Apple's new giant iPad is ready for work

At its big event today, Apple unveiled the long-rumored iPad Pro, a super-sized version of its famous tablet with a 12.9-inch screen.

The iPad Pro is aimed at working professionals, students, and other people who need to get stuff done but don't necessarily need a laptop.

Apple CEO Tim Cook called the "the biggest news in iPad since the iPad."

It's the same screen width and height as the MacBook Air. It's designed for multitasking using iOS 9's new features for running apps side by side.

Apple claims that the iPad Pro's processor is faster than the one found in 80% of laptops that shipped in the last year. It also has four stereo speakers. Apple is claiming that the iPad Pro comes with 10 hours of battery life.

Apple also unveiled an optional Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro, an optional accessory that connects via a brand-new Smart Connector port on the side. That port provides power and connection.

For drawing and sketching, Apple also introduced the Apple Pencil, a new stylus for the iPad Pro that has been long in the works.

The Apple Pencil is being sold as a super-accurate way of drawing on the screen. With pressure sensors, it can detect how hard you're pushing on the screen and change the width of the line you draw accordingly. With more advanced sensors on the tip, it can detect the angle of the pencil stroke, so it feels more like a real pen.

You can rechage the Apple Pencil via an Apple-standard Lightning cable, which you can apparently plug straight into the iPad Pro.

The Apple Pencil is supported by apps like the updated Notes and Mail, coming in iOS 9. Third party applications will also support it.

In fact, Apple had Microsoft on stage to demonstrate the Apple Pencil working with Microsoft Office apps running on the iPad Pro. In that demo, Microsoft showed up how you can use an Apple Pencil for marking up Office documents and sharing the annotations.

With iOS 9's multitasking features, Microsoft also showed off using the Apple Pencil to bring data across apps.

Apple also brought up Adobe to show off a new suite of Photoshop apps running on the iPad Pro. With the Apple Pencil, graphics professionals get an easier, more responsive way to digitally edit pictures and photos.