As rumored, Apple announced an iPad Pro model at its media event today. The new entry in its iPad line-up features a 12.9-inch Retina display and is powered by Apple’s own A9X chip.
“iPad Pro is the most advanced and powerful iPad we have ever made. 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,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The innovative Apple Pencil and new Smart Keyboard enable users to customize 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 iPad Pro boasts 10 hours of battery life and four speakers to offer stereo sound that automatically adjusts output depending on how it’s held. Like previous iPad models, it features a rear camera and a front-facing iSight camera.
Apple will also offer two new accessories just for the iPad Pro. The first is a Smart Keyboard case to provide a full-sized keyboard for the iPad Pro and offer protection when closed. It connects to the iPad Pro magnetically to a Smart Connector that powers the keyboard and transmits data back and forth.
The second accessory is the Apple Pencil, a stylus that can be used for drawing and writing. It has an internal battery that can be recharged through a built-in Lightning connector.
The Apple Pencil will cost $99 and the Smart Keyboard will be $169. Silicone cases will also be available for $79.
The iPad Pro will be available in silver, gold, and space gray and will cost $799 for 32GB of storage and $949 for 64GB of storage, with these models offering Wi-Fi connectivity. Cellular connectivity will only be available in the models with 128GB of storage, which will cost $1,079.
The iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Smart Keyboard will be available starting in November.