Apple is reportedly going to launch an iPad variant that falls in-between the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch models. These are the dimensions that the Cupertino-based tech giant is currently offering for its iPad Pro series. 

Since news about a 10.5-inch iPad broke out, tech analysts have been at a loss. They seem to find it difficult to explain why Apple would do such a thing. "It does not make any sense to me," one tech expert said on The Talk Show. However, a recent report has just revealed the reason behind this move.

When Phil Schiller first introduced the original 12.9-inch iPad Pro in September 2015, he hinted on iPad iOS 9 multitasking by emphasizing that its width is the exact same dimension as the 9.7-inch iPad's height. This feature allows the iPad Pro to have two full height iPad apps side by side on its screen.

Now, Apple is doing the iPad iOS 9 multitasking feature again. This time, with its smaller line of tablets - the iPad Mini. As pointed out by Studio Neat, the math works perfectly. The 10.5-inch iPad - which has remained unconfirmed for now - will have the exact same resolution as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. However, it will have the same pixel density as the iPad Mini. After crunching the numbers, the end result is a screen that is 10.5 inches diagonal.

Moreover, Apple Insider has reported that the company is preparing to launch three new iPad variants in the first quarter of 2017, namely the 9.7-inch, the 10.5-inch, and the 12.9-inch tablets. The 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch variants will have the reportedly costly A10X chipset, which hints that the 9.7-inch tablet will be geared toward consumers who are on a tight budget.

To date, there has been no news regarding a new Mini tablet. Without any new addition to the Mini series, the iPad Mini 4 will remain to be the smallest iPad for now.