Rumors about a potential 13-inch Apple iPad (please don’t call it the “iPad Maxi”, guys) have been kicking around for months, but it’s never made sense what exactly Apple would do with a device of that size until now.

A Digitimes report (which you should always take with a grain of salt) reported that the 12.9- or 13.3-inch iPad would actually be aimed at the North American educational market, and a ComputerWorld report posited the idea that such a device would actually be ideal as a classroom desktop for kids.


The screen size would certainly be better for displaying digital textbooks than currently-sized iPads. Further, making those devices into de facto iOS desktops, presumably using keyboard docks, means that youngsters aren’t walking around with expensive tablets that can be so easily be lost or stolen.


The concept also makes sense in light of what competitor Google is helping produce with Chrome OS-based devices. Chromebooks are relatively inexpensive computers for the classroom, but we’re seeing the first Chrome OS-based desktop all-in-one (the LG Chromebase) coming out, too.

Finally, it wouldn’t be surprising in the least to see Apple push its latest device to schools; the company has proven adept at doing so thus far.