Apple’s iPad Pro has a ‘monster’ screen and huge specs to match, claims report
The long-rumoured tablet is set to debut this week, and it sounds like a super-sized stunner
We’re just two days away from Apple’s big autumn event, which is expected to give us the iPhone 6s and a new Apple TV – but as of last week, reports also place the long-rumoured iPad Pro at the event for release in November.
Continuing its string of insider reports leading up to the day, 9to5Mac has just shared several new details on the extra-large tablet, pulling details from an array of sources who are familiar with Apple’s plans or have tested the iOS 9.1 device. According to the report, the 12.9in tablet’s screen will be a “monster,” says a source, with the ability to display two full-sized portrait iPad apps side-by-side in split-screen landscape view.
The report doesn’t dig into further detail here, but if it truly runs the apps at native resolution instead of scaling them down (as other iPads will in iOS 9), then that puts the display at a resolution of 3072×2048, or a 3:2 aspect ratio.
That would be a big shift away from the 4:3 ratio of all other iPads, although it would put it in line with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 – arguably the iPad Pro’s closest analogue. However, previous reports have claimed a 2048×2732 resolution for the device, so we’ll have to wait for Wednesday for the actual specs.
Expect an A9X system-on-a-chip inside, which is said to be a "large" step up from the A8X chip in the iPad Air 2, plus the device itself should have four stereo speakers, albeit a single Lightning port. The report says that the base version is expected to release with 64GB internal storage, with a 128GB option also sold.
Gold, Silver, and Space Grey versions will be available, with LTE models also sold. But don’t expect any accessories bundled in: 9to5Mac says that the previously rumoured Force Touch stylus and new iPad-ready keyboards will be sold separately. Buyers will have the option of a keyboard that also acts as a case for the iPad Pro, along with a new wireless keyboard that’ll be similar to the existing one Apple makes for iPad and Mac.
No word yet on price, but 9to5Mac posits that customers interested in an iPad Pro with a keyboard will potentially face a challenging decision against a lower-end MacBook, given the likelihood of the larger tablet to top US$1000 with accessories factored in. We should get some kind of confirmation on Wednesday, if the reports prove true, and we’ll be covering the announcements as they break.
[Source: 9to5Mac]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
