Apple has announced two new iPad Pro models with trackpad support that will go on sale from $799 later this month.
Rumours of what may be in store for the premium tablet have been circulating during the last few weeks, and Apple finally ended speculation with an online announcement covering two units on Wednesday.
The entry-level iPad Pro will feature an 11-inch display and 128GB storage, while the slightly larger 12.9-inch model will have the same storage capacity.
The sizes are the same as last year’s models, but there is a new camera system and a more powerful CPU to support Apple’s more intuitive OS.
Perhaps even more exciting for fans is the launch of a new keyboard that connects to the iPad and positions it in a laptop-style position for comfortable viewing and navigation.
In a statement, Apple said: “Rather than copying the experience from macOS®, trackpad support has been completely reimagined for iPad.”
This reimagining will allow users to make delicate swipes and pinches on the trackpad to highlight user interface elements.
The ‘Magic Keyboard’ won’t be cheap though as it’s set to retail for $299.
The larger keyboard for the 12.9-inch version will carry a $150 premium.
Both keyboards won’t make the launch, however, as Apple said that they will go on sale sometime in May.
The new CPU and extra grunt from the internals should keep users happy for now.
There will be eight cores in the GPU of the new ‘A12Z Bionic Chip’, which Apple claims will make it more powerful than the majority of Windows-based laptops.
Battery life is also stellar at 10 hours, but there will be no 5G just yet as connectivity is limited to gigabit LTE.
Finally, the new camera system will feature three lenses similar to the setup on the iPhone 11 Pro, though the wide-angle and ultrawide will this time be complemented by a new LIDAR sensor.