Apple planning 12.5-inch iPad?

Apple is said to be mulling an iPad with a 12.5-inch display, which the company reportedly plans to begin manufacturing early next year.

It is not stated when the larger iPad will actually be released. However, reports suggest the development of an iPad at this size for about a year now, so it is quite possible that it's finally headed towards a launch, CNN reported.

Currently, Apple offers the iPad mini and iPad Air, with 7.9 and 9.7-inch displays respectively. 

Apple is also said to be releasing two larger iPhones next month, which signals a response to consumers' increasing interest in devices with larger screens. The company may reveal the bigger phones in an event to be held in September.

Apple's move to larger screens comes in line with launches by other tech companies. Microsoft has already a large screen tablet , with the launch of the 12 inch Surface Pro 3 earlier this year. 

Earlier this month, Fuhu unveiled two new tablets that were sized at 20 and 24 inches each, reported the Los Angeles Times. The devices were termed the "world's biggest Android tablets made for sharing" by the company's CEO Jim Mitchell. 

According to a Bloomberg report, the operating system popularly used on tablets was Android mobile, being used by 62% of the market.  iOS' share of the market was 36% in 2013, which was a 17% decline from 2012.

With agency inputs.