When Apple unveils the iPad Pro later this year (this is rumour #1) it's believed that the Microsoft Surface rival will almost certainly come with an optional stylus (this is rumour #2).
The larger iPad has long been suspected to be in the works, but analysts have now started to close in on more precise details including the iPad Pro's release date and specs.
Long-time Apple watcher and all-round technological fortune teller Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities believes that the iPad Pro will launch in Q2 2015 and will come with an optional smart stylus that'll be charged using a Lightning connector.
With a reported 12.9-inch screen, it's believed that Apple's larger tablet will be in direct competition to Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 which has been trying to carve its own niche by defining itself as a "tablet that can replace your laptop".
Despite Steve Jobs' view that "if you see a stylus, they blew it", Apple's not beyond recognising when it could be wrong. Indeed Jobs often belittled competitors for making their phones too big, something that Apple then matched inch-for-inch with the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
So should you believe anything Kuo says? Well normally analysts are simply predicting the inevitable however Kuo's track record has been pretty astounding.
Not only did he manage to list the exact specs for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus five months before they were released but he also nailed the underwhelming update to the iPad Mini 3.
Apple iPad Pro Release Date
The iPad Pro will -- according to Kuo -- be released in Q2 2015 with the possibility of being announced in June at Apple's WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC 2015).
Apple iPad Pro Specs
So what will it look like? Well leaked design sketches appear to show a tablet that has been designed for landscape use with stereo speakers on either side while maintaining the ultra-slim profile of the iPad Air.
It's most likely that the iPad Pro will come running iOS 9, however there have been some rumours that Apple's professional tablet would be able to run both OS 9 and Mac OS X Yosemite. It would certainly put the tablet directly in line to compete with the Surface Pro, however it would rather conflict with Apple's own ideology of using a specific OS for what would still be a 'mobile' product.