market or just one, still remains unclear. The device is rumored to be expected to enter mass production in early 2015,” DigiTimes reports.
Although DigiTimes doesn’t have a very good record of breaking Apple rumors, it is not unthinkable for Apple to be testing out a desktop OS for their tablet.
For one, running OS X on a tablet with a large screen makes a lot of sense as there’s just more screen real estate to do desktop-level work. This is something that Microsoft has already proven with the Surface Pro 3 tablet, which packs a 12-inch display
Also, it might just be possible to run OS X on Apple’s current tablet hardware.
Apple is supposedly testing out their ARM chips found in the iPads and iPhones on their iMac and MacBook line. This suggests that the “desktop-class architecture” chips are capable of handling Apple’s more powerful desktop OS, or if they are not up to the mark yet, then Apple are slowly working their way there.
Of course, Apple could just be running the same tests with the 12.9-inch iPad as they have with their desktop and laptop line, and OS X may never find its way into the market in tablet form.
However, given that Apple CEO Tim Cook is looking to “shake up the iPad line,” we might just see an Apple tablet capable of replacing a laptop.
