Australian telco pricing for Apple iPad Pro revealed

Apple's new high-end tablet, the iPad Pro, has been launched in Australia, with prices ranging from AU$80 per month up to AU$188, and 12-month, 24-month, and month-to-month plans on offer.

Apple launched the iPad Pro alongside the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in September, with the tablet aimed at the enterprise sector, which is currently primarily served by Microsoft's Surface Pro. It has an optional stylus, named the Apple Pencil, and a keyboard.

In regards to specs, the tablet comes in Wi-Fi-only and LTE options, with a 12.9-inch 2,732x2,048, 264ppi Retina display; a 10-hour battery life; an 8-megapixel iSight camera; and Touch ID. It is available in silver, space grey, and gold, and is only 6.9mm thick.

It also supports Adobe and Windows applications.

Telstra has announced its 24-month pricing plans for the 128GB Wi-Fi+ LTE iPad Pro, with the telecommunications carrier charging AU$85 per month for 1GB of data; AU$92 for 4GB; AU$109 for 8GB; and AU$155 per month for 15GB.

The telco noted that the iPad Pro will work across its 4GX network.

Rival company Optus has also unveiled its tiered plans for the iPad Pro, offering the tablet in 12-month, 24-month, and month-to-month offerings at marginally lower prices than Telstra.

On 24-month post-paid plans, the 128GB model is available for AU$80 for 1.5GB of data; AU$85 for 2.5GB of data; AU$93 for 4GB; AU$106 for 8GB; and AU$118 for 12GB. Its 12-month plans are more expensive, beginning at AU$150 per month for 1.5GB; AU$155 for 2.5GB; AU$163 for 4GB; and AU$188 for 12GB.

Paying for the iPad Pro on a month-to-month plan will see customers pay AU$1,680 upfront for the tablet, and then AU$10 per month for 1.5GB of data; AU$20 for 2.5GB; AU$30 for 4GB; AU$45 for 8GB; and AU$60 for 12GB.

Vodafone Australia has yet to reveal its pricing, while buying the iPad Pro outright from Apple will cost Australian consumers AU$1,249 for the 32GB Wi-Fi-only model; AU$1,499 for 128GB of storage with Wi-Fi only; and AU$1,699 for 128GB with Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity.

The smart keyboard costs AU$269, and the Apple Pencil is an additional AU$165.

In the US, the new iPad costs $799 for the 32GB Wi-Fi-only option; $949 for the 128GB Wi-Fi-only model; and $1,079 for the 128GB Wi-Fi + LTE option, with the keyboard costing $169 and the Pencil $99.

Tablet usage, meanwhile, is forecast to fall for the first time in 2016, according to a recent study from ABI Research, largely due to the growing popularity of phablets such as Apple's own iPhone 6s Plus.

"Phablets are an increasing percentage of smartphone shipments and are a mobile alternative to replacing a tablet," ABI Research director Jeff Orr said in a statement.

Research firm IDC also said tablet shipments would fall by 8 percent in 2015, while TrendForce predicted a drop of 14.9 percent this year, to 163 million units.

Apple last month announced its results for the June-to-September quarter, reporting revenues of $55 billion, up 22 percent year on year, and net income of $11.1 billion.

Apple also revealed that while it had sold 48.02 million iPhones, an increase of 18.4 percent from the 39.2 million unit sales during the same quarter a year ago, iPad sales were down from 12.3 million to 9.88 million.

For the full year, Apple reported revenues of $233.7 billion.