MashBlur

Citing a source from Apple’s Asia supply chain, Digitimes reports that the company may be preparing to release a 12.9-inch tablet sometime in October of 2014.

This latest report follows a similar rumor published in the Wall Street Journal this summer that claimed that Apple was testing a new iPad with a screen measuring “slightly less than 13-inches."

The Digitimes report also claims that Apple’s larger tablet will be manufactured by Taiwan-based PC manufacturer Quanta Computer.

In recent years, Apple rumors of varying authenticity originating from Asia supply chain sources have become commonplace. But those rumors generally hint at some new product that might mirror existing market trends, such as an iPhone with a larger screen, or an Apple-branded smart television.

History tells us that Apple generally avoids following trends, instead opting to set new ones and open up new product categories. An iPad with a nearly 13-inch screen would largely buck the current trend of smaller tablets and phablets currently dominating the global marketplace.

If that logic holds, then the notion of a 12.9-inch iPad — a tool that could be particularly useful in educational environments (an important focus for Apple) — doesn’t seem so far fetched.