Apple caved to market pressure and created a phablet. This may sound as blasphemy but it’s not the first time Cupertino is seen reacting to rivals getting too confident, too aggressive - too close for comfort. The first iPad mini had to respond back in its time to the rise of the compact Android tablets. That was different though - and not in a way perhaps that Apple will like.
The iPad mini was very much in a league of its own, by virtue of its screen size and aspect ratio. The phablet, on the other hand, is dragged into a tougher game away from home. For the first time, Apple is playing by someone else’s rules. They’re in it to win though. Second year in a row, users will be choosing from a pair, but this time it’s a pair that doesn’t have a straightforward first choice this time around. It’s an iPhone and a bigger - better? - version of it.
The iPhone 6 Plus marks the biggest leap in iPhones since the iPhone 4 and will have implications for the iPads as well. With a large 5.5 screen to straddle the difference between the iPhone and the iPad Air.