iPad Pro Features Improved Storage Controller for Desktop-Class Performance - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
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 (Caution)

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
Read Full Article • 151 comments
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Read Full Article • 111 comments
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....
Read Full Article • 104 comments

Top Rated Comments

pgiguere1 Avatar
pgiguere1
144 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
144 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
144 months ago
So everything about this iPad is Pro - except the OS .... This one should run MacOS
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
magbarn
144 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
144 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.
144 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