This could be a defining year for the iPad

If rumors of a larger 12-inch iPad come to fruition this year, as many are expecting, this could be a defining year for Apple's tablet division, which has been struggling recently.

iPad sales have hit a wall. Apple announced its best two quarters in history this year, but in each of those earnings reports, iPad sales were worse than expected.

On Monday's earnings call, CEO Tim Cook admitted there was a little bit of cannibalization going on: The iPhone and Mac lines have been growing strong, especially with the introduction of bigger iPhones this year.

But Cook still thinks the iPad is a solid business with room for growth, especially in the workplace. "The real opportunity is to bring mobility into the enterprises and change how people work," Cook said in January.

What the iPad needs

The past two quarters proved people wanted bigger iPhones. Maybe they want bigger iPads, too?

A 12- to 13-inch iPad has been rumored since mid-2013, when The Wall Street Journal reported Apple and its suppliers were testing larger screens for the iPhone and iPad. 

Indeed, the larger iPhone came to fruition. But the larger iPad seemed to hit a road block. It may have taken a back seat to development on the Apple Watch, but a DigiTimes report (via MacRumors) from March 2014 suggests the big tablet faced difficulties "because of lack of support from related platform developers and ecosystems," causing Apple to "shelve" the project for a time.

The larger iPad has suffered repeated delays, but the most recent report from Bloomberg suggests Apple plans to ramp up mass production in September for a late 2015 launch. 

Compared to Apple's current tablet lineup - a 7.9-inch iPad mini and a 9.7-inch iPad Air - this new iPad would feature a 12.9-inch screen, according to the Wall Street Journal.

If you want an idea of how big this iPad would be, check out this new video from Unbox Therapy, which gives you an idea of how big the tablet might be based on a few unconfirmed tablet cases. 

That said, increasing the display size might not be enough to breathe new life into the iPad. It's up to Apple to take advantage of that added real estate, with regards to functionality; maybe some of those stylus patents or enterprise apps from the IBM partnership will come to fruition. Either way, it will be interesting to see if, when and how Apple releases a larger iPad, and how customers respond to it - the five-year-old tablet line needs a life line.