Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard UK stock SELLS OUT: iPad Pro owners face five week wait

The iPad Pro is in stock for UK customers, but the Pencil stylus and keyboard face month-long delays

APPLE appears to be struggling to meet the demand for its brand-new Pencil and Smart Keyboard accessories for the iPad Pro.

 

Apple began sales of its new productivity-focused 12.9-inch iPad this week.

But the Apple-branded accessories for the new tablet, including the Apple Pencil stylus and Smart Keyboard cover, appear to have sold-out.

Customers looking to get their hands on the latest accessories are facing a delay of up to five weeks, it has been revealed.

While the 32GB Wi-Fi version of the iPad Pro is listed as shipping within one-working day, the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard won't arrive for four to five weeks, according to Apple's online store.

 



Apple Pencil uses a pressure sensitive tip to interact with the iPad Pro like a real pencil



Apple fans who pre-ordered the must-have accessories have already received their Pencil and Keyboards, an Apple salesperson told Mashable.

"Customers are very excited for iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard," the salesperson told the technology blog.

"We have limited supply of Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard in Apple Retail stores. 

"Our stores will continue to receive regular shipments and we encourage customers to visit Apple.com for online availability and delivery dates."

 



iPad Pro owners will face a wait to get their hands on the must-have new accessories



Apple is no stranger to its products selling out. Earlier this year, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus sold in record numbers.

A number of Apple Watch bands were delayed earlier this year after select colours, styles and sizes sold-out.

The news comes days after Apple CEO Tim Cook blasted rival Microsoft's first in-house laptop, the Surface Book.

The CEO dubbed the laptop-tablet hybrid as "sort of deluded" during his promotional tour for the new iPad.

 



The Apple Pencil stylus is on sale for £79 on the Apple Store



Apple first announced its larger-screen tablet computer – the iPad Pro – back in September.

Tim Cook told the whooping crowds gathered in the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco the new 12.9inch tablet was the "biggest news in iPad since the iPad."

The iPad Pro has a 12.9inch screen, packed with more than 5.6million pixels – the highest ever pixel count on an iOS device – and even higher than some of Apple's Retina laptops.

Apple iPad Pro – which starts from £679 in the UK – has a 2732 x 2048 resolution, which works out as a Retina-worthy 264pixels-per-inch.

Powering the new iPad is the new 64-bit A9X chip, which Apple says is capable of rivalling most portable PCs.

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's other iPad Pro accessory – the Smart Keyboard – appears to be selling well



Apple has confirmed the iPad Pro would be available to pre-order in the UK on Wednesday 11th November.

The announcement came hours after Apple CEO Tim Cook blasted new snooping laws in the UK.

The iPad Pro is aimed at productivity users and can edit up to three streams of 4K video simultaneously.

To help boost the productivity of iPad Pro owners, Apple has created a couple of accessories for the new device.

 

Both accessories were available to pre-order from Apple Online Retail stores

The firm has introduced a new stylus for the iPad Pro, dubbed the Apple Pencil, that makes drawing and sketching on the device more fluid and natural.

The Smart Keyboard attaches to iPad Pro’s Smart Connector port, eliminating the need for a separate battery, on/off switch or Bluetooth pairing.

"The early response to iPad Pro from app developers and our customers has been incredible, and we’re excited to get iPad Pro into the hands of customers around the world this week,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

 

"iPad Pro is the most powerful iPad we’ve ever made, giving users the ability to be even more creative and more productive with the epic 12.9-inch Retina display, powerful 64-bit A9X chip and groundbreaking Apple Pencil and new Smart Keyboard."

Sadly, all this groundbreaking new technology doesn't come cheap with UK prices starting at £679 for the 32GB model.

If you fancy the top of the range Apple iPad Pro with 128GB of internal storage, it'll cost you £899.

Apple Pencil lands in your hand for £79 and the Smart Keyboard is available in charcoal grey for £139.