Apple resellers cheer iPad Pro release

Apple Authorised resellers express delight at getting their hands on the new business-focused product

Apple resellers have cheered the release of the iPad Pro which Apple launched earlier this week.

The business-focused tablet device was made available to order online on Wednesday, and Apple Authorised resellers are now due to get orders shipped out to them.

Speaking with CRN, Warren Peel, managing director of Apple Authorised reseller Trams, said the product will drive a lot of new business.

"A large portion of our market is the creative market, and they will be using it and it's opening up a few opportunities as a design tool," he said. "But I have truckloads on back order already, and by the end of this week I think they are starting to ship out.

"For us it's all B2B, and the reaction has been quite big. I think it's going to be a big seller for us. The iPad has slack lined, apart from in education, but this [the iPad Pro] is opening up some new opportunities, in our corporate business, education and creative markets. And it's also a potential replacement for people's laptops."

The entry-level Wi-Fi-only model with 32GB of storage is on sale for £679 in the UK, and Peel said the pricing is fair.

"They are not cheap, let's put it that way," he said. "But at the end of the day it looks like it's going to be a great product. I'm not upset by the price and it's what I would expect."

Apple has not put a restriction on how much stock resellers can order, according to Peel, and he said: "If we wanted, we could stock 100,000."

Chris James, service manager at Apple Premium Reseller Solutions Inc, said it has already generated a lot of interest.

"We think it's going to be a really good product over the Christmas period," he said. "I think with any new Apple product, people are always coming into ask about it before it's launched, and I think people are quite excited to get their hands on it."