Apple sets to release iPad Pro

WASHINGTON: Apple said yesterday its iPad Pro goes on sale this week in 40 countries, its new computing device aimed at reviving a slumping tablet market. The California tech giant said in a statement the new iPad-a large-screen tablet aimed at replacing portable PCs-would be available online Wednesday and in stores later in the week.

The new tablet with a 12.9-inch (32.7-centimeter) display, also includes a detachable keyboard and stylus. The iPad Pro starts at $799 for US customers, with a keyboard option for an additional $169. “The early response to iPad Pro from app developers and our customers has been incredible, and we’re excited to get iPad Pro into the hands of customers around the world this week,” said Apple senior vice president Philip Schiller. The iPad Pro includes a stylus called Apple Pencildespite insistence from late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that consumers did not want such an accessory.

A report last month by market tracker IDC showed a 12.6 percent year-over-year decline in tablet sales in the July-September quarter. IDC analysts said tablet owners are not replacing the devices as frequently as in the past.

And some are shifting to large smartphones, or “phablets,” or to lightweight PCs, some of which have detachable keyboards.

But analysts have seen some growth in the “hybrid” category of lightweight computers like the Microsoft Surface which have detachable keyboards. Apple has defeated a class action lawsuit from its California store employees seeking back pay for the time taken to undergo checks of their bags when leaving for the day.

The mandatory searches are designed to ensure that staff do not steal or smuggle out Apple products, but plaintiffs said they should be compensated for the time it took to wait for the search or undergo the search. US District Judge William Alsup, in denying the claim, said Apple employees were free to choose whether or not to bring bags to work, and that not having a bag would mean no exit search. —AFP