Apple Targets Business Users With 12.9-inch iPad Pro

Apple's new 12.9-inch iPad Pro is shipping soon and offers a larger display for enjoying entertainment and productivity apps, a digital pencil and plenty of power under the hood in order to support apps tailored to professionals. The iPad Pro is featuring a 12.9-inch Retina display with 5.6 million pixels, the most ever in an iOS device, and performance with the new 64-bit A9X chip, rivaling most portable PCs. The new larger iPad Pro is thin and light and provides all-day battery life. There are more than 850,000 apps in the App Store designed specifically for iPad, and the new iPad Pro will enable a new generation of advanced apps for everything from productivity, design, illustration, engineering and medical, to education, gaming and entertainment.

Apple today also introduced Apple Pencil for iPad Pro, a precision input device available for purchase separately, which makes drawing and sketching feel fluid and natural. The touch subsystem of the Multi-Touch display in iPad Pro has been redesigned to work with Apple Pencil to reduce latency and deliver accuracy for activities like fine art illustration and detailed 3D design. Advanced sensors in Apple Pencil measure both pressure and tilt, while a built-in Lightning connector makes for quick pairing and charging. Apple Pencil also works with apps like Mail, Notes, Procreate and Office 365 for iPad.

Apple will also launch seperately a new Smart Keyboard, which is offering a full-sized keyboard in a thin design. The Smart Keyboard attaches to iPad Pro's Smart Connector port, eliminating the need for a separate battery, on/off switch or Bluetooth pairing. It is covered in custom woven fabric and features keys that provide the stability of standard keyboards, but is also easily foldable and can transform into a Smart Cover. The Smart Keyboard also works with new QuickType features in iOS 9 to make typing even faster and easier.

iPad Pro's 12.9-inch Retina display, with 5.6 million pixels and refined Multi-Touch technology. It delivers greater contrast, more uniform brightness and improved energy efficiency through photo alignment technology, oxide TFT and variable refresh rate. A new four-speaker audio design provides stereo sound, and a refined unibody enclosure of anodized aluminum gives iPad Pro a sturdy feel.

Apple claims that its new 64-bit A9X chip, with third-generation 64-bit architecture, provides desktop-class CPU performance and console-class graphics. Ultra-fast wireless connectivity keeps you connected wherever you go with 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO technology, support for a wide range of LTE bands and other fast cellular network technologies (DC-HSDPA, HSPA+).

iPad Pro starts at $799 (US) for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and $1079 (US) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular 128GB model, comes in three metallic finishes including silver, gold and space gray and will be available starting in November from Apple.com, Apple?s retail stores, through select carriers and Apple Authorized Resellers.

Apple Pencil will be available for $99 (US) and Smart Keyboard will be available in charcoal gray for $169 (US). New polyurethane iPad Pro Smart Covers will be available for $59 (US) in charcoal gray and white. New iPad Pro Silicone Cases will be available for $79 (US) in charcoal gray and white. iPad Pro accessories will be available starting in November.

iPad PRO specifications

Capacity and Price	Wi-Fi models: 32GB - $799 128GB- $949 Wi-Fi + Cellular model: 128GB
In the Box	iPad Pro Lightning to USB Cable USB Power Adapter
Display	Retina display 12.9-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit widescreen Multi-Touch display 2732-by-2048 resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi) Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Fully laminated display Antireflective coating
Chip	A9X chip with 64-bit architecture M9 motion coprocessor
iSight Camera	8MP iSight camera Autofocus f/2.4 aperture Five-element lens Hybrid IR ﬁlter Backside illumination Improved face detection Exposure control Panorama (up to 43MP) Burst mode Tap to focus Photo geotagging Timer mode
Video Recording	1080p HD video recording (30 fps) Slo-mo (120 fps) Time-lapse video Video image stabilization Improved face detection 3x video zoom Video geotagging
FaceTime HD Camera	1.2MP photos ?/2.2 aperture 720p HD video recording Backside illumination Auto HDR photos and videos Improved face detection Burst mode Exposure control Timer mode
FaceTime Calling³	FaceTime audio to any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi‑Fi or cellular FaceTime video to any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi‑Fi or cellular
Microphones	Dual microphones for calls, video recording, and audio recording
Cellular and Wireless	Wi-Fi models Wi-Fi (802.11a/-b/-g/-n/-ac); dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO Bluetooth 4.2 technology Wi-Fi + Cellular model Wi-Fi (802.11a/-b/-g/-n/-ac); dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO Bluetooth 4.2 technology UMTS/-HSPA/-HSPA+/-DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz) LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 38, 39, 40, 41)⁴ Data only⁵ Includes Apple SIM - U.S. and UK only
Location	All models Digital compass Wi‑Fi iBeacon microlocation Wi-Fi + Cellular model Assisted GPS and GLONASS Cellular
Sensors	Touch ID Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Barometer Ambient light sensor
Touch ID	Unlock iPad Secure personal data within apps Make purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store
Apple Pay	Pay with your iPad using Touch ID in apps
Siri	Use your voice to send messages, set reminders, and more Use your iPad hands-free Listen and identify songs
Power and Battery	All models Built-in 38.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery Up to 10 hours of surﬁng the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system Wi-Fi + Cellular model Up to 9 hours of surﬁng the web using cellular data network
Operating System	iOS 9 AirDrop AirPlay AirPrint Control Center Notification Center Siri Spotlight Search Apple Music Family Sharing iCloud Drive Multitasking QuickType Keyboard
Audio Playback	Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV User-conﬁgurable maximum volume limit
TV and Video	AirPlay Mirroring, photos, audio, and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later) Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p through Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately) Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 60 frames per second, High Profile level 5.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

New iPad Mini 4

Apple also today unviled the new iPad Mini 4. Compared to the iPad Mini 3, the iPad Mini 4 is thinner at 6.1mm, and its mass was reduced to 298.8 grams for the WiFi model and 304 grams for the LTE model. It still has a 7.85" 2048x1536 IPS display. It also receives the 8MP iSight camera from the Air 2 with an F/2.4 aperture and 1.12 micron pixels.

In addition, the the iPad Mini 4 does not use Apple's A8X SoC. This is a noticable downgrade from A8X in both CPU and especially GPU performance.

Like the iPad Mini 3, the Mini 4 is priced at $399 for 16GB, $499 for 64GB, and $599 for 128GB. Add $129 to any of those tiers to add LTE support.

	iPad Mini 4	iPad Mini 3
Price	$399 and up (WiFi), $529 and up (cellular)	$399 and up (WiFi), $529 and up (cellular)
Thickness	6.1mm (0.24 inch)	7.5mm (0.29 inch)
Weight	298 or 304g (0.65 or 0.67 pounds)	331g or 341g (0.73 or 0.75 pounds)
OS	iOS 9	iOS 8
Display	7.9-inch IPS LCD Retina display	7.9-inch IPS LCD Retina display
Resolution	2,048 x 1,536 (326 ppi)	2,048 x 1,536 (326 ppi)
Processor	Apple A8	Apple A7
Memory	NA	1GB
Storage	16 / 64 / 128GB	16 / 64 / 128GB
Ports	Lightning	Lightning
Front camera	1.2MP FaceTime	1.2MP FaceTime, 720p
Rear camera	8MP iSight, f/2.4, 1080p	5MP iSight, f/2.4, 1080p
Cellular radio	Optional GSM/EDGE CDMA UMTS/HSPA/ HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA LTE	Optional GSM/EDGE CDMA UMTS/HSPA/ HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA LTE
WiFi	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth	v4.2	v4.0
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes
Battery	10 hours	10 hours