Apple unveils $799 12.9" iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil accessories

Posted:
in iPad edited October 2015
After years of rumors and speculation, Apple on Wednesday finally unveiled its jumbo-sized iPad Pro, boasting a 12.9-inch display, a new A9X processor, a four-speaker audio system, a stylus dubbed the Apple Pencil, and a Smart Keyboard that connects via a new docking port.


  • 12.9-inch Retina display
  • A9X processor
  • Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard accessories
  • Priced from $799 to $1,079
  • Ships in November
The Pro's screen is large enough to run two full-size iPad Air apps side-by-side. It boasts 5.6 million pixels, which is even more than the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.

The bigger display also allows for a full-size software keyboard, making typing easier. The Pro also takes better advantage of iOS 9 features such as Split View, picture-in-picture, and improved multitasking.




The A9X chip is said to be 1.5 times faster than a comparable desktop processor, and graphics performance is twice as fast as the A8X in the iPad Air 2. Apple claims, in fact, that the iPad Pro is faster than 80 percent of the portable PCs that shipped in the last 12 months.

Despite the speed and screen improvements, Apple still claims 10 hours of battery life, as with other iPad models.




The four-speaker stereo system adjusts sound dynamically, based on the orientation of the tablet.

The product is 6.9 millimeters thick, slightly more than the 6.1-millimeter iPad Air 2. It weighs 1.57 pounds, just a fraction heavier than the first-generation iPad's 1.57 pounds.

It also includes an 8-megapixel iSight camera, a FaceTime HD camera on the front, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Touch ID. Color options include silver, gold, and space grey.

It starts at $799 for 32 gigabytes of memory. A 128-gigabyte version is $949, while a LTE-capable model -- likewise with 128 gigabytes -- is $1,079. An official launch is scheduled for sometime in November.




Apple will also offer a new $169 Smart Keyboard designed specifically for the iPad Pro. Integrated into a Smart Cover, the keyboard will connect magnetically to the tablet via a new Smart Connector port that transfers both power and data.

The Pro is further joined by a $99 accessory dubbed the Apple Pencil, capable of reading tilt, pressure, and more, and which exploits greater sensitivity and reduced latency in the tablet's display. A Lightning connector can be inserted into the Pro and used to quickly recharge the stylus.




In Wednesday's presentation, Apple invited Microsoft to the stage to show off some of its productivity apps, such as Office, and how they will work with the Pro and the Pencil. In an onstage demo, content was copied into a PowerPoint presentation.

Shapes were drawn in PowerPoint via the Pencil, and the app automatically converted drawings into shapes. More than 20 different types of shapes will be supported in Office, Microsoft said.

Also on stage was Adobe, showing off new iPad Pro-optimized versions of its creative suite. One demonstration had design director Eric Snowden quickly edit a photo, create a sketch, and lay out a composite document by switching between three Adobe apps using iOS 9's multitasking tools.

Like the Microsoft demo, drawing rough shapes in Adobe's composition app allowed for the quick creation of content areas. Each app supported input via standard touch or the Pencil for increased precision.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 235

    What I don’t get is the Pencil’s charging. So you steal battery from the iPad and then are forced to charge the iPad separately later? That seems really stupid. Why not a FEMALE Lightning port on the pencil?

     

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

    Getting a Pro if the price is right.


     

    Something tells me $799.

  • Reply 2 of 235
    So Apple basically copied the Surface Pro 3 with a keyboard cover and stylus.
  • Reply 3 of 235

    Got to say

    A bit wowed!

     

    Actually, love it to pieces!

  • Reply 4 of 235
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Captain J View Post



    So Apple basically copied the Surface Pro 3 with a keyboard cover and stylus.

    But no trackpad.

     

    Going from the keyboard to the touch screen over and over again is about as ergonomic as an ATM machine.

     

    Sorry, but the truth hurts sometimes.

  • Reply 5 of 235

    I am STOKED that they put in an A9X processor into this iPad.

     

    And I don't have any issues with a stylus that needs charging. That just means it has superior electronics to measure things like tilt and pressure, and (if what Apple claims is correct) ridiculous precision and speed. Those are worth it to lose a little in usability by having to charge your stylus.

  • Reply 6 of 235
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    The ApplePencil is far better than a standard stylus.

     

     


     

     

    Really? You've used one? There are some gold standard excellent Wacom products out there that have been doing the same thing for a long time. 

     

    I agree, it's largely Apple's answer to the Surface (and maybe the death of the Air) and I want one, with the pencil. It's certainly better in every way by comparison, but let's not make claims out of thin air just yet.

     

    ( I don't see ForceTouch...interesting)

  • Reply 7 of 235
    sog35 wrote: »
    captain j wrote: »
    So Apple basically copied the Surface Pro 3 with a keyboard cover and stylus.

    devil is in the details.

    The ApplePencil is far better than a standard stylus.

    iPad had keyboards way before the Surface came out.

    Not one made by Apple, and nobody wants a stylus. Especially not one that costs $100, and you were complaining about $50 gaming controllers.
  • Reply 8 of 235
    pretty killer...staying relevant...pushing forward...
  • Reply 9 of 235
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    devil is in the details.

     

    The ApplePencil is far better than a standard stylus.

     

    iPad had keyboards way before the Surface came out.


     

    You sound like Samsung.

  • Reply 10 of 235
    1.6 lbs... not ideal, especially when you add in the cover. Oh well... I imagine I will still buy one...
  • Reply 11 of 235

    Price for 32 gig is 799, keyboard is 179. 

  • Reply 12 of 235
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

    Something tells me $799.


     

    Well done.

  • Reply 13 of 235
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Captain J View Post



    So Apple basically copied the Surface Pro 3 with a keyboard cover and stylus.

    no

  • Reply 14 of 235
    Originally Posted by aaarrrgggh View Post

    1.6 lbs... not ideal

     

    I’ll bet you won’t feel a difference between it and the first-gen iPad. And by you, I mean me, since I still use a first-gen.

     

    I dunno. This is the iPad I’ve wanted since 2007, but $799 might not be possible. And I’d be going DOWN in capacity...

  • Reply 15 of 235
    Jake Weidmann doing the calligraphy in the iPad Apple Pencil, the youngest Calligraphy Master ever. SJ would've loved his work!

    http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/08/jake-weidmann-master-penman/

    [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/62527/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
  • Reply 16 of 235
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,897member

    Seeing the Microsoft guys there and the nice features of the iPad Office apps, I have to wonder if something has changed at MS in their attitude towards Apple.  I bet the new leader has told his minions to stop treating Apple as an enemy and to find ways of cooperating with them, thus profiting.

  • Reply 17 of 235
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by thataveragejoe View Post

     

     

     

    Really? You've used one? There are some gold standard excellent Wacom products out there that have been doing the same thing for a long time. 

     

    I agree, it's largely Apple's answer to the Surface (and maybe the death of the Air) and I want one, with the pencil. It's certainly better in every way by comparison, but let's not make claims out of thin air just yet.

     

    ( I don't see ForceTouch...interesting)




    they mentioned pressure but not force touch

  • Reply 18 of 235

    Wacom Cintiq who?

  • Reply 19 of 235
    sog35 wrote: »
    devil is in the details.

    The ApplePencil is far better than a standard stylus.

    iPad had keyboards way before the Surface came out.

    Come on same style keyboard cover, same style connector as the Surface. If anyone else was doing this to an Apple product, can anyone say Samsung, everyone would be screaming bloody murder here.
  • Reply 20 of 235

    128GB + Pencil, in Gold, for me. Can do without the keyboard (or, my family can give it to me for Christmas).

     

    This will recharge iPad sales in a HUGE way, for Apple. Enterprise use will be massive.

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