Apple Utilizing Third Party Partners In iPad Pro Release

Apple’s iPad Pro reveal, the main attraction of their “Hey Siri” event, dominated the headlines on Wednesday, with the technology manufacturer thinking bigger is better in its competition with the Microsoft Surface 3 (and yet-to-be-announced Surface Pro 4).

In a review conducted by the Verge, Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, summarized the advantages of the new iPad Pro.

“It can do things that a smartphone doesn’t do because it doesn’t have to sit in your pocket.”

Featuring a 12.9-inch display, the iPad Pro is larger than the largest iPad yet, as it is just as wide as the iPad Air 2 is tall.

Apple introduced two major accessories along with the iPad Pro reveal, including a Smart Keyboard and the already infamous Apple Pencil.

While it is receiving less attention than the Apple Pencil as the iPad Pro’s lead accessory, the new Smart Keyboard is newsworthy, because it will not be wireless but will connect via Apple’s new Smart Connector. This will also allow data transfer between devices.

Perhaps the most eye-catching detail about the Smart Keyboard isn’t the keyboard itself, but the third party version made by Logitech. Much like the iPad Pro, the Create keyboard is set for a November release and will take advantage of Apple’s Smart Connector technology.

According to the Verge, the iPad Pro and Logitech’s Create keyboard do not only share a release month but the same exact release date. This would indicate that Logitech had advance access to Apple’s Smart Connector technology in order to create a device that will work with the iPad Pro from day one.

In their own release regarding the Create keyboard, Logitech can boast being the first third-party developer to create an accessory compatible with Apple’s Smart Connector, all thanks to an unprecedented level of early collaboration between the two companies.

“The keyboard was built with Apple to perfectly complement the new iPad Pro. And because it is compatible with the new Smart Connector, the CREATE keyboard automatically powers on and pairs with your iPad Pro when placed in the typing position – no Bluetooth pairing needed.”

As with any Apple announcement, followers of the brand will anxiously await the November release of the iPad Pro. They will have to settle for more teasers and preview videos until that date.

[Photo by Stephen Lam/ Getty Images]