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I enjoy the iMore show, but let's be 100% honest -- Rene and co are more like human press releases for Apple products than critical reviewers. Partaking of their Apple editorial is like eating candy. I watch, read, listen to the gang to get the full feature set of an Apple product in an "Apple positive" environment, but I need to go elsewhere to find out what is missing, potential issues, what could be improved but not a deal killer, and if the product is worth the coin.

As far as authentic reviewers go I prefer Mossberg and Joanna Stern.
The funny part I noticed about the iMore review was it was filmed literally two city blocks away from 1 Infinity Loop. It was as if he got the iPad on loan while he went out for a sandwich and played with it while eating, only to return it afterward. As others said, it simply sounded like a rehash of the spec sheet.

That being said, the Ars Technica review was way more eye opening. While I can totally see how this iPad fits my need in replacing my 32GB iPad Air for more space and doubling as a sketch pad for architecture ideas, those who own iPad Air 2s would be pissing this update away. That review was way more informative than the propaganda of iMore.
 
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The funny part I noticed about the iMore review was it was filmed literally two city blocks away from 1 Infinity Loop. It was as if he got the iPad on loan while he went out for a sandwich and played with it while eating, only to return it afterward. As others said, it simply sounded like a rehash of the spec sheet.

That being said, the Ars Technica review was way more eye opening. While I can totally see how this iPad fits my need in replacing my 32GB iPad Air for more space and doubling as a sketch pad for architecture ideas, those who own iPad Air 2s would be pissing this update away. That review was way more informative than the propaganda of iMore.

Yes, for someone like you who's workflow and efficiency is enhanced by the pen the Pro is a great device. For doodlers and note takers like me it's a convenience who's cost is hard to intellectually justify especially if one (like me) has an Air 2.

And Ars Technika reviews are always amazingly informative, thanks for mentioning. Sometime they are even a bit too detailed. The true meaning of tech porn. :D
 
Solid review. A little light on content compared to their normal reviews, but I'd say that has to do with so many of the same specs already being covered in the past (6S camera, iPad Pro CPU).

Interested on anandtechs and display mates look into the new display.
 
Ars Technika had a good review. Battery life is impressive and rather unexpected being almost 2 hours more.

One major issue about their conclusion (not their fault at all) is there simply are NO refurb air 2s right now available (ok one gold 64gb and 2 16s total); they must've sold out quick.

So it's a little hard an equation than $419 64gb air 2 vs $599 IPP 9.7 now. $180 is a much more dramatic difference.
 
The way i see it, apple is basically touting the ipad pro as the new laptop and the apple pencil is the new mouse/cursor.
I think they've taken great pains to avoid this notion. The Pen is clearly marketed as a drawing and markup tool, not as a mouse alternative.
 
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I thought the iMore review was very poor - a rehash of the specs, however - did he even mention the RAM?

The Ars review is excellent as always. I must say I'm very happy with the battery life improvements as I thought both the Air 2 and iPad Pro 12.9 were a step backwards.
 
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I got to sit down and really experience the 12.9" version on Easter. I'm not that impressed. The display on it wasn't much better than the Air 2, it wasn't very heavy holding with two hands but felt heavy when you'd try to hold it on the side because of the lever effect since it's so wide. My wife's uncle showed me how he cradles it and it just seemed lame. It needs to be lighter, charge faster (or come with the faster charging kit), needs the lower reflectivity of the 9.7" Pro, the Tru-Tone capability, and most importantly, it needs better software geared towards professional workflows.

iOS is focused more on consuming and sharing content. It doesn't have proper tools to work on projects with lots of files, easily move files around between apps, save out different versions of comps and easily switch between them or show them side by side, plug in different devices like external drives when you need to grab files, etc. Sure it would be great if all files were in the cloud but the real world doesn't work that way and sometimes you need to grab the original comps you had some intern work on in Illustrator CS6 several years ago for a branding campaign that was shelved until a later date and those were copied to a random external drive when their old machine broke and had the hard drive cloned. That's real world stuff right there and the iPad Pro can't even come close to dealing. iOS X better have some great improvements for iPad Pro.
 
Rene Ritchie reviewing an Apple Product is like a toddler describing his mother. All negativity and honesty is buried under blind love and a desperate need for acceptance.

Where are the real reviews? It just seems odd that the iMore "extended product description" came out Friday yet everyone else is holding to NDA. (I desperately want an honest opinion on the new 4speaker array in the vibration-heavy 9.7 frame)

[Edit: Ars does a great job in describing the 9.7 speakers. That seals the deal and I'm buying.]
 
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I got to sit down and really experience the 12.9" version on Easter. I'm not that impressed. The display on it wasn't much better than the Air 2, it wasn't very heavy holding with two hands but felt heavy when you'd try to hold it on the side because of the lever effect since it's so wide. My wife's uncle showed me how he cradles it and it just seemed lame. It needs to be lighter, charge faster (or come with the faster charging kit), needs the lower reflectivity of the 9.7" Pro, the Tru-Tone capability, and most importantly, it needs better software geared towards professional workflows.

iOS is focused more on consuming and sharing content. It doesn't have proper tools to work on projects with lots of files, easily move files around between apps, save out different versions of comps and easily switch between them or show them side by side, plug in different devices like external drives when you need to grab files, etc. Sure it would be great if all files were in the cloud but the real world doesn't work that way and sometimes you need to grab the original comps you had some intern work on in Illustrator CS6 several years ago for a branding campaign that was shelved until a later date and those were copied to a random external drive when their old machine broke and had the hard drive cloned. That's real world stuff right there and the iPad Pro can't even come close to dealing. iOS X better have some great improvements for iPad Pro.
I am wondering if they are going to focus on productivity, file management, etc. in iOS 10 since they are trying to sell that narrative for the iPad Pro models. If they do start addressing these concerns in iOS these iPads could be very powerful laptop replacements based on the powerful hardware.
 
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ars confirms my gut feeling...

"If you have an iPad Air 2 and don’t desperately want Apple Pencil support, ignore the Pro for now"
 
sometimes you need to grab the original comps you had some intern work on in Illustrator CS6 several years ago for a branding campaign that was shelved until a later date and those were copied to a random external drive when their old machine broke and had the hard drive cloned.

If the external drive is in the network, you can use FileBrowser to access it from the iPad.
 
I wonder how will people respond if they learned the iPad Pro 9.7 had 2 GB DDR3 ram instead of DDR4....we will see just how much the teardown reveals soon from ifixit........
 
I wonder how will people respond if they learned the iPad Pro 9.7 had 2 GB DDR3 ram instead of DDR4....we will see just how much the teardown reveals soon from ifixit........

Well the RAM in the iPad Pro 9.7" is faster than the iPhone 6s RAM so I'd say it's highly unlikely that they are using DDR3 RAM in this new iPad.
 
Read the ars technica review.....

I did earlier and the benchmarks show the RAM in the Pro 9.7" is faster by about 600 than the iPhone 6s RAM. They made theories why the RAM in the Pro 9.7" was quite a bit slower than the RAM in the Pro 12.9" but it's far from definite and so I'd hardly think they are using DDR3 RAM in the Pro 9.7" if it's faster than the DDR4 RAM in the iPhone 6s.

Evidence is in this benchmark chart:

http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/iPad-Pro-9.7-benchz.002.png
 
ars confirms my gut feeling...

"If you have an iPad Air 2 and don’t desperately want Apple Pencil support, ignore the Pro for now"
With my 9.7" Pro on order, I've been using my iPad mini 3 to figure out how I'm going to re-arrange my workflows and be far less dependent on the Macbook. Honestly, there's nothing that the Pro is going to unlock for me that I can't do in iOS on my mini. I would probably be just as delighted by upgrading to an Air 2 as I would by getting a Pro. I couldn't pass up that new display and the nice speakers though.
 
Rene Ritchie reviewing an Apple Product is like a toddler describing his mother. All negativity and honesty is buried under blind love and a desperate need for acceptance.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Ohhh, sick burn.

But true. Asking iMore to even attempt objectivity is too big of a demand
 
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Waiting for AnandTech. Their reviews always seem to be the most comprehensive.
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I wonder how will people respond if they learned the iPad Pro 9.7 had 2 GB DDR3 ram instead of DDR4....we will see just how much the teardown reveals soon from ifixit........
That's pretty unlikely given difference in memory scores between Pro 9.7 and Air 2.

My guess based on benchmarks:

6s/6s+: A9, 64-bit memory bus width, 2GB DDR4 single channel
Pro 9.7: A9X, 128-bit memory bus width, 2GB DDR4 single channel
Pro 12.7: A9X, 128-bit memory bus width, 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR4 dual channel
 
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Waiting for AnandTech. Their reviews always seem to be the most comprehensive.
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That's pretty unlikely given difference in memory scores between Pro 9.7 and Air 2.

My guess based on benchmarks:

6s/6s+: A9, 64-bit, 2GB DDR4 single channel
Pro 9.7: A9X, 128-bit, 2GB DDR4 single channel
Pro 12.7: A9X, 128-bit, 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR4 dual channel
There is no way A9X is a 128-bit chip......
 
Not the chip but the RAM bus width.
Oh gotcha, you might need to revise a bit then. If I remember correctly the A8 (or the A8X) is already a 128 bus device, meaning the A9 is as well. I need to reread the Ars articles......
 
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