iPad Pro announced: 12.9-inch 2732x2048 display, 4 speakers, A9X chip

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Handhelds, PC / Laptop

Apple has announced the new iPad Pro at today's Hey Siri, Give Us A Hint event. This is the largest iOS device yet, sporting a 12.9-inch display with a 2732x2048 resolution - that equates to 5.6 million pixels, which is more than even the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. In fact, as Apple points out, the length of the iPad Pro display when in landscape orientation is equal to that of two iPad Airs side-by-side. What that means is that you can run two full-sized standard iPad apps on the iPad Pro simultaneously, side-by-side.

As for ports, the iPad Pro has the standard Lightning connector that we're all used to for charging and syncing. Additionally, it has a new connector called the Smart Connector. This allows you to attach the new Apple Smart Keyboard.

The iPad Air Pro also sports a four speaker array. Two stereo speakers on the top, and two more on the bottom. Depending on the orientation and how you are holding the iPad, it will change the dynamics of the sound to optimize it for that specific scenario. Apple says that the iPad Pro at full volume is three times louder than the iPad Air 2 at full volume. This is been a big complaint with iPad in the past, since it was never great with sound.

Apple also showed off the new Apple Pencil, a stylus accessory that works exclusively with the iPad Pro. It allows you to draw and ink on a per-pixel level, and supports pressure and force.

The new Apple A9X processor powers the iPad Pro. It will be available in silver, gold, and space gray finishes. 10 hour battery life, 8 megapixel rear iSight camera, 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, and Touch ID round out the device. It will be available in both Wi-Fi and LTE models, and goes on sale in November starting at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi model. There's also a $949 128GB Wi-Fi model, and a $1079 128GB model with both Wi-Fi and LTE capabilities.