Apple plans iPad event on October 16: report

On the heels of a major launch of large-screen iPhones, Apple has scheduled an October 16 event to update its iPad line, technology news website Re/code reported Friday. The event also will include a look at next-generation software for powering Macintosh computers, Re/code said, citing unnamed sources.
The gathering is to take place in an auditorium at Apple's headquarters in the California city of Cupertino, according to the report.
Apple did not reply to an AFP request for comment. If the report is on target, the iPad event will take place a day before Apple begins selling its latest iPhones in China.
Apple launched the large-screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on September 19 and has rolled the smartphones out to an array of countries, but not China where it took some time to clear licensing hurdles.
Apple's revenue in Greater China - which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan - is second only to the United States, and chief executive Tim Cook has said he expects it to become the company's biggest market in time.
Apple, which popularised tablets with its iPad, remained the largest single global vendor in the second quarter but its market share fell to 26.9 percent from 33 percent last year, as Android makers boosted their share, according to the research firm IDC. The first day of global sales for the phones was a huge success, with Apple breaking its sales record for an opening weekend of a new iPhone model, delivering 10 million in three days and boasting it could have sold more if it had them.
Both new iPhones have larger screens as Apple catches up with the "phablet" trend pioneered by competitors such as Samsung, which has had success with its Galaxy Note series.
The iPhone 6 has a screen of 4.7 inches and the 6 Plus is 5.5 inches, reflecting a growing preference for big screens on smartphones.
Main rival Samsung has long had a range of larger handsets, which are popular in Asia. Apple released fully updated iOS 8.0.2 software to fix trouble with the original version of the mobile operating system for its gadgets.