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| The iPad Pro is big enough to run a full-size iPad app alongside another smaller app window |
APPLE has finally taken the wraps off its long-rumoured iPad Pro – a laptop-sized tablet with more than five million pixels, an optional keyboard cover and Apple Pencil stylus.
Apple has officially announced the launch of a new, larger-screen tablet computer called the iPad Pro.
CEO Tim Cook told the whooping crowds gathered in the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco that the new 12.9inch tablet the "biggest news in iPad since the iPad.”
The iPad Pro will have a 12.9inch screen with more than 5.6million pixels – the highest ever pixel count on an iOS device, and higher than some devices in Apple's MacBook Pro with Retina Display range.
Apple has packed a 2732 x 2048 resolution into the 12.9inch display, which works out as a Retina-worthy 264pixels-per-inch.
The new larger iPad Pro is thin and light and boasts a battery life of some ten hours. Apple has also packed four speakers into the new tablet, another first for an iOS device.
Apple believes the new iPad will open the floodgates to a new generation of advanced apps aimed at productivity users – including design, illustration, engineering, medical and education.
The iPad Pro is aimed at productivity users and can edit up to three streams of 4K video simultaneously, thanks to the new A9X chip.
To help boost the productivity of iPad Pro owners, Apple has created a couple of accessories for the new device.
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| Apple has unveiled its own stylus input device, dubbed the Apple Pencil |
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| A number of apps have been updated to work with Apple Pencil, including Microsoft Office 365 |
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| The Apple Pencil can detect pressure and tilt as it draws on the iPad Pro display |
The firm has introduced a new stylus for the iPad Pro, dubbed the Apple Pencil.
The lightweight tech-filled input device, which will be available for purchase separately for $99 – around £65, aims to make drawing and sketching feel more fluid and natural.
Apple Pencil has sensors built into the tip to measure both pressure and tilt for a fast drawing experience.
A Lightning connector, housed under a cap where an eraser would sit on a traditional pencil, makes for quick and easy pairing and charging.
Apple Pencil also works with popular apps like Mail, Notes, Procreate and Office 365 for iPad, offering new levels of creativity and productivity.
Another accessory launched alongside the iPad Pro is a Smart Keyboard. The foldable QWERTY keyboard unfurls to sit beneath, and support, the laptop-sized iPad.
A new connector, dubbed Smart Connector port, transfers data and power between the keyboard and the iPad so you don't need to have to think about charging the keyboard, or pairing it with Bluetooth.
The Smart Keyboard, which starts from $169 – some £110, uses the same technology Apple developed to shrink the full-size keyboard in its lightweight new MacBook netbook.
“iPad Pro is the most advanced and powerful iPad we have ever made," said Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.
"Its beautiful and large 12.9-inch Retina display has 5.6 million pixels and provides an immersive experience for content and apps.
"The iPad Pro is far and away the fastest iOS device we have ever made — its A9X chip beats most portable PCs in both CPU and graphics tasks, but is thin and light enough to hold all day.
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| The iPad Pro and the Apple Smart Keyboard |
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| The Smart Keyboard allows the iPad Pro to become a laptop replacement |
"The innovative Apple Pencil and new Smart Keyboard enable users to customise their iPad Pro experience to the particular apps they use and the work they do, making iPad Pro ideal for everything from professional productivity to advanced 3D design."
The new iPad also marks Apple's latest attempt to steal corporate customers away from Microsoft, whose personal computers have been business staple for decades.
Microsoft makes a tablet designed for the needs of office workers called the Surface Pro 3 that sells at prices starting at $800. With a 12-inch display screen, the Surface Pro 3 is slightly smaller than Apple's new tablet.
Although there has been a lot of speculation that Apple would do make a larger iPad, an announcement wasn't expected until October.
The iPad Pro will go on sale from November, starting at $799, some £530, for 32GB and goes up to $1079 for 128GB, around £700.
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