Apple CEO Tim Cook has introduced what he proudly called “the biggest news in iPad since iPad” – and he couldn’t have meant it more literally. He then showed off the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
This new slate, which Cook called “the most capable and powerful iPad we have ever created”, has an impressive 2732×2048-pixel display and a 64-bit A9X processor. Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Philip Schiller, enthused that this Retina display is the most advanced his company has ever built, even while the tablet remains only 6.9mm thick and 1.57 pounds light.
Schiller also showed off the accessories to be available for the tablet – including the Smart Keyboard, which is part of a new Smart Cover, and Apple Pencil. Apple’s Chief Design Officer Jony Ive explained how this new stylus-like accessory enables precise drawing on the screen.
It has long been speculated that the iPad Pro is intended largely for corporate markets – and, indeed, it was demonstrated how Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, could be used effectively on the tablet. The iPad Pro will also be compatible with a suite of Adobe applications – including the brand new Photoshop Fix for retouching pictures.
The iPad Pro will be available in November, in the choice of colors of silver, gold and space gray. Its pricing will start at $799 for the base 32GB model, and 128GB models, including a cellular model, will also be available from $949.
