HUGE NEWS, size wise for the iPad. iPad Pro announced

Just a month ago, the hot rumours of a new large-screen iPad had that device being announced in October or November, but Apple put all that aside today announcing the iPad Pro at its big event in San Francisco.

Plenty are bemoaning iPad sales as having “stalled” and see this as a jump start for iPad sales.  Those analysts miss the point that iPad penetration hit its “peak” fast, so sales today are replacement and incremental additions.

The iPad Pro will present a new option to iPad owners and perhaps spur more interest in new iPad among existing owners.

iPad Pro is a 12.9 inch screen, more than two inches larger than the iPad Air 2, but the resolution is such that the standard iPad pixel size screen will fit into the iPad Pro portrait style while the Pro is in Landscape mode.

2732 x 2048 – 5.6 million pixels more than a 15inch macbook pro with retina.

Powered by the new A9X processor, with faster memory and processor power. Apple claim that is faster tha 80% of portable PCs that shipped in the last 12 months.

Inside is a four speaker audio system, which dynamically adjusts left and right speaker settings based on the angle in which you hold it (Portrait vs Landscape)

It’s 6.9mm thin compared to the iPad air at 6.1mm and weighs just over 700 grams.

Apple have also announced a Keyboard accessory which uses keyboard technology they pioneered in the MacBook and folds around as a cover.

Perhaps most importantly, moving away from the days when the fingers and multi-touch were the only way to interact with a touch-screen, Apple also announced Apple Pencil.

An advanced stylus with sensors in the tip to determine how hard you are pushing or the angle the pencil is at.  This is a lot more than just a stylus. The screen technology within the iPad Pro allows the pencil to have a very unique impact on the screen, with the idea you can “touch” a single pixel.

Apple had demonstrations from Microsoft and Adobe to showcase some of the features of the Pro, and they were, without question – impressive.

and Microsoft:  

The new iPad pro comes in Silver, Gold, and Space Grey.

Features a 12.9inch Retina screen, A9X chip, four speaker audio, 10 hour battery, 8MP iSight camera, ac/MIMI WiFi and 4G connectivity.

US Pricing starts at $799, up to $1079 and the Pencil is $99, while the keyboard is $169.

iPad Pro is available in November

We’ll have Australian pricing later today.