Apple have announced they will accept online orders for the iPad Pro on Thursday (NZ time), and that the tablet should show up in stores by the end of the week.

The 12.9-inch iPad is the largest tablet Apple has ever made, with a screen larger than some of its laptops.

The iPad Pro goes on sale in New Zealand this week. Photo: Apple.

The tablet proudly carries the "Pro" moniker which marks it as Apple's top-of-the-line iPad. It also tells you a little more about the demographic Apple are targeting.

The Pro is designed to do some heavy lifting, which comes in handy for people who want to use it at the office.

The screen size alone signals that its display is good for group projects, while the company boasts that its internals outstrip most PCs on the market.

In other words, this is for more than just watching Netflix in bed (though you could do that, too.)

By launching the iPad Pro, Apple moves squarely into competition with Microsoft and other PC makers that are concentrating more heavily on hybrid designs that bridge the divide between tablet and laptop.

Business customers are the prime market for those kinds of devices, which often carry a big price tag.

The iPad Pro is no exception in that regard - it starts at $1400 for the 32GB wi-fi enabled model and goes up to $1900 for the wi-fi and cellular network-enabled 128GB model.

Several developers such as Adobe, Fifty-Three, and Microsoft have already showcased the way their apps will work on the iPad Pro for those who want to use it in the office.

But that doesn't mean it's all work and no play. Apple's touted other features for less serious business, such as highlighting how well the device's four speakers and high-resolution screen work for watching movies and other video.

The tablet also has some associated accessories - namely a smart keyboard cover and a new stylus called the Pencil. Those are sold separately.

The keyboard is available in charcoal gray and sports the same underlying architecture as the keyboard on the new MacBook.

The Pencil, as Apple demonstrated at its fall event, is designed to work for artists, architects, animators and others who want their digital sketches to be as fast and mutable as their real-life ones.