Originally rumored to go on sale in April 2015, production of Apple Inc.’s eagerly anticipated 12.9-inch iPad has seemingly been delayed until September.

An anonymous source, said to be familiar with Apple’s plans, told Bloomberg that the delay in production is due to supply chain issues involving the display used in the larger-screen version of the iPad.

The 12.9-inch “iPad Pro” or “iPad Air Plus”, as some reports refer to it, has been mired in rumored delays. In October the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple and its suppliers had supposedly “pushed back plans to mass produce a larger-screen tablet to early next year as they struggle to make enough new iPhones [iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus] to meet strong demand.”

In November, MacRumors reported that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said production of the iPad Pro could be delayed until the second quarter of 2015, citing complications with the production of display components.

In December, a report from Mac Fan claimed the iPad Pro may launch between April and June 2015 and also gave us a glimpse at what to expect, apart from a larger screen. The report claimed that the iPad Pro will feature a 12.2-inch screen and dual top/bottom and left/right speakers.

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Apple needs the iPad Pro for its enterprise push

Despite releasing two new iPads in October, the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3, Apple saw its tablet sales drop 18 percent to 21.4 million units in the quarter ended December 27. Further reports from industry analysts predict that Apple’s iPad sales will continue to decline along with an overall slowdown in the tablet market.

While Apple CEO Tim Cook believes that Apple’s partnership with IBM will “move the dial” on iPad sales, the iPad Pro may instrumental to that positive change as the larger screen and increased productivity delivered by enterprise iOS apps will be crucial features for enterprise users.

“The iPad 12.9-inch Pro version cannot come quickly enough for Apple as it needs to re-ignite growth and demand in its Tablet products,” said Peter King a service director at Strategy Analytics.

Should production only start in September, we may see the 12.9-inch iPad go on sale late 2015 or perhaps even only in early 2016.

photo credit: Apple iPad Air 2_9 via photopin (license) /featured photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images