iPad Pro and iOS 11 – the dream team

Wed, 7th Jun 2017

FYI, this story is more than a year old

By Kai Ping Lew, Editor-in-Chief & News Editor - Security

Apple yesterday introduced a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro and a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, featuring a display with ProMotion technology and increased performance with the new A10X Fusion chip.

The new 10.5-inch model reduces the borders by nearly 40% to fit into a compact package that weighs less than 500g.

Combined with new iPad features in iOS 11 coming this spring, like the new Files app, customisable Dock, improved multitasking and deeper integration of Apple Pencil, iPad Pro gives users the ability to be more productive and creative.

"These are by far the most powerful iPads we've ever created with our most advanced displays featuring ProMotion, the new A10X Fusion chip and the camera system of iPhone 7," said Apple product marketing vice president Greg Joswiak.

"Together with iOS 11, these new iPad Pro models will radically change what users can do with iPad.

ProMotion Display

The redesigned Retina display in iPad Pro features ProMotion, a new technology that delivers refresh rates of up to 120Hz for fluid scrolling, greater responsiveness and smoother motion content.

With ProMotion, Apple Pencil is more responsive with a 20-millisecond latency for more fluid and natural drawing.

ProMotion technology also improves display quality and reduces power consumption by automatically adjusting the display refresh rate to match the movement of the content.

The advanced Retina display is Apple's brightest iPad display yet and features antireflective coating, making content easier to see indoors and out.

True Tone display dynamically adjusts the white balance of the display to match the ambient light for a more natural and accurate viewing experience.

A wide colour gamut enables iPad Pro to deliver digital cinema-standard colours.

Powered by the A10X Fusion Chip

The new 64-bit A10X Fusion chip provides performance that Apple claims is faster than most PC laptops shipping today, so tackling complex tasks like editing photos and 4K video, rendering 3D images or playing games feels effortless.

A six-core CPU and 12-core GPU deliver up to 30% faster CPU performance and 40% faster graphics performance than the industry-leading A9X chip while delivering all-day battery life.

iPad Pro can be used to shoot, edit and share pro-quality photos and videos.

It features the same advanced front- and back-facing cameras as iPhone 7 including a 12-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation, along with a 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera.

iPad Pro also features a four-speaker audio system, providing clear and rich stereo sound in any orientation.

An embedded Apple SIM2 and support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi and LTE Advanced make it easier to stay connected when travelling in more than 180 countries and regions.

Touch ID on iPad Pro is more responsive and gives users a simple and secure way to unlock iPad, keep personal information private within apps and approve purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store and iBooks Store.

With Apple Pay on iPad, paying for physical goods and services within apps or on websites in Safari has become easier.

iOS 11 and iPad Features

iOS 11, coming this spring, introduces new features for iPad, including:

— a new customisable Dock that provides quick access to frequently used apps and documents from any screen;

— improved multitasking, including a redesigned app switcher that brings Spaces to iOS, making it easier to move between apps or pairs of active apps, used in Split View and now Slide Over;

— the new Files app that keeps everything in one place, whether files are stored locally, in iCloud Drive or across other providers like Box, Dropbox and more;

— Multi-Touch Drag and Drop, which is available across the system to move text, photos and files from one app to another, anywhere on the screen;

— a new document scanner in Notes, which lets users easily scan single or multi-page documents, removes shadows and uses image filters to enhance readability; and

— deeper integration with Apple Pencil, with support for inline drawing to write along text in Notes and Mail, Instant Markup to easily sign documents, annotate PDFs or draw on screenshots, and a new Instant Notes feature, which opens Notes from the Lock Screen by simply tapping Apple Pencil on the display. New searchable handwriting makes it easy to search for handwritten text or characters.

Pricing - Availability

• The 10.5-inch iPad Pro comes in silver, space grey, gold and rose gold starting at Recommended Retail Price (RRP) NZ$1099 for the 64GB with Wi-Fi model and starting at RRP NZ$1319 inc. GST for the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is available in silver, space grey and gold starting at RRP NZ$1299 inc. GST for the 64GB Wi-Fi model and starting at RRP NZ$1519 inc. GST for the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

• The new iPad Pro models are available to order from Apple's online store and will start delivering to customers next week. Both models will also be available next week through select carriers and Apple Authorised Resellers (prices may vary) in 38 countries and regions, including New Zealand, Australia, the US, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

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