Apple 'working on stylus for iPad Pro'

Apple is developing a stylus to sell alongside its new larger 'iPad Pro', thought to measure between 12.2-inches and 12.9-inches diagonally, new reports allege.

A report by respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claiming the Californian company will reveal a stylus alongside a larger iPad in the second quarter of the year, based on a number of stylus themed patents Apple has filed and his own research, AppleInsider has reported.

The stylus could be developed to support 3D handwriting and wireless charging in the future, he said, but it's unlikely these features would be included in any product released in 2015.

Mr Kuo also speculated the stylus may be marketed as a separate product rather than bundled with a new iPad due to the fact not all users will want to use it.

"Coupled with its unfavourable cost structure, high selling prices may turn consumers off if the 12.9-inch iPad is always bundled with [the stylus]," he wrote. "We therefore expect the stylus to be an optional accessory before sufficient user feedback is received."

Former Apple chief executive Steve Jobs was vocal in his dislike of the accessory, saying in 2007: “Who wants a stylus? You have to get them and put them away, you lose them, yuck! Nobody wants a stylus.”

The development of a stylus could have positive repercussions on Apple's educational and corporate customer groups, he said, while split-screen multitasking could be a future aspect of a future iOS update.

Apple has filed numerous patents around stylus use with iPads in the past, but no official Apple product has made it to market as of yet. Styli manufactured by third parties have been on sale since the introduction of the very first iPad in 2010. The current flagship iPad model, the iPad Air 2, measures 9.7-inches diagonally, while reports suggest the alleged new model will be between 12.2-inches and 12.9-inches.

Images of what appears to be a mould for the rear panel of a 12-inch+ iPad surfaced on Chinese microblogging site Weibo last week, reportedly taken inside Apple manufacturer Foxconn's factory in China.

It is possible the mould could be for the production of a 12.2-inch MacBook Air, which is also rumoured to be in development.