Apple announced a 9.7-inch Retina display iPad Pro that weighs less than one pound. It will be offered in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage variants with Wi-Fi only connectivity and Wi-Fi + Cellular connectivity options. Color options include Silver, Gold, Space Gray and Rose Gold.
The 32GB base variant is priced at $599 (Rs 39,800 approximately), whereas the 128GB and 256GB variants are priced at $749 (Rs 49,800 approximately) and $899 (Rs 59,800 approximately), respectively. On the other hand, the Wi-Fi + LTE 32GB, 128GB and 256GB variants will set you back by $729 (Rs 49,600 approximately), $879 (Rs 59,800 approximately) and $1029 (Rs 69,900 approximately), respectively. Pre-orders for the new iPad Pro will go live on March 24, and sale begins March 31 onwards.
All of the iPad Pro’s broad strokes can be found here, from the powerful A9X chipset to the four-speaker setup to the Smart Connector for accessories like Apple’s magnetically connecting keyboard. The Apple Pencil also works here. Arguably, it works even better, since the 9.7-inch Pro feels like a clipboard when you cradle it in hand.
The new iPad Pro has a Oxide TFT display for high contrast ratio, and is 47 percent less reflective than the iPad 2 – the lowest reflectivity of any tablet, Apple says. The device also has the brightest screen with the widest color gamut Apple ever built. It’s designed to recognize ambient light to adjust the colors onscreen to best cast the tones for the most natural hues.
The camera’s got 5MP front facer, 12MP rear camera and can shoot 4K videos. The iPad Pro 9.7-inch is set to launch in India in early April. In terms of pricing, the 32GB base variant with Wi-Fi only connectivity will set you back by Rs 49,990, whereas the 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular variants will set you back by Rs 61,900. However, there is no word on the pricing of the 128GB and 256GB storage variants.
At the heart of the tablet runs Apple’s latest A9X processor paired with M9 motion co-processor and 4GB of RAM. It also includes support for ‘Always On’ Hey Siri voice activation.
Apple has also equipped the iPad Pro 9.7-inch with an upgraded 12-megapixel iSight camera with support for 4K video recording and an LED flash, as opposed to an 8-megapixel sensor on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The smaller iPad Pro also boasts quad speakers on four sides for enhanced audio experience and a connector port for Smart Keyboard accessory.
With connectivity options such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and 4G LTE, the tablet runs on Apple’s latest iOS 9.3 operating system.
