The new Apple Pencil for iPad Pro packs a great deal of advanced technology into a tiny package, including a logic board that's actually folded in half to fit inside the writing tool.
Apple is on track to ship between 2.4 and 2.6 million iPad Pro units in its first quarter of sales, though inventory of the giant size tablet and its integral Apple Pencil accessory is facing constraints due to production snarls, according to one insider.
A showdown pitting the new iPad Pro display against the rest of the tablet market has found that Apple's new 12.9-inch Retina display is an excellent panel, though it can't outmatch the new iPad mini 4 screen, and even ranks slightly lower than the new Microsoft Surface Pro 4.
Across Apple's fiscal 2015, annual iPad unit sales fell by an astounding 19 percent while iPad revenues fell 23 percent, a plunge from fiscal 2014 of just over $7 billion. The tech industry pundits love to talk about the failure of Apple's tablet business, but are short on the specifics of what's happening. Here's why.
The iPad Pro is Apple's most fully realized example yet of the future of computing, with a workhorse of a processor and a beautiful 12.9-inch Retina display packed inside a svelte, ultraportable design. Current limitations with iOS apps prevent it from being a PC replacement for the most demanding tasks, and at $799 it won't appeal to casual users, but we are confident the iPad Pro will carve out a niche in the high-end market.
One day after launching its extra large iPad Pro, Apple is throwing a spotlight on apps that take advantage of the tablet's massive 12.9-inch Retina display, titles compatible with Apple Pencil, "desktop-class" software, games and more.
Apple is already showing stockouts of certain iPad Pro models less than two days after kicking off preorders, while shipping estimates for Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard, both deemed essential to the iPad Pro experience, have fallen to 4 to 5 weeks.
A day after iPad Pro launched on Wednesday, teardowns and reviews of the gigantic tablet reveal Apple quietly included USB controller hardware capable of supporting high-speed USB 3.0 data connections, suggesting a faster Lightning protocol is in the works.
Investment firm Cowen and Company has a bullish outlook for Apple's new iPad Pro, citing performance benchmarks that show the device is capable of replacing many mainstream laptops running an Intel processor.
Repair firm iFixit performed its usual launch day Apple device teardown on the iPad Pro on Wednesday, revealing a reworked internal design dominated by massive batteries and bespoke audio components.
The onscreen keyboard with Apple's iPad Pro includes a dedicated number and character row, as well as buttons for caps lock, tab and more, taking advantage of the device's spacious 12.9-inch display.
Though it includes the same M9 motion coprocessor as the new iPhone 6s series, Apple's iPad Pro does not offer support for always-on "Hey Siri" voice controls when operating on battery power.
Apple's new iPad Pro is here, boasting 5.6 million pixels packed into its 12.9-inch Retina display, along with a powerful A9X processor that actually outclasses the new 12-inch MacBook. AppleInsider offers a first look at the jumbo-sized, top-of-the-line iPad.
All silver and gold iPad Pros are shipping out next day at modest discounts. Plus the lowest prices ever on key 2015 MacBook Pros ($150-$350 off instantly), $150 -$170 off Apple's new 2015 iMac 5Ks (or Free AppleCare and cash discounts), half off water-proof iPhone 6 cases and more.
Early looks at Apple's gargantuan new tablet have begun to trickle in, with most reviewers coming to relatively similar conclusions: the iPad Pro is an excellent machine and the best iPad yet, but iOS means it won't be a laptop replacement anytime soon.
Just hours after Apple opened the iPad Pro preorder floodgates, Logitech unveiled its first accessories for the jumbo-sized tablet, including the Create Backlit Keyboard Case, a folio-style protector with full-size keyboard, Smart Connector support and more. AppleInsider goes hands-on.
As promised, Apple on Wednesday initiated preorders sales of its all new iPad Pro, the company's first ever 12.9-inch tablet with Smart Connector and support for Apple Pencil, announcing immediate in-store availability.
While the iPad lineup has continued to shrink to a smaller portion of Apple's total business, this week's launch of the iPad Pro could reverse that trend, one analyst believes, predicting total iPad sales will account for 15 percent of the company's revenue in 2016.
Ahead of Apple's iPad Pro preorder kickoff on Wednesday, the company released a new TV spot highlighting the advantages of a gigantic touchscreen, including split screen views in iOS 9 and Apple Pencil markup support.
Apple CEO Tim Cook continued his press tour in support of the upcoming iPad Pro on Monday, touting the tablet's workstation and media consumption capabilities in an interview, but also dropped a hint about potential work on a health product unrelated to Apple Watch.
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Neil Hughes
Mikey Campbell
Blair MacGregor
Daniel Eran Dilger
AppleInsider Staff
Katie Marsal
