A man uses the new Apple Pencil on an iPad Pro.

THE new iPad Pro has the power and capabilities to replace a laptop computer, Apple said.

Cook called the device “the biggest news in iPad since the iPad.”

The new tablet with a 12.9-inch display also includes a detachable keyboard and stylus, sold separately.

The device features “desktop-class performance” and operates faster than 80 per cent of portable PCs that shipped in the last 12 months, said Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller.

“It is thin and light enough to work all day and be taken everywhere,” Schiller said of the new iPad.

Apple has reinvented ... the pencil?

Apple has reinvented ... the pencil?Source:AFP

The iPad Pro includes a stylus called Apple Pencil designed for high-precision illustration and 3D design applications.

Avi Greengart at the research firm Current Analysis tweeted that the new tablets “are aimed directly at enterprises. That’s a long sales cycle, but could finally stop (the tablet market’s) sales slide.”

Apple said it had partnered with Cisco Systems Inc. and IBM to help power the iPad pro, which it said is up to 1.8 times faster and has a 10-hour battery life.

The battery life is so important, they made a display.

The battery life is so important, they made a display.Source:AFP