Apple’s big event is underway and it’s wasted no time making news. Apple on Wednesday unveiled the iPad Pro, the largest tablet in the company’s history. As earlier leaks indicated, the device’s display will be 12.9 inches with a resolution of 2,732 x 2,048 pixels. The device was designed to take advantage of the new multitasking features that Apple added to iOS 9 to make it more useful for productivity. The tablet will feature the new A9x that is 1.5 times faster than the A8x that released with the iPad Air 2. Apple’s Phil Schiller said that the iPad Pro offered “desktop-class” performance and that it would enable new types of applications never seen on any previous iPad.
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When it comes to thinness, the iPad Pro is 6.9 millimeters thick, which is 0.8 millimeters more than the iPad Air 2. It also weighs in at just 1.57 pounds, which is more than the iPad Air 2 but is also remarkably light for such a big device. Apple also says it has “all-day” ten-hour battery that will make it a perfect device to carry around with you.
The tablet also features a physical keyboard accessory called the Smart Keyboard to make the new iPad much more like a new PC and more specifically like Microsoft’s Surface. Even more surprisingly, the new tablet will have a stylus designed for the device called… Apple Pencil. The new Pencil features a Lightning connector that lets you recharge it while hooked up to the tablet.
After Apple made its big announcement about the iPad Pro, a representative from Microsoft came out on stage to show off a new version of its iconic Office software designed specifically for the new iPad. This was a seismic event since five years ago the thought of Apple inviting Microsoft to share the stage during a big event was unthinkable.
Pricing for the device will start at $799 for a 32GB model, $949 for a 128GB model and $1,079 for a 128GB model with LTE connectivity. The Smart Keyboard will cost $169 while the Apple Pencil will cost $99.
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