Double mockup: 12.9″ iPad Pro + next-gen Apple TV with iPod touch style remote

Apple TV + iPad Pro mockup (Curved.de, teaser 001)

Apple may not be interested in making a full-on television set after all, if Yukari Iwatani Kane’s scathing book, titled Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs (available on the iBooks Store), is anything to go by. Needlees to say, that’s not stopping those mockups from coming.

Take, for instance, German website Curved.de which today put out an interesting concept envisioning Apple’s rumored oversized iPad, the iPad Pro with a 12.9-inch edge-to-edge screen.

The same outlet previously mocked up a next-generation Apple TV concept sporting an interesting looking remote with touch controls that resembles the iPod touch. Unlike some other crazy concepts, the publication did its homework by basing the renderings on rumor-mill reporting.

I’ve included both concepts for your viewing pleasure right below the fold so have a look and tell us what you think in the comment section…

Let’s take a look at the iPad Pro concept first.

iPad Pro mockup (Curved.de 001)

iPad Pro mockup (Curved.de 004)

Back in June of last year, The Wall Street Journal set the tongues wagging by quoting by citing people familiar with Apple’s plans as claiming that the company had been testing a prototype iPad device with a 12.9-inch screen.

iPad Pro mockup (Curved.de 007)

The rumor-mill readily picked up the report though recent reporting seemingly suggests that Apple may have put the project on hold. The usually reliable Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, for instance, thinks we won’t see the iPad Pro until 2015 although the company is accelerating development of the device.

iPad Pro mockup (Curved.de 008)

And earlier this month, the hit-and-miss DigiTimes claimed Apple had actually shelved the project due to various developmental issues, based on supply chain and channel inventory sources.

A few salient points by Curved.de:

  • The iPad Pro design is pretty close to its siblings, the iPad mini Retina and iPad Air. Curved corners and a flat back. Sound is provided from speakers that are placed left and right from the Lightning connector.
  • Touch ID is integrated in the saphire glass protected home button, which was introduced for iPhone 5s.
  • The screen is 12.9 inch wide and has a 4K-solution with 3,072×2,304 pixels (298 ppi), using LED-backlights and IPS-technology.
  • Even though it’s wider, it’s still as thin as the iPad Air: 7.5 mm.
  • The bigger screen with more pixels requires an A8 chipset with 64-bit-architecture.
  • Apps for the iPad Air are shown optimized by the iPad Pro. Dedicated apps – labelled with “Pro” – use the higher resolution and performance of the all new iPad Pro.
  • New pencils may fully employ all the features like pressure sensitivity. But don’t hold your breath for a multi button pen made by Apple.

Here’s the full gallery of iPad Pro mockups.

For what it’s worth, I’m not entirely convinced that the iPad Pro makes sense. Even though such a device would no doubt win heats and minds of creative professionals – think touch-optimized Aperture and Final Cut Pro on a 12.9-inch multitouch screen – it would admittedly lack mass-market appeal and Apple rarely caters to niche markets.

And now, on to Curved.de’s Apple TV concept.

Apple TV mockup (Curved.de 001)

The website is envisioning a 4K resolution-capable next-generation Apple TV thanks to an HDMI 2.0 port, driven by the A7 chip already used in the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display.

Apple TV mockup (Curved.de 002)

“The main attraction is the revamped remote control, completely redesigned as a touch device that might be wirelessly rechargeable via Apple TV,” the story notes, adding you’d still be able to control the set-top box through Apple’s free Remote iOS app.

Apple TV mockup (Curved.de 006)

They are calling for grey, gold and silver finishes, with the box dimensions measuring 9,8 x 9,8 cm, which is about the same size as the second and third-generation Apple TV. And due to technological advances, the fourth-generation Apple TV could be even thinner with 1,67 cm.

Apple TV mockup (Curved.de 000)

And here’s the full gallery.

The publication goes on to put DVD Audio, SADC, Dolby Digital Plus, True HD and dts-HD, 32 channel audio and 1536 kHz sample rate on their wish list. We’re of course expecting an Apple TV App Store for games as well, in addition to speedy 802.11ac Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth and more.

At any rate, these mockups are just that – mockups – so don’t read too much into them as we’re reposting the images here for the discussion’s sake.