New iPad Pro comes complete with… a pencil?
Targeting a greater number of professional users along with general consumers, Apple has introduced the iPad Pro with advanced features and optimised for a stylus to its line-up.
The Apple Pencil stylus tool is available for purchase separately and can be used to draw and sketch.
The Multi-Touch display in iPad Pro has been redesigned to work with the Apple Pencil to reduce latency and deliver accuracy for activities such as fine art illustration and detailed 3D design, Apple reports.
Advanced sensors in Apple Pencil measure both pressure and tilt to optimise drawing experience, while the built-in Lightning connector aids pairing and charging.
Apple Pencil works with apps including Mail, Notes, Procreate and Office 365 for iPad.
Another additional feature available for purchase separately is Apple's new Smart Keyboard.
Designed to be lightweight and durable, the Smart Keyboard attaches to the iPad Pro's Smart Connector port, removing the need for a separate battery, on/off switch or Bluetooth pairing. The keyboard works with new QuickType features in iOS 9.
Philip Schiller, Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, says, "The innovative Apple Pencil and new Smart Keyboard enable users to customise 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."
"iPad Pro is the most advanced and powerful iPad we have ever made," he says.
Noteworthy additions to the iPad Pro is the 12.9-inch Retina display with 5.6 million pixels, photo alignment technology, oxide TFT and variable refresh rate, as well as four-speaker audio and refined unibody enclosure of anodised aluminium.
With the new 64-bit A9X chip, with third-generation 64-bit architecture, the iPad Pro has improved CPU performance and console-class graphics.
It also comes with 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO technology, support for a range of 4G LTE bands and other cellular technologies. Apple also says the battery in the new iPad Pro lasts 10-hours.
iOS 9 brings improves Siri, privacy features, multi-tasking features and more. Built-in apps such as Notes, Maps, and News have been redesigned.
Already there are more than 850,000 apps in the App Store designed for the iPad, and this device will enable a new generation of advanced apps for productivity, design, illustration, engineering and medical, education, gaming and entertainment, Apple says.
Pricing and availability
iPad Pro comes in three metallic finishes, silver, gold and space grey, and will be available starting in November from apple.com/nz, through select carriers and Apple Authorised Resellers. Apple is yet to announce an official release date.
