New iPads! That’s the suspected plan for Tuesday’s Apple event. With much of the consumer attention now turning to the more discreet form factor of the iPad Mini, Apple’s iPad 5 needs to justify its full-size existence. And that justification may now come in the form of an Apple-built, pro-orientated keyboard cover. According to ex-Apple employee and industry commentator Jamie Ryan, Apple has been working on “a few different styles” of iPad keyboard covers for a while. Though Apple already offers a Bluetooth keyboard that works fine with the iPad, it’s a bit clunky, and doesn’t come in a form that can integrate as seamlessly as a keyboard cover could. While Ryan stresses that the there are “thousands of no’s for every yes” when it comes to Apple prototype testing, he believes that a Bluetooth 4.0 keyboard cover for the big iPad could help Apple market the larger tablet to professional users, leaving the Mini to content consuming casual users.
