iPad Pro Launches in Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan

iPad Pro launched in the U.S. and 40 total countries in November, and this week the 12.9-inch tablet became available in the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan through the Apple Online Store and select authorized resellers.

Pricing for the 32GB Wi-Fi base model in the three Asian countries starts at ₱42,990.00 in the Philippines, ₩999,000 in South Korea and NT$27,900 in Taiwan. 128GB Wi-Fi and 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular models are also available.

Apple’s website continues to list the iPad Pro as “coming soon” in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Israel, South Africa, Vietnam and select other countries. The large-sized tablet is now available in the countries and territories listed ahead. Read more

A9X Die Photo From iPad Pro Reveals 12-Cluster Graphics, No L3 Cache

Financial news website The Motley Fool has shared details of the A9X die featured in the new Apple iPad Pro, thanks to analysis from electronics teardown firm Chipworks. The photo reveals the A9X’s dual-core CPU and a 12-cluster GPU to drive the device’s massive display.

While the CPU core count observed in the A9X matches that of the A9 from the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the 12-cluster GPU is twice as powerful as the six-cluster GPU found in the A9 design. Otherwise, the core and cluster designs appear to be identical to those found in the A9 die shots.

Dual-core CPU boxed in green, six dual-cluster GPU regions boxed in blue

Chipworks confirms that the die shown in the photo is fabricated by TSMC, and it does indeed show similarities with the existing A9 TSMC die already pictured by Chipworks.

The Motley Fool also points out that the 8 MB third level cache featured on the A9 to help manage data flow to and from memory is not present on the A9X die, suggesting that the absence of this cache is due to the increased memory bandwidth that the A9X enjoys by having a memory interface twice the width of the A9 die. Indeed, in the included die shot, an expansive DRAM memory interface can be observed across three sides of the die.

It is also worth mentioning that while the display resolution is much greater than on other iPads, the iPad Pro does not feature the 12-megapixel camera of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus that would place additional demands on the memory hierarchy for real-time image processing.

The presence of only two CPU cores is also interesting, given that the A8X featured in the iPad Air 2 had three CPU cores. The iPad Pro can make up any resultant performance deficiencies through a combination of higher efficiency, thanks to the new architecture, as well as the large clock speed boost compared to the A8 designs.

Even with the absence of L3 cache and only two CPU cores, the A9X measures 147 square millimeters. This is just 18 square millimeters shy of Apple’s largest chip design ever, the A5X featured in the first iPad with retina display. Unsurprisingly, the A5X was quickly phased out and replaced by the smaller A6X seen in the fourth-generation iPad. The A9X’s 147 mm^2 die is also larger than the latest quad-core Skylake design from Intel, which comes in at 122 mm^2 on its 14nm FinFET process.

While it may simply be a perfect mixture of die space saving and adequate memory bandwidth for the A9X design, the lack of the third level SRAM cache may tip future design decisions should memory bandwidth improve substantially. 3D IC packaging designs are rapidly approaching mainstream consumer electronics, and they boast a variety of memory configurations, which stand to significantly improve memory bandwidth while also providing lower power dissipation. As we covered recently, packaging technologies enabling these high bandwidth memories may arrive as soon as Apple’s A10 SoC for devices next year.

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Teardown Shows Off the Guts of the iPad Pro’s Smart Keyboard

Following teardowns of the Apple Pencil and the iPad Pro itself, iFixit today completed a disassembly of Apple’s new first party Smart Keyboard accessory. The teardown of the keyboard doesn’t provide much in the way of surprising internal revelations, but does give those interested a closer look at the accessory’s conductive fabric, dome switches underneath the keys, and underlying circuit board powering the device.

iFixit first noted the “high tech fabric” lining the outside of the Smart Keyboard, guessing that the fabric could be nylon due to its tactile similarities to a windbreaker. Once peeled back, the stripped away fabric reveals a row of dome switches beneath, along with a stiffening weight placed in the spacebar for a more reliable return each time a user hits the rectangular key.

Once the Smart Keyboard is cracked open, iFixit discovered the circuit board at the center of the device, but with no added flourishes like LEDs, batteries, or cooling fans due to the accessory’s slim size. Once the keyboard frame was pulled away, the site noticed “intestinal squiggles” lining the plastic casing that direct toward small vents on the topside of the keyboard, most likely used to release air pressure each time a key is pressed, according to iFixit.

Lastly the teardown revealed the “brains of the operation” in the form of an ARM-based microcontroller from STMicroelectronics, along with a final layer of three fabric strips at the base of the keyboard. Made of Apple’s “conductive fabric” that connects the accessory’s smart connector (where the iPad Pro is placed) with the actual keyboard, the fabric allows for a “two-way flow of power and data” that should be able to withstand a lifetime of unfolding the Smart Keyboard.

Overall, iFixit gave the iPad Pro’s Smart Keyboard a repairability score of 0 out of 10, meaning once it was torn down the accessory is impossible to repair. The site noted that while the Apple-made accessory is quite durable, it must be damaged to gain entry and none of its internal components can be removed and replaced without causing fatal harm to the device.

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Apple Pencil Used as Weight Scale, Synthesizer and 3D Image Editing Controller

While the Apple Pencil is designed as a sketching tool for creative professionals, MacRumors reader Simon Gladman has created three Swift demo apps that show the accessory being used for three unconventional purposes — as a weight scale, controlled synthesizer and 3D controller for image editing.

PencilScale

PencilScale, based on Goodman’s Plum-O-Meter, is an experimental app that uses a homemade harness to turn the Apple Pencil into an electronic scale that is highly sensitive, but not incredibly accurate.

The experiment works by subtracting the touch’s force from a base weight, which is “set as the current touch force when the ‘zero’ button is pressed,” and multiplying it by 140 for a very rough weight in grams.

PencilSynth

PencilSynth is an AudioKit-powered synthesizer that can be controlled by the Apple Pencil depending on its orientation and position.

• Apple Pencil’s horizontal position on the screen controls frequency

• Apple Pencil’s vertical position on the screen controls the modulating multiplier

• Apple Pencil’s altitude angle controls the carrier multiplier

• Apple Pencil’s azimuth angle controls the modulation index

PencilController

PencilController is an experimental image processing app that uses the Apple Pencil as a controller for the fine setting of parameters on Core Image filters.

The demo has three image filtering modes:

• Hue/Saturation – Apple Pencil’s azimuth angle controls hue and its altitude angle controls the saturation

• Brightness/Contrast – Apple Pencil’s altitude angle along North/South controls contrast and the angle along West/East controls brightness

• Gamma/Exposure – Apple Pencil’s altitude angle along North/South controls exposure and the angle along West/East controls gamma

Gladman explains that “the app uses a spring loaded pattern, so the user needs to hold down one of the mode keys in the bottom left of the screen to stay in the filtering mode.”

The source code for all three projects is available on GitHub.

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iPad Pro Artists Share Apple Pencil Drawings

Now that Apple Stores are beginning to receive more reliable Apple Pencil shipments, some early adopters of the iPad Pro have been able to purchase the accessory over the past week and put it to the test.

Many of those iPad Pro users have been sharing their work in the MacRumors discussion forums, and many of the drawings posted have been very creative. Below is a gallery of some of the sketches shared.

Giraffe and Hippo — markol88

Manga — vincentriemer

Nike Shoes — snugja

Read more

Apple ‘Investigating’ iPad Pros Unresponsive After Charging, Recommends Restart as Interim Fix

Shortly after the launch of the iPad Pro, buyers began complaining about an issue that caused the iPad Pro to become unresponsive after charging, requiring a hard restart to restore functionality.

Apple has now responded to those complaints with a support document letting customers know it’s looking into the problem and recommending the aforementioned hard restart as an interim fix.

To get back to using your iPad Pro, force restart it by pressing and holding both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo.

Apple is aware of this issue and is investigating.

After being charged, affected iPad Pros appear to be completely frozen, unresponsive to touch and other interactions. The screen remains dark until a reset is performed. The issue appears to be quite widespread, with complaints on the Apple Support Communities, the MacRumors forums, and reddit.

Both 32 and 128GB (Wi-Fi and LTE) iPad Pro models on iOS 9.1 have been affected, and it is not clear if the problem is related to hardware or software. Software is a strong possibility, as iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users started seeing a similar issue with their smartphones randomly powering off and becoming unresponsive last month.

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iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Compared to Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pen

Apple released the iPad Pro last week as a direct competitor to Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 4. The high-end tablets are primarily targeted at creative professionals, with the companion Apple Pencil and Surface Pen available as precise input tools to complement your finger.

iMore has shared a new video that compares sketching with the Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro to the Surface Pen on Microsoft’s new Surface Book, which has equivalent display technology as the Surface Pro 4.

Editor Serenity Caldwell found the Surface Pen to be “about as responsive” as the Apple Pencil, but said Microsoft’s stylus pressure was slightly harder to control and had more trouble at writing small type.

The Verge has created a similar video that provides more of a high-level comparison of the iPad Pro vs. Surface Pro 4, while also touching upon the Apple Pencil and Surface Pen and showing some limited usage of each accessory.

Editor Jacob Kastrenakes called the Apple Pencil “one of the best” he has ever used, adding that the Surface Pen “can be a little less natural” but benefits from having a hardware eraser — which the Apple Pencil doesn’t have.

Kastrenakes said the Apple Pencil is “really responsive” and has “amazing palm rejection,” and he offered similar accolades for the Surface Pen, although quality will vary from app to app on both the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4.

Apple Pencil online orders began to see movement earlier this week, while Apple retail stores started receiving more reliable Apple Pencil shipments on Tuesday for in-store purchase. The accessory is available to ship in 4-5 weeks online.

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Hands-On With the iPad Pro Apple Pencil

The Apple Pencil has technically been available for purchase since last week, but supplies of the iPad Pro accessory have been tight. Orders placed on launch day, November 11, are just starting to arrive to customers this week, and retail stores only began receiving reliable shipments starting yesterday.

We picked up an Apple Pencil yesterday afternoon and did a hands-on video to give MacRumors readers a look at the highly sought iPad Pro accessory.

The Apple Pencil is an accessory that’s unique to the iPad Pro and was built from the ground up alongside the tablet. It’s aimed at creative professionals who need a more precise tool for sketching, drawing, writing, and other tasks where accuracy is imperative.

Pressure and positioning sensors built into the Apple Pencil let it detect a range of forces, enabling pressure sensitive writing and drawing. When used with the iPad Pro, the tablet scans the signal coming from the device more than 240 times per second, resulting in the low latency levels seen in the video.

Tilt sensors in the tip of the Apple Pencil determine the orientation and the angle of the hand holding it, so it’s possible to do things like shading by using the side of the tip. Apple has designed the Apple Pencil to work alongside a finger, so it can be used simultaneously with touch gestures. It also has palm rejection technology, so you can rest your hand on the iPad Pro screen when drawing or writing.

There’s a Lightning connector at the bottom of the Apple Pencil that’s used for charging. It has a 12 hour battery life but can also charge enough for a half hour of use in 15 seconds, so it will never be non-functional in a pinch.

The Apple Pencil can be purchased from the online Apple Store for $99. Orders placed now won’t arrive until December, so customers seeking an Apple Pencil may have better luck in retail Apple Stores.

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More Apple Stores Begin Receiving Very Limited Stock of Apple Pencil

While the iPad Pro launched nearly a week ago, many early adopters have been unable to get their hands on the companion Apple Pencil. With shipping estimates of 3-4 weeks or longer for the accessory on the Apple Online Store, some prospective buyers have been checking their local Apple Retail Stores for stock and tracking their results in our discussion forums.

Apple Pencil stock at SoHo Apple Store in New York City earlier today

Beginning early Tuesday, it appears that more Apple Retail Stores in the U.S. have begun receiving very limited Apple Pencil stock. MacRumors forum member JuanKr shared the above picture of Apple Pencil stock at the SoHo Apple Store in Manhattan, New York, while we have independently confirmed Apple Pencil stock as of writing at the Oakridge Apple Store in San Jose, California.

MacRumors forum members have shared a handful of other Apple Stores with Apple Pencil stock over the past 24 hours, listed below, although some have since sold out and we cannot guarantee stock remaining at every store due to the combination of limited supplies and strong demand. We recommend calling your local Apple Store prior to visiting, but some customers have had better luck in person.

– SanTan Village in Gilbert, AZ

– Arrowhead in Glendale, AZ

– Burlingame Avenue in Burlingame, CA

– Los Cerritos in Cerritos, CA

– South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA

– Century City in Los Angeles, CA

– Manhattan Village in Manhattan Beach, CA

– UTC in San Diego, CA

– Union Square in San Francisco, CA

– Oakridge in San Jose, CA

– Valley Fair in Santa Clara, CA

– Park Meadows in Lone Tree, CO

– Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, CT

– Stamford Town Center in Stamford, CT

– Lenox Square in Atlanta, GA

– Boylston Street in Boston, MA

– CambridgeSide in Cambridge, MA

– Derby Street in Hingham, MA

– Bethesda Row in Bethesda, MD

– Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, NC

– King Street in Charleston, SC

– Haywood Mall in Greenville, SC

– Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, NY

– Grand Central in Manhattan, NY

– West 14th Street in Manhattan, NY

– Easton Town Center in Columbus, OH

– Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA

– Pentagon City in Arlington, VA

– Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, VA

– Bellevue Square in Bellevue, WA

– University Village in Seattle, WA

– Georgetown in Washington D.C.

The first batch of Apple Pencil online orders began shifting to “Preparing for Shipment” status earlier this week, while Smart Keyboards remain scarce both online and in stores. Most Apple Stores have plenty of Logitech Create keyboards available for the iPad Pro as an alternative.

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