2020 iPad Pro Teardown Provides Closer Look at LiDAR Scanner and Confirms Incremental Update

[criticasm]

Not for most people, evidently. If it were a big problem, it would be changed.

Like the butterfly keyboard Apple linger for years. Aside from cameras bugger all was changed in yet another typical cheap ass update. If as many people owned iPad Pros as MacBooks (<5% of iPad sales are the pro) we'd be seeing more issues of its flimsy build. And the ones with a Pro baby the thing 'cause they know it ain't durable.

 

[chucker23n1]

The last time I did coding on a 12 inch display was about 40 years ago (DEC VT100 terminal). I feel really confused when I see people who want to do it again. My current setup has a 38 inch display which roughly has 9x area of the largest iPad.

When I'm at a desk, there never seems to be quite enough screen estate for an IDE.

But not all coding has to be good ol' IDE-style. We saw a glimpse of what coding can be with Swift Playgrounds, which in turn was inspired (I believe) in part by Bret Victor's demo.

 

[Johnny907]

I bought the 128GB model as that’d the perfect size for me....whats the point of buying higher storage and paying more just for the sake of it?

64GB is certainly not enough but 256GB is too much where i would have so much spare....think you will find 128GB is the sweet spot for many people. Even on the iphone many are forced to buy the 256GB model as 64GB wasn’t seen as enough...when the iPhone 12 pro comes in 128GB I fully expect that to be the most popular storage model.

out of 128GB I’m using only 25GB on my iPad...so yes 128GB clearly makes the most sense when we have cloud storage for photos. I have about 115GB worth of films but there’s no need to have that downloaded on my device when i go on a plane 1-2 a year tops. The rest can be used via data.

If you're not even using half of 64GB, you may as well have gotten the 64GB model from the previous Gen and saved hundreds. But whatever.

 

[fbr$]

.

and my speculation on the next big thing for iPadOS is for programmers, compiler support for all major languages, Terminal app, and Xcode for iPadOS, etc.

Maybe playing with it will be funny!

But serious programmers already have their 16GB-64GB PCs/Macs.

A MacBook Air 13.3" i5 16GB 256GB is actually $50 cheaper than an iPad Pro 12.9" 6GB 128GB + Magic Keyboard.

 

[chucker23n1]

.

Maybe playing with it will be funny!

But serious programmers already have their 16GB-64GB PCs/Macs.

A MacBook Air 13.3" i5 16GB 256GB is actually $50 cheaper than an iPad Pro 12.9" 6GB 128GB + Magic Keyboard.

It is, but an Air is barely enough for even just casual programming.

 

[0924487]

.

Maybe playing with it will be funny!

But serious programmers already have their 16GB-64GB PCs/Macs.

A MacBook Air 13.3" i5 16GB 256GB is actually $50 cheaper than an iPad Pro 12.9" 6GB 128GB + Magic Keyboard.

Well, it’s not gonna replace a Mac. It’s a way to have your code on the go in a thin client. Don’t even think about building/compiling your project on an iPad. It’s gonna drain the battery before you get what you want.
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I don't really know how much scope they have, according to AnandTech's Review the A13 already peaks at up to 6W draw which is quite a lot in a tiny phone chassis! On the iPad side, maybe if they can find a way of dissipating heat more efficiently (new materials/ heat sink etc). The key thing they have to do is make sure it can effectively sustain it's performance, without having to throttle to cool off. Drawing more power and running at a higher clock will both generate more heat. Being able to reach super clock speeds to give performance a kick is no good in a device like this if it can't sustain it long. Yes 5nm will help with this to an extent, boosting IPC from fitting more transistors on the dye but I don't think that's going to be a magic key to unlocking 2x+ performance gains at this stage.

Maybe bigger cache and bigger die? Apple’s die are generally bigger than Samsung etc.

 

[chucker23n1]

Well, it’s not gonna replace a Mac. It’s a way to have your code on the go in a thin client. Don’t even think about building/compiling your project on an iPad. It’s gonna drain the battery before you get what you want.

I mean, if you're gonna go thin client, any iPad is already plenty powerful.

There's apps like Continuous that show that coding locally on the iPad can absolutely be done.

 

[triangletechie]

It is an incremental upgrade, but it also introduces new hardware - Lidar lasers. Cameras are also improved and internal GPU got upgraded and RAM added. It might be not big upgrade for those who have 2018 models - for sure- but for people like me (I am still with Pro 9.7 inch first gen) - thats a big jump.

What did the 2018 models lack that prevented you from upgrading?

 

[0924487]

The last time I did coding on a 12 inch display was about 40 years ago (DEC VT100 terminal). I feel really confused when I see people who want to do it again. My current setup has a 38 inch display which roughly has 9x area of the largest iPad.

For programs with no GUI, even the 10.5 iPad is sufficient. I really want compilers to work on iPad. Like c/c++ and golang. Also bash and wel.... homebrew lol 😂

 

[Baymowe335]

Like the butterfly keyboard Apple linger for years. Aside from cameras bugger all was changed in yet another typical cheap ass update. If as many people owned iPad Pros as MacBooks (<5% of iPad sales are the pro) we'd be seeing more issues of its flimsy build. And the ones with a Pro baby the thing 'cause they know it ain't durable.

Again, failure rates on butterly keyboards? Way bigger issue according to the vocal minority than the real issue that only Apple would know. Watch their actions...they didn't scurry to change them immediately. They could deal with it and slowly phase it out.

 

[anthdci]

I shouldn't be, but I am really tempted by the 12.9, I have an 11 and barely use it to be honest.

 

[Rafterman]

I shouldn't be, but I am really tempted by the 12.9, I have an 11 and barely use it to be honest.

What would change that would make you use the 12.9 more?

 

[Belly-laughs]

I’m getting a few to make an autonomous vehicle.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Yup.

Setting the expectation of a 2.2x boost is just setting yourself up for disappointment. It's neither very likely, nor is it needed.

I’m guessing maybe 30% would be possible, but Apple may trade off some of the potential performance increase for reduced power consumption.

2.2x isn’t even in the ballpark imo.

 

[chucker23n1]

I’m guessing maybe 30% would be possible, but Apple may trade off some of the potential performance increase for reduced power consumption.

2.2x isn’t even in the ballpark imo.

Well, 12 to 13 already gives ~18%. Continuing at that pace a second time would bring 39%. They can shave some off to reduce power consumption and still hit 30%.

 

[iSayuSay]

I agree with you but this is not an update. The only difference is the camera. Everything else is the same. Chip is old, structure is weak (for me) so I am not giving Apple my money for this.

It will usually take several refresh before Apple would do a major redesign. So you'll stuck with this design for probably one or two more updates. I still hold onto my 10.5" Pro. Just love TouchID more, and also a bit stronger chassis.

 

[tothemoonsands]

What would change that would make you use the 12.9 more?

I actually was/am in the same boat as anthdci. I didn't use my 11" as much as I should have, and in my mind that is because I needed a bit more room for digital art w/ Apple Pencil, more space in safari windows, and easier multitasking in general. I am trading up to a new 2020 12.9" and this is also coinciding with my departure (selling) of my 2017 MBP. So essentially I am forcing myself to try out using the iPad as my go-to mobile computer (iMac for major work and of course iPhone for that constant dopamine hit).

 

[crsh1976]

xcept it beats all the other tablets out there and is faster than most laptops.

Faster than most laptops when doing what, loading Facebook in the web browser?

It doesn't run the same OS and applications, so the comparison based entirely on synthetic benchmarks is pointless.

 

[mixel]

Faster than most laptops when doing what, loading Facebook in the web browser?

It doesn't run the same OS and applications, so the comparison based entirely on synthetic benchmarks is pointless.

Comparing its performance in high end apps (affinity suite, procreate, luma fusion) it's clear the 2018 (and 2020) iPads run rings around many laptops - and desktops, particularly low end all-in-ones like some iMacs. It's not just an abstract thing.

 

[Jonathantuba]

People complain that the 2020 iPad Pro is not a big upgrade, but then the 2018 was so near perfect hardware wise that no big upgrade was required. My guess is Apple only did upgrade at all now, to have device to fully use new AR software coming this year, and to get people that have been waiting on the fence for an upgrade to go ahead and buy. If it was an iPhone, it would be an ‘s’ upgrade. I am more than happy with my 2018 1TB 12.9”, so have no plans to replace this year. Just looking forward to the new magic keyboard which will be a BIG upgrade over the current offering.

 

[crsh1976]

Comparing its performance in high end apps (affinity suite, procreate, luma fusion) it's clear the 2018 (and 2020) iPads run rings around many laptops - and desktops, particularly low end all-in-ones like some iMacs. It's not just an abstract thing.

An iPad Pro's A12X runs iOS apps, when comparing benchmark numbers to x86 processors on laptops, you can hope to best low-end Core i3 chips at best, certainly not beat i5/i7 hexa/octo core processors found in laptops available on the market in the same price range.

It doesn't mean the Apple ARM processors are bad by any stretch, we're just comparing apples and oranges - iOS and OSX variants of a given app are not directly comparable because as they stand right now they are not the same (the name may be the same, but it's not code compiled for different architectures, they're just different beasts), they do not achieve the same things the same ways, and they sure as hell do not run in the same context.

I'm all for giving ARM-powered Macs a shot, but we have nothing reliable to base our opinions on right now.

 

[chucker23n1]

An iPad Pro's A12X runs iOS apps, when comparing benchmark numbers to x86 processors on laptops, you can hope to best low-end Core i3 chips at best, certainly not beat i5/i7 hexa/octo core processors found in laptops available on the market in the same price range.

An iPad Pro's A12X (from 2018) has almost identical performance to the Core i7-7700K, a high-end desktop part from 2016 (Kaby Lake). It won't sustain that performance for quite as long, but that's mainly because the Core is rated at 91 Watts, about ten times the thermal headroom of an iPad.

An A13 can compete with last year's Coffee Lake Refresh desktop parts.

It doesn't mean the Apple ARM processors are bad by any stretch, we're just comparing apples and oranges - iOS and OSX variants of a given app are not directly comparable because as they stand right now they are not the same

What does that mean?

(the name may be the same, but it's not code compiled for different architectures, they're just different beasts), they do not achieve the same things the same ways, and they sure as hell do not run in the same context.

You're not meaningfully substantiating what you're saying.

 

[mixel]

An iPad Pro's A12X runs iOS apps, when comparing benchmark numbers to x86 processors on laptops, you can hope to best low-end Core i3 chips at best, certainly not beat i5/i7 hexa/octo core processors found in laptops available on the market in the same price range.

The i3 thing isn't true..

https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/new-ipad-pro-2018-129-inch - key info "Laptop Mag: 2018 iPad Pro transcodes 4K video 3x faster than 2018 MacBook Pro" - Anyone painting high resolution canvasses (in software like Clip Studio Paint and Affinity Photo) with complex brushes knows the 2018/20 iPad's performance is great even compared to i5 and i7 systems, it completely craps all over my i7 MacBook Pro. (2013 model, so long in the tooth now. But still faster in some metrics than new low end laptops.)

 

[crsh1976]

An iPad Pro's A12X (from 2018) has almost identical performance to the Core i7-7700K, a high-end desktop part from 2016 (Kaby Lake). It won't sustain that performance for quite as long, but that's mainly because the Core is rated at 91 Watts, about ten times the thermal headroom of an iPad.

An A13 can compete with last year's Coffee Lake Refresh desktop parts.



What does that mean?



You're not meaningfully substantiating what you're saying.

You're basing your opinion on synthetic benchmark results. There are already numerous critiques out there that explain why multi-architecture benchmarks are problematic, look into it.

There is no way in hell an ARM chip, any ARM chip, has the same sustained processing power as an x86 processor, which you mention yourself.

The idea that by multiplying the power input and cooling the ARM chip will do just as well, if not better, is not reliable.

 

[himanshumodi]

So is it better to buy the 2018 model? Will that be compatible with the magic keyboard + trackpad?