Yeah, displays on modern devices are so good now that these reports are useless for all but the most demanding professionals... and fanboys looking for bragging rights.
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9.7" iPad Pro's 'Excellent' Display is 'Major Upgrade' Over iPad Air 2
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Yeah, displays on modern devices are so good now that these reports are useless for all but the most demanding professionals... and fanboys looking for bragging rights.
It looks like you just use question marks differently than I would expect... When you put a question mark after "should it really come as a surprise?", it naturally invites a response. Your implication is that it shouldn't be a surprise, and my response was that nobody claimed it was.
If your point wasn't that we should expect major improvements, but rather that these improvements aren't major, then maybe what's missing is what you would consider to be a major upgrade of a mature technology? (<- invitation to respond
).
Wish Apple give us an iPP 7.9", 4GB RAM, stereo speaker (and more battery), same display and camera as iPP 9.7".
Apple improves the screen technology in the new iPad Pro such that the professionals at DisplayMate say, "The display on the iPad Pro 9.7 is a Truly Impressive Top Performing Display and a major upgrade to the display on the iPad Air 2. It is by far the best performing mobile LCD display that we have ever tested, and it breaks many display performance records."
And yet, most of the comments regarding this notable achievement are negative. Sometimes I just don't understand people.
And yet, most of the comments regarding this notable achievement are negative. Sometimes I just don't understand people.
Then don't buy it. If no one buys it, maybe they'll lower the price. But it's selling very well, so the market price is fair. That's the free market.
Interesting. Having used both, I liked the pro more, but saying it's a major upgrade is stretching it. The average user would struggle to see the difference
So I'm looking at the specs for the new iPP screen, and the Samsung AMOLED screens, and I can't understand why people get so bent out of shape about Apple using LCD. Except for contrast in a pitch-black environment and brightness when viewing from more than 30 degrees off axis, the LCD seems to outperform on all specs. Am I overlooking something?
http://www.displaymate.com/iPad_Pro9_ShootOut_1.htm#Table
http://www.displaymate.com/OLED_Tablet_ShootOut_1.htm#Table
http://www.displaymate.com/iPad_Pro9_ShootOut_1.htm#Table
http://www.displaymate.com/OLED_Tablet_ShootOut_1.htm#Table
Actually....... no. I upgraded from an Air. Are all the upgrades noticeable? Of course. Pleasant to have and use? Absolutely. A "super-duper" upgrade? No, not IMO. My work flow and capability hasn't changed. The Air is all the iPad I really needed. However, I carry it with me daily for work, around the house it is my web viewer, cooking and home brewing portal, and portable TV among other uses. So I decided to get the latest and greatest just because I could and for the amount it gets used it is pennies per hour for use. Why not live a little and get the latest every other generation or so? Just don't expect life changing experiences. It's just a tablet, after all.so does that mean it is a super-duper upgrade from my iPad Air?
I can't justify the iPad Pro 9.7 for my house hold being $300 more than the Air 2 in Canadian dollars. Got two boys ages 2 and 4 and getting them the iPad Air 2 for educational games and netflix is far better value. I currently have the iPad 1 which works fine for netflix but I cannot install any of the latest learning applications for my kids on that. If I were into drawing and using the iPad Pro to do something productive I'd easily pick one up.
Major upgrade to Air 2 and outperforms the 12.9 in every category. All I need to hear.
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Nah, you don't notice 2gb vs 4gb in the two pro's. The extra ram is more for pushing around all those extra pixels. If ram becomes an issue for the 9.7, it will become an issue for the 12.9 at the same time.
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Nah, you don't notice 2gb vs 4gb in the two pro's. The extra ram is more for pushing around all those extra pixels. If ram becomes an issue for the 9.7, it will become an issue for the 12.9 at the same time.
You can use what ever math YOU want to justify a purchase, and I'll just stick with my iPad Air.
As a professional photo retoucher by trade and life long photographer, who has returned multiple iPads over the years due to almost imperceptible pink/green casts on the screens, I could just barely tell the difference between the Air 2 and the 9.7 Pro screens, reviewed at a Best Buy, looking critically at my own website's photos on both iPads side by side...photos I am extremely intimate with. IMO, there is no more than a 5% overall improvement.
Dang straight! No way is heck I'd get an iPad pro for kids. My kids (and wife) barely appreciate HD TV! I'll come in and see a blurry mess on the screen.
I'll switch over the HD channel and they'll be all like "so what's the difference?" BTW, for these same reasons do not invest in a Plasma (if you can find it) or OLED screen unless _YOU_ want perfect blacks and contrast. I still can't convince my wife that it was a worth while purchase over our old LCD screen. Buy the best toys for yourself, not others unless they are asking for them 
I whole heartily disagree:
1) Pencil support is worthless w/o an additional $100 Apple Pencil. Further, it's to Apple advantage to encourage users to buy another accessory. Why should any owner have to foot the bill to include support? That cost should at least be sunk into the cost of the pencil, not the device, unless Apple is going to open the feature up to 3rd party manufacturers -- then put the tax on the 3rd parties who can then push it off on consumers through their product.
Imagine if Apple included camera flash support in iPhones, but not the flash itself -- that was an extra $100. Would you be cheering how awesome the iPhone was because it could support a camera flash?
2) Keyboard support: Honestly? Before Apple made keyboards a jillion and one other companies did. There is nothing wrong with a b/t keyboards that pre-date the Smart Connector. And again, Smart Connector benefits Apple mostly.
3) Better speakers: "Better," is a meaningly term here. They are still button sized. I don't think anyone is going to give a presentation on their iPad with these speakers, better that they may be. The Air 2 speakers are not that great. Apple owed it to customers to do better. But bottom line here is that speakers cost pennies. I don't see where a $100 bump comes into play.
4) More base storage? Only if you are a Kool-Aid drinker. The previous $599 Air 2 WiFi model had 64GB. So for the same $599 consumers are losing 32GB. Keep in mind the wholesale cost difference between 32GB and 64GB is $1 or so.
5) Best screen anywhere. As I previously said, the screen on the iPad 3 was miles ahead of the iPad 2's screen and there was no price increase. So I'm not sure you how justify a price hike from a good retina screen to a better one when Apple didn't raise prices from non-retina to retina.
Must have missed the memo where you were made the final word and authority on tech bargains. The rest of us were working off the assumption that we could decide for ourselves what is and isn't worth our money.
Remember; just because you can't afford something doesn't mean it's a bad deal.
Every iPad has upgrades over the previous generation. This is the first time there's been a price increase. Therefore, I'd expect to see upgrades above and beyond what we see every year to justify the price increase.
Seems to me, however, that the 9.7" pro is basically the same evolutionary upgrade over its predecessor that every 9.7" iPad has been over its respective predecessor. In fact, I'd say both iPad --> iPad 2 and iPad Air --> iPad Air 2 were significantly bigger upgrades than iPad Air 2 --> iPad Pro 9.7".
All of which is to say, the $100 price increase seems unjustified.
Seems to me, however, that the 9.7" pro is basically the same evolutionary upgrade over its predecessor that every 9.7" iPad has been over its respective predecessor. In fact, I'd say both iPad --> iPad 2 and iPad Air --> iPad Air 2 were significantly bigger upgrades than iPad Air 2 --> iPad Pro 9.7".
All of which is to say, the $100 price increase seems unjustified.
If you're happy with the iPad you already have, then just keep it a while longer.
The Apple Pencil is great if you're an artist. You'll know that you're an artist if you spend a lot of time drawing. (I mean, now, on the iPad you already have.) You'll get a lot more out of the iPad Pro and the Pencil.
In my case, I used to draw, and sometimes think I would like to do more of it. I got excited about the Apple Pencil, and I bought the 12.9" iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil. I bought some drawing programs that supported the Pencil. But other than playing with them for a few minutes, and showing it off, I really haven't used the Pencil. I haven't even touched it in well over a month.
If Apple re-introduces handwriting recognition with the Pencil as input, then it would be useful for more people. If you're one of those people, you'll know it because you already take a lot of handwritten notes. That's not me, though.
I love the big screen of the 12.9" iPad Pro. I don't regret buying it one bit. But I wasted the money on the Pencil. $100 isn't a lot of money to me, so I'm not too upset about it. I'm just saying that he Pencil won't change your life. It can make some of the things you do on the iPad better--if you do those things already.
The Apple Pencil is great if you're an artist. You'll know that you're an artist if you spend a lot of time drawing. (I mean, now, on the iPad you already have.) You'll get a lot more out of the iPad Pro and the Pencil.
In my case, I used to draw, and sometimes think I would like to do more of it. I got excited about the Apple Pencil, and I bought the 12.9" iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil. I bought some drawing programs that supported the Pencil. But other than playing with them for a few minutes, and showing it off, I really haven't used the Pencil. I haven't even touched it in well over a month.
If Apple re-introduces handwriting recognition with the Pencil as input, then it would be useful for more people. If you're one of those people, you'll know it because you already take a lot of handwritten notes. That's not me, though.
I love the big screen of the 12.9" iPad Pro. I don't regret buying it one bit. But I wasted the money on the Pencil. $100 isn't a lot of money to me, so I'm not too upset about it. I'm just saying that he Pencil won't change your life. It can make some of the things you do on the iPad better--if you do those things already.
I love when people try to justify purchases by dividing out costs per day, and in a bubble where no other daily expenses exist. Heck, since so many things can cost pennies a day shop till you drop, right? Except that all those pennies seem to become real dollars when the bills come in.
But beside that, the price hike on the iPad isn't about $100, it's about principle. It's about $100 for no additional added value -- true added value, not normal tech bumps (new better part, same or less wholesale cost as is the norm in tech). It's just a money grab.
I own more than my fair share of pricey Apple products - a Mac mini, an iMac, a rMBP, 2 iPad mini 2s, an Air 2, ATVs, AW Sport, love 'em. But sometimes Apple gets out ahead of the market and prices just a bridge to far even for Apple fans like me that don't want to feel completely ripped off. It's not like the previous iPad Air 2 price points were a great value.
Whoa, calm down buddy, I stated my opinion that's all. And I'll be happy to back it up, though @Chupa Chupa made a post above mine with an excellent analysis of why it's a very minor upgrade. One last thing please don't assume what I can or can't afford, because you don't know.
For kids and netflix, why not just get a used iPad Air or even iPad 3?