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iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pass FCC, Smart Keyboard Limited to U.S. Layout at Launch

Friday October 16, 2015 5:27 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple received final approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on October 15 for the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil ahead of their November launch. FCC regulatory documents show that Apple filed applications for both LTE and Wi-Fi models of the upcoming 12.9-inch tablet, as noted by G4Games.

Apple-Pencil-iPad-Pro
There are still at least two weeks remaining until the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil are released, but FCC approval is typically one of the final requirements leading up to a new product launch. The new Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2, for example, received FCC approval in August prior to their release this week.

On a related note, Apple also recently added fine print on its German website that indicates the Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro will only be available with a U.S. English layout at launch, as spotted by iFun.de. The accessory is not to be confused with the new Magic Keyboard, which will be available in over a dozen languages.

iPad-Pro-Smart-Keyboard
iPad Pro will come in Silver, Space Gray and Gold, starting at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model. A 128GB Wi-Fi only model will also be available for $949, and a Wi-Fi + LTE 128GB model will retail for $1,079. Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard will retail for $99 and $169 respectively as standalone accessories.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Tags: FCC, Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard
Buyer's Guide: 12.9" iPad Pro (Caution)
[ 123 comments ]

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Pakaku
52 months ago

It would be wonderful if apple or Microsoft would fully embrace their new pen(cil)s and produce a desktop that takes advantage of that tech (and touch). I envision (read lust for) an imac 5K that has a simple tilt flat articulating base.

Rating: 21 Votes
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MacFather
52 months ago
Rating: 15 Votes
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mrbyu
52 months ago


It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful this thing is even 13 years after its release.
Rating: 15 Votes
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iKnackwurst
52 months ago
No international Keyboard? What exactly are these guys smoking that they think the whole world uses the US Layout?
Sorry Apple but that is some Grade A ********.
Rating: 14 Votes
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OllyW
52 months ago

There's not that much difference between the US and German layout. It's reallz not that big a deal. You just need to keep a Yen attitude about it.


I can see quite a few big differences...





Rating: 14 Votes
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AngerDanger
52 months ago
Well, it should be great for entering MacRumors giveaways.
Rating: 7 Votes
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MrGimper
52 months ago
I'm going to wait till they shrink it next year and call it the iPad Air 3 :)
Rating: 6 Votes
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Phil A.
52 months ago

There's no symbol on that keyboard that can't be found on the US keyboard using the option key

Yeah, but things like the layout being QWERTY rather than QWERTZ is a bigger issue - if you're a German touch typist you're going to expect the Z key to be where the Y key actually is
It'll be an even bigger issue in France where they use an AZERTY layout with lots of keys in a different place...
Rating: 5 Votes
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OllyW
52 months ago

There's no symbol on that keyboard that can't be found on the US keyboard using the option key


But it's a major hassle if you are used to using that layout, especially if you are a touch typist. Isn't adding an external keyboard to your iPad supposed to make it easier to type?
Rating: 5 Votes
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cdmoore74
52 months ago
Knowing that Apple will eventually add 3D Touch to iPads I'm not interested. Also the pen should have been integrated and rechargeable when docked. The recharging method is pretty ghetto when connected to the tablet. The keyboard thingy is an unoriginal knock off. Both accessories combined is half the price of an iPad Air 2. And the worst offense is that Windows 2 in 1's are full blown computers at equal or cheaper pricing.
The tablet market is in danger and this doesn't help it. Too many cons with this product for normal folks. And what concerns me the most is a report indicating that developers are starting to slow down updating iPad apps to their iPhone counterparts. The iPhone plus models have done much damage to the iPad.
Rating: 5 Votes

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