NEW YORK (AP) — The first thing you need to know about Apple’s iPad Pro is that it’s, well, giant.
About an inch longer than a standard sheet of paper, the Pro features a 12.9-inch diagonal display, giving it 78 percent more surface area than the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2. At nearly 1.6 pounds, the Pro is heavier than current models, but not much more so than the original iPad from 2010. There’s room for four speakers, compared with two on other iPads.
The price is supersized, too. The iPad Pro starts at $799, compared with $499 for the standard-size iPad Air 2 and $269 for the cheapest iPad, the 2-year-old iPad Mini 2. A physical keyboard from Apple costs $169 extra, and the Apple Pencil sells for $99.
Designed with professionals in mind, the Pro is Apple’s way of reaching new consumers as sales of iPads — and tablets in general — decline. Here are some things to know as the Pro starts appearing in stores this week:
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THE PRO ISN’T FOR EVERYONE
Many people will be fine with the standard iPad Air, while others will prefer the portability of the smaller iPad Mini.
The Pro is for those who need the larger screen, including people who write, build spreadsheets or edit graphics and video rather than primarily reading or playing games. These are people who might otherwise be lugging around a laptop. If you’re using a tablet just to watch Netflix, the Pro might be overkill, though movies and TV shows look and sound nicer.
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IT’S NOT A LAPTOP
For writing, the Pro features Microsoft Word and Apple’s Pages. But do you need a tablet for that? The desktop version of both apps can do far more, including keeping multiple documents open at once. The Pro is more for those times you want to leave the laptop behind, but might still need to write an email or touch up a report. The physical keyboard makes all that faster.
Where the Pro has the potential to excel is with artistic apps. Doodling, sketching and painting work better with fingers and a stylus than with a keyboard and trackpad. But apps on tablets have streamlined features designed to let you complete specific tasks quickly. More advanced features require a PC.