This morning has seen two photos of what is alleged to be the 12.9-inch “iPad Pro 2” circulate online. However, there are a few good reasons to believe that the pictured device is unlikely to be genuine.
These photos were first publicly posted by AppleInsider, which reveals that they were sent to the news outlet on Sunday by an “anonymous tipster”. The images are “said to originate from within a Chinese supplier currently working on an iPad Pro model scheduled to go into production in late September.”
First photos of alleged 'iPad Pro 2' surface in China https://t.co/s6rDlLlw8A pic.twitter.com/mVZH0lXjpr
— AppleInsider (@appleinsider) July 25, 2016
AppleInsider observes that the Settings screen in these images identifies the device by the model number MH1C2CD. This has not been assigned to any past or current iPad model, but does adhere to Apple’s numbering convention for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro line.
However, AppleInsider acknowledges that “forging a device identifier is a relatively trivial process”, while the size of the Home button visible in the left-hand image strongly suggests that this iPad is a 9.7-inch model – not 12.9-inch, as 9to5Mac, which was also sent these photos, says has been claimed.
With Apple having released the 9.7-inch iPad Pro only four months ago, it seems unlikely – though not entirely unprecedented – that it would already be preparing a follow-up device for production soon.
