Apple debuts all-new iPad Pro with Liquid Retina display, powerful A12X Bionic chip, TrueDepth camera system, and more

Apple today introduced the new iPad Pro with all-screen design and next-generation performance, marking the biggest change to iPad ever. The all-new design pushes 11-inch and 12.9-inch Liquid Retina displays to the edges of iPad Pro and integrates Face ID to securely unlock iPad with just a glance.1 The A12X Bionic chip with next-generation Neural Engine in iPad Pro outperforms most PC laptops and offers a new USB-C connector, Gigabit-class LTE, and up to 1TB of storage to enable powerful new mobile workflows. With over a million apps designed to take advantage of the large Multi-Touch display, including next-generation apps like Photoshop CC on iPad (coming 2019), the new iPad Pro will push what users can do on a computer further than ever before.
A second-generation Apple Pencil magnetically attaches to iPad Pro and wirelessly charges at the same time. A new touch sensor built onto Apple Pencil detects taps, introducing an entirely new way to interact within apps. The new Smart Keyboard Folio features a streamlined design that’s adjustable for added versatility. The new iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio are available to order starting today and in stores starting Wednesday, November 7.
All-new designs push 11-inch and 12.9-inch Liquid Retina displays to the edges of iPad Pro.
 
“The new iPad Pro is a huge step forward for powerful, creative, mobile computing; it has an all-new thinner design, speeds through projects with the super-fast A12X Bionic chip and unlocks with a glance using Face ID in any orientation — while you’re sitting or standing, with iPad Pro on your desk or lap, with the new Smart Keyboard Folio and new Apple Pencil,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, in a statement. “There has never been a mobile device anything like the new iPad Pro; it has a gorgeous edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display that curves into the corners, breakthrough performance that outperforms most laptops, Face ID, support for the new Smart Keyboard Folio and new Apple Pencil, advanced new cameras and sensors for the best AR experiences ever in any device, a high-speed USB-C connector, louder speakers, faster wireless and more, all packed into a thinner device that has all-day battery life and is 25 percent smaller in volume.”
The new iPad Pro with Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio offer take-anywhere power and versatility.
 
The World’s Most Advanced Display
iPad Pro features the world’s most advanced display — a stunning, edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display with rounded corners that follow the curves of iPad Pro’s unibody enclosure. With precision-milled glass, advanced pixel masking, sub-pixel antialiasing and a new backlight design, the new Liquid Retina display in iPad Pro is Apple’s brightest and most color accurate iPad display, featuring wide color support, True Tone and anti-reflective coating for a natural, accurate viewing experience indoors and out. ProMotion technology automatically adjusts the display refresh rate up to 120Hz for ultra-smooth scrolling and incredible responsiveness on iPad Pro.
The new 11-inch iPad Pro packs a bigger display with more pixels in the same footprint as the 10.5-inch model, yet still weighs just one pound. The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro places the largest display of any iPad into a more portable package — a massive 25 percent reduction in volume.3 Both models are just 5.9 mm thin — the thinnest iPad design ever — making iPad Pro now even easier to take with you.
A12X Bionic and Next-Generation Neural Engine
Built specifically for iPad Pro, the A12X Bionic is the smartest and most powerful chip in a tablet, making even the most demanding computing tasks like editing photos or creating 3D models faster and more responsive. Built on industry-leading seven-nanometer technology, the powerful eight-core A12X Bionic features four performance cores and four efficiency cores for up to 35 percent faster single-core performance and a new performance controller for simultaneous use of all eight cores for an up to 90 percent boost during multi-threaded tasks. A seven-core, Apple-designed GPU delivers up to twice the graphics performance for incredibly rich and immersive AR experiences and console-quality graphics. On iPad Pro, the breakthrough performance and capability lasts all day thanks to great 10-hour battery life.
Built specifically for iPad Pro, the A12X Bionic is the smartest and most powerful chip in a tablet.
 
Apple’s next-generation Neural Engine is built for advanced machine learning in everything from photography to AR, completing up to 5 trillion operations per second. This enables fast Face ID, faster plane detection for AR apps and other new features that use real-time machine learning. The Neural Engine is designed to deliver improved performance for Core ML tasks, empowering developers to build apps and new iPad workflows that utilize this highly efficient machine learning engine.
TrueDepth Camera System Comes to iPad
Face ID, the most secure facial authentication system in any tablet or computer, comes to iPad for the first time. Designed to work while holding iPad Pro in any position or while seated using the new Smart Keyboard Folio, Face ID takes advantage of the TrueDepth camera system to accurately map and recognize the face to securely unlock iPad Pro, enable Apple Pay in apps and online and allow users to easily gain access to secure apps. The TrueDepth Camera on iPad Pro also enables Animoji and Memoji.
Best Device for AR
Advanced cameras and sensors and improved four-speaker audio combine with the power of A12X Bionic to turn iPad Pro, with its large viewfinder, into the best device ever for AR. With support for the next generation of AR apps, a new world of AR experiences is possible on iPad, such as measuring the reflection on real-world objects, navigating buildings in 3D and exploring entire universes. Adobe’s Project Aero (coming 2019) will enable creators to design experiences that take AR on iPad even further.
New Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio
The new Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio, available for purchase separately, give iPad Pro users new levels of precision and productivity. The second-generation Apple Pencil magnetically attaches to iPad Pro for pairing and wireless charging. It becomes even more powerful and intuitive as users can select just the right tool or brush with a simple double tap on Apple Pencil within apps like Notes. Powerful apps from leading developers like Adobe, Autodesk and Procreate also give users the power to be even more creative than ever before.
The new Smart Keyboard Folio features a streamlined design that’s adjustable for added versatility.
 
The new Smart Keyboard Folio protects both the front and back of iPad Pro in a simple, thin and light design encompassing a full-size keyboard that never needs to be charged or paired. Easily adjustable for lap or desk use, the new Smart Keyboard Folio is perfect for getting thoughts down and multitasking.
New Power and Possibilities with USB-C
A new USB-C connector replaces the Lightning connector in support of the powerful ways iPad Pro is used. Incredibly versatile, USB-C offers power for charging, supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 for high-bandwidth data transfers up to twice the speed to and from cameras and musical instruments, and drives external displays up to 5K. With USB-C, iPad Pro can even be used to charge an iPhone.
iOS 12 on iPad Pro
iOS 12 brings new gestures to iPad that are already familiar to iPhone X and iPhone XS users including tap to wake and swiping to go home, access Control Center and for multitasking. The new Shortcuts app helps iPad users link together powerful, yet simple automated workflows for photo editing, video editing and file and asset management. Improvements to Photo import and support for native RAW image editing give photographers more efficient ways to work and multitask on iPad Pro.
Group FaceTime now makes it easy to connect with groups of friends or colleagues at the same time. Participants can be added at any time, join later if the conversation is still active and choose to join using video or audio from an iPhone, iPad or Mac. With new Animoji and customizable Memoji, users can take advantage of the large screen on iPad to add more personality to photos and videos in Messages and FaceTime.
Pricing and Availability
The new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be available in silver and space gray finishes in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB configurations as well as a new 1TB option. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 (US) for the Wi-Fi model and $949 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $999 (US) for the Wi-Fi model and $1,149 (US) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model from apple.com and Apple Store locations, and is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary).
The new iPad Pro models, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio are available to order starting today from apple.com with availability starting Wednesday, November 7, in the US and more than 40 additional countries and regions, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE and UK. Later this year, the new iPad Pro models will be available in Colombia, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, India, Israel, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Macedonia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, with other countries and regions to follow.
The second generation Apple Pencil for the new iPad Pro will be available for $129 (US). The new Smart Keyboard Folio for the new iPad Pro is available in space gray for $179 (US) for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $199 (US) for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with layouts for over 30 languages, including simplified Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.
A new Smart Folio for iPad Pro, in a protective, polyurethane folio design, will be available in a variety of colors for $79 (US) for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $99 (US) for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro at apple.com and Apple Store locations.
A wide assortment of Apple-designed USB-C accessories including adapters and cables also support iPad Pro and are available at apple.com and Apple Store locations, including a new USB-C to SD Card Reader and USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter.
With Apple GiveBack, customers can trade in their eligible device for an Apple Store Gift Card or partial refund on their purchase. If their device isn’t eligible for credit, Apple will recycle it for free.
Every customer who buys iPad Pro from Apple can enjoy free Personal Setup in-store or online, and receive guidance on how to customize their iPad Pro, set up email, find new apps from the App Store and more.
Anyone who wants to learn more or go further with iPad Pro or iOS 12 can sign up for free Today at Apple sessions at apple.com/today.
Source: Apple Inc.
MacDailyNews Note: A max’ed out 12.9-inch iPad Pro (1TB storage, Wi-Fi + Cellular) costs $1,899.