iPad Pro Features Improved Storage Controller for Desktop-Class Performance - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPad Pro Features Improved Storage Controller for Desktop-Class Performance

by

iPad-Pro-PortraitApple's new iPad Pro is powered by a 64-bit A9X processor that delivers up to 1.6 times faster performance over the iPad Air 2, with up to twice as fast graphics. Apple also says the tablet is faster than 80% of portable PCs shipped in the last 12 months.

Apple's website notes the underlying technology behind the iPad Pro's desktop-class performance is a new storage controller that increases read and write speeds so that large files, such as 4K videos or RAW photos imported from an HD camera, can be opened much quicker (via AppleInsider).

The A9X chip is capable of processing data so quickly, it demanded a new memory architecture. iPad Pro features a revamped storage controller that helps deliver performance better than some desktop computers. This increases read and write speeds, so you can quickly open even the largest files. Like the big 4K movie you just edited or all the RAW images you imported from your HD camera.

iPad Pro launches in November in Silver, Space Gray and Gold, starting at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model. A 128GB Wi-Fi only model will cost $949 and a Wi-Fi + LTE 128GB model will cost $1,079. A new Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard will launch alongside the tablet for $99 and $169 respectively.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Tag: A9X Chip
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Neutral)

Popular Stories

macOS 27 on MacBook Pro

Apple Says macOS 27 Won't Be Compatible With These Macs

Wednesday June 3, 2026 8:29 am PDT by
During WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that macOS 26 Tahoe would be the final major macOS version for Intel-based Macs. macOS 27 will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs only, meaning that you will need a Mac with an M-series chip or a MacBook Neo with an A18 Pro chip in order to install the software update. Apple will unveil macOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote this Monday, June 8, and the...
Read Full Article • 90 comments
MacBook Neo on Yellow Feature

MacBook Neo is So Popular That Apple Reportedly Doubled Production

Wednesday June 3, 2026 9:24 am PDT by
On an earnings call in late April, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said that customer response to the MacBook Neo was "off the charts," and the popularity of the laptop has reportedly led the company to significantly boost production. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this week said he believes that MacBook Neo shipments to Apple were doubled from an initial target of 5 million units to 10...
Read Full Article • 114 comments
iphone 18 pro blue%402x

iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:18 am PDT by
Update: Since publication, new information has come to light suggesting the images have been AI-manipulated and are not in fact iPhone 18 Pro chassis parts. The original article follows. The color options Apple is reportedly planning for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max have appeared online today in the form of images of chassis parts of unknown authenticity....
Read Full Article • 74 comments

Top Rated Comments

pgiguere1 Avatar
pgiguere1
140 months ago
Still hard to swallow the price tag IMO.

We've come to expect that bigger versions of iOS devices (e.g. iPhone Plus vs iPhone, iPad Air vs iPad mini) usually cost $100 more. And those even have a couple pros other than size over their smaller sibling too (iPhone Plus has OIS and longer battery life, iPad Air has more accurate colors, was thinner and faster until recently).

Now this is $300 more, and the biggest feature besides the larger screen is an active digitizer which can only be used if you buy the $100 Pencil, bringing it to a $400 premium over the iPad Air. Other than that, stuff like the A9X and other incremental hardware updates would have been expected on the $500 iPad Air 3, had it been released this fall as usual instead of the Pro.

Having a bigger iPad is worth an extra $100 IMO. The active stylus + digitizer is worth another $100. I think $69 would have been a reasonable price for the Smart Keyboard (same price as the Bluetooth Apple keyboard). That would have brought the total price to $768. In reality it's $1067, and that's completely nuts. It's a shame because the hardware itself is pretty attractive.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
AngerDanger
140 months ago
You'd have to be pretty brave to hold the iPad Pro as pictures in this article.



Attachment Image
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0815 Avatar
0815
140 months ago
So everything about this iPad is Pro - except the OS .... This one should run MacOS
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
magbarn
140 months ago
I still can't believe you can edit 3 4K streams together on this thing. My MacBook Pro from 2011 is feeling underpowered.
Have you actually tried working with 4 k files? They're huge!
It may have the horsepower to edit it, but unless apple secretly upgraded the the Lightning connector to usb 3.0 or thunderbolt speeds, it's going to be painfully slow moving those files in/out of the iPad pro. And no, wifi Ac is nowhere near as fast. The sad 32gb base model is another insult to injury. Even the 128gb would be limiting to a real 'pro' working on multiple 4k recordings due to the lack of fast external storage. I edit 4k videos on my rmbp 15 while on the road and I use a combo of the built in 512gb ssd, an external 1 tb ssd in a thunderbolt enclosure and 2x2tb usb 3.0 hdd.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
DolsJ
140 months ago
So everything about this iPad is Pro - except the OS .... This one should run MacOS
OS X would be horrible on a tablet from a UI standpoint. Apple is clearly hoping that Developers will create more fully featured "Pro" applications for iOS as the hardware evolves and become more capable.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Phil A. Avatar
Phil A.
140 months ago
I have heard this quite a bit since the iPad Pro's introduction so I have two serious questions for everyone in the OS X on the iPad camp:

1. What would be the benefit of running Mac OS X?

2. What apps would you like to run that there isn't already an optimized iOS equivalent available?
An iPad Pro that could run OS X would have been an insta-buy for me, but with iOS it's a non-starter (so I guess I'm not the target market :))
Some apps that I use daily that I can't run on iOS are:

Xcode
Photoshop
Lightroom
MySQL
SourceTree
Online dev tools such as C9.io (doesn't work with mobile safari)
Eclipse


As I said, I'm not the target audience for this device :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments