Many in the tech community believe that the iPad Air, the most recent incarnation of the famous tablet family from Apple, while being a successful product for the company was really just a stepping stone to greater things. For example, many believe the company is working on a 12-inch iPad Pro.

In order to help keep up with pressure its receiving from Android device makers searching for profits, the iPad Pro, as it's been labeled by some, will be the more productivity minded iOS device and might even come with a keyboard cover accessory, akin to those found on the Microsoft Surface 2-in-1s.

According to ComputerWorld, the iPad Pro name has stuck because, following the iPad Air's release, it would make sense for a Pro model to come out, given Apple's previous product naming history.

What would make the iPad Pro so significant is if rumor reports form The Inquisitr are true. These reports hint that Apple is considering marrying its iOS mobile operating system, currently found on all iPads and its OS X Mavericks operating system found on all of its laptops. This would allow the iPad to become a notebook PC if need be and would lend more credence to the rumor that Apple is hoping to use this device to capitalize on the productivity market for businesses and schools. It would make sense, as displays get larger and larger, the company would need to do more than run single apps at full screen at all times. Incorporating OS X Mavericks will allow for multiple windows on a large touch-screen surface.

This would essentially put the iPad Pro in a position to replace the MacBook Air altogether. Very little else is known about the product's specifics, although the rumor mill is currently churning out some specs. What's most interesting about the iPad Pro is its naming legacy in reference to what the company is trying to do with its MacBook Air product line.

It's worth noting that this is all the stuff of rumors and that nothing will be confirmed until Apple makes an announcement on such a project, which likely won't be until later in the year, if at all.