The iPad Pro Has Been Revealed and It’s Even Cooler than We Expected

As expected, Apple debuted several new iPad models at today’s “Hey Siri” event – one of which many users weren’t entirely sure if they would see at the event.

After debuting Watch OS 2 and several new looks for the Apple Watch, Apple CEO Tim Cook moved on to introduce one of the most exciting products unveiled at the event, “the biggest news for the iPad since the iPad” – the iPad Pro.

Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller introduced the brand new 12.9-inch iPad Pro at the event. Almost as thin as the iPad air, and almost as light as the original iPad, the iPad Pro is an impressive device.

With a 2,732 x 2,048 resolution, the iPad Pro features a more incredible and detailed display than any other iOS device. The device features an A9X chip, which will run 1.8x faster than Apple’s previous A8X chip, and 22x faster than the chip in the original iPad. The device features incredible graphics performance – 2x faster than before with the A8X chip, and a mind-blowing 360 times faster than the original iPad.

Schiller claims that that the iPad Pro runs faster than 80% of portable computers that were shipped in the last 12 months. The iPad Pro also features an impressive 10-hour battery life, and sports a newly-designed 4-speaker audio system.

Schiller also demoed a new “smart” physical keyboard for the iPad Pro. The keyboard is covered in an “Apple-woven” fabric, and Schiller noted the great feel of the keys. The keyboard connects to the iPad Pro via a new, 3-pin magnetic “smart” connector on the side of the device, which is capable of transmitting both power and data.

Schiller then introduced Kirk Koenisgbaur of Microsoft, Eric Snowden of Adobe, and Irene Walsh of 3D4Medical to demo several new apps on the device. Koenisgbaur showed several new features in the Microsoft Office suite, and demoed how well the apps work together while multitasking. Snowden also showcased the multitasking, using several new apps to build a magazine layout in Adobe Comp.

The demo also featured an impressive new photo retouching app called Photoshop Fix, as well as a drawing and sketching app called Sketch that heavily used the new Apple Pencil tool, available for the iPad Pro. Irene Walsh of 3D4Medical rounded out the app demo, with an impressive 3D anatomy tool used to enhance communication between doctors and their patients.

The iPad Pro will be available in November in three colors – Silver, Gold, and Space Grey. The 32GB model will be available for $799, 128 GB with Wi-Fi for $949, and 128GB with Wi-Fi + LTE for $1079. The “smart” keyboard accessory will be available for $169, and the Apple Pencil stylus will be $99.