WWDC 2017: iPad Pro 10.5" and 12.9"

iPad Pro

Finally we have an all new iPad Pro range. This week Apple announced upgrades for both its (2016) 9.7-inch iPad Pro and (2015) 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Both have received substantial upgrades, but it is the former which is likely to get more attention.

No matter the task, the new iPad Pro is up to it — and then some. It offers far more power than most PC laptops, yet is delightfully simple to use. The redesigned Retina display is as stunning to look at as it is to touch. And it all comes together with iOS, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. iPad Pro. Everything you want modern computing to be. Now even, well, better

RETINA DISPLAY

iPad has always offered the ultimate Multi-Touch experience. The redesigned Retina display on iPad Pro sets a whole new standard. It’s not just brighter and less reflective, it’s far more responsive than anything that’s come before. Whether you’re scrolling through pages in Safari or playing an intense 3D game, everything feels utterly smooth, fast, and immersive.

A New 10.5 Inch Display

The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro comes with a screen nearly 20 percent larger than the 9.7-inch model, so you get more room to do more. It also delivers a full-size onscreen keyboard. Yet it’s just as portable as ever.

Performance and Battery Life

The new iPad Pros are powered by Apple's brand new A10X Fusion chips. The A10X packs a six-core CPU — with three high-performance and three high-efficiency cores — and a twelve-core GPU. Altogether the A10X delivers 30% faster CPU performance over previous iPad Pro models, and 40% faster graphics. The battery life in both new iPad models remains the same "all-day" 10 hours, so customers who don't think that's enough will again not see improvement with this round.

Cameras and Speakers

Both iPad Pro models feature the same 12-megapixel cameras with optical image stabilization and 7-megapixel FaceTime HD cameras that are shipping in current iPhone 7 models. They also continue to use the same advanced 4-speaker system that debuted on the original iPad Pro — with no new improvements this year. To be Honest the look so good.

Other Interesting Things

The new iPad Pros are the first iPad models to ship with Apple's second-generation Touch ID fingerprint sensors. This means that fingerprint authentication to the devices will be twice as fast — or the same speed that everyone is used to since this sensor has been shipping on iPhones since the 6S.

The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro has been released alongside a new version of Apple's Smart Keyboard to match the size of the new chassis. Apple says this is a full-sized keyboard, and for the first time it comes in unique layouts for 30 different languages (the Smart Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro has been updated to receive these new layouts as well).

Apple has also released brand new leather sleeves for both sizes of iPad Pro. The sleeves come in several different colors and include a slot to store an Apple Pencil at the top. Standalone leather Apple Pencil cases have been released as well — available in the same set of colors.

Closing Remarks

The new iPads look like a great refresh of Apple's iPad Pro lineup. With impressive improvements in display technologies and expected increases in CPU and GPU performance, the new iPad Pros bring advancements in all the right places.

The screen size adjustment for the 10.5-inch model shows that Apple is searching for a sweet spot between the spacious 12.9-inch and the somewhat crammed 9.7-inch displays of their previous iPad Pro offerings. Time will tell if they've pinned that down, or if they need to continue iterating on this aspect of their professional iPad hardware.

While all of these hardware improvements are welcome and necessary, the greatest part of Apple's new iPads will be the software that they run. Thankfully, Apple devoted significant effort this year into upgrading iOS specifically for iPads. We'll cover these changes in detail in our iOS 11 overview later today, but be sure that the combination of new software and hardware has resulted in extremely exciting new prospects for iPads as a whole.

Both of Apple's new iPad Pro models are available for purchase today, starting at $649 for the 10.5-inch model and $799 for the 12.9-inch model. Storage starts at 64GB on either model, and can be configured with up to 512GB. As usual, cellular models are available for an extra $130 on top of any storage and size configuration.