The iPad Pro is coming in November, and it’s going to be huge.
Apple gave us our first look at the upcoming supertablet at its special event this morning, which has a 12.9-inch screen. And if that number seems awfully specific, you apparently haven’t figured out how Apple works by now.
The width of the upcoming hardware is the same as the iPad Air 2’s height. And that screen is going to boast a 2732 x 2048 pixels, which means that the hardware will boast a display with 5.6 million pixels. And a new peripheral will let you touch each of them.
iPad Pro’s stylus, which will be called the Apple Pencil, can read position, force, at tilt. And the tablet can tell the difference between the stylus and your finger, so it will read twice as often when the Pencil is in play for increased accuracy. A Jony Ive-narrated demo showed people drawing lines of varying thickness and fine writing in real-time. That video didn’t mention how long the battery on the Pencil will last, but it will charge through a Lightning charger built into the top.
Along with the Pencil, the Pro will also have its own, first-party Smart Keyboard which the tablet will slot into to turn it into a laptop. The Keyboard talks to the iPad through a newly designed, “Smart connector” interface, three circles on the side of the device that carry both power and data.
Speaking of power: Apple says that the iPad Pro will have a 10-hour battery life and will offer “desktop-class performance” with its new A9X processing chip. This processor is 1.9 times faster than the current A8X, and Apple says that it’s got more power than 80 percent of the laptops currently available.
It should come as no surprise that this fancy new hardware is going to cost you; the iPad Pro starts at $799 for a 32GB model, with 128GB versions also available for $949 (Wi-Fi only) and $1,079 for Wi-Fi plus cellular data. The Apple Pencil will cost $99, and the Smart Keyboard will set you back another $169. Buying all three will cost a little more than the starting price of a MacBook Air (the 11-inch model starts at $899), but Apple hopes that the extra functionality and power will convince buyers to take the plunge.
Evan Killham is a freelance writer who lives in Nebraska and isn’t interested in football, so he has plenty of time to play and think about video games. He has written for Bitmob and GamesBeat and sometimes, he even goes outside. But not too often because he’s heard there are bees out there. Occasionally, companies send free units for review. Evan subscribes to Cult of Mac’s Reviews Policy and also does not keep the items he receives for possible coverage.
16 responses to “Apple shows off iPad Pro, ‘the biggest news in iPad since iPad’”
Wow, Apple reintroduced the Microsoft Surface!!!
but did it better in my opinion.
Finally Apple made a move to get me closer to just wanting to throw away my Mac. I obviously can’t as it is home base for me for bigger function, storage etc… but with this machine I truly have no use for a laptop. I have a Mac Pro at home that’s still performing well enough and will for a couple more years.
Yea, they got rid of all that irritating compatibility and multitasking.
Except without trackpad, mouse/cursor, USB, sd expansion, file system, external monitor connectivity, kickstand, ubiquitous printer support, power gaming, professional grade software application support like Photoshop, full office, Enterprise systems management etc. etc.
Maybe for version 2?
So we need both. Big deal!
You clearly didn’t see the keynote. Adobe showcased their Pro apps for the iPad, and they have Photoshop with CC for iOS too. Whats the difference between Office iOS and full office btw?
Dear Zune owner: It’s not about being first; it’s about being best. Try and find a window phone lately? One with apps? LOL
that moment when apple compliments Microsoft and introduces a stylus. forget spinning steve jobs is doing backflips in his grave
Steve never objected to a stylus for the iPad, just stylus for the iPhone. How many people do you see use a stylus on their phone today? Nobody. Don’t misrepresent what Steve’s motive were. Only a low life would do that.
Could be a great drawing tablet, if the pencil is doing well.
Wacom will be shitting their pants. Every graphic designer will want the pencil.
Though I doubt that what percentage of graphic designer will want it, but I’d admit that Wacom will be shitting their pants. For such a long time Wacom is the only single player in town.
I sent the video of the Pencil to my daughter who is a graphic designer and has used wacom tablets for years. After showing her colleagues in the office, every person to a man wanted the pencil. Unfortunately they didn’t all know it was tied to the iPad Pro.
honestly the wacom tablet is STILL better… simply due to the fact that it has USB & Micro SD storage in it… I seriously HATE how apple does not have that on ANY of its products excepts laptops…
How would you know it’s better? The iPad Pro hasn’t even been release and we don’t know what is has to offer, so your comment is pretty stupid. Every graphic designer knows the latency lag with Wacom tablets, and Wacom tablets don’t have apps like Photoshop, so it can hardly be better when it has less to offer. Any more dumb comments you’d like me to shoot down?