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Am I the only one who thinks the Pro is a joke?

IllusionEntity

IllusionEntity

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 23, 2013
442
271
Kent, UK
So, while I appreciate that the iPad Pro is a larger tablet with a lot more power. What is it going to run that makes it "Pro"? It will still be running apps from the App Store (a lot of these apps still don't take advantage of the potential of the iPad Air 2.) so I really don't understand how it is "Pro" in any way, shape or form?

Most other tablet in the class of the iPad Pro run desktop OS and desktop applications. And have great storage capacities.

Also the fact that apple decide to make a 32GB and 128GB is just a slap to the consumer. Why no 64GB? 32GB is barely enough nowadays yet you either have to get by with 32GB or pay big bucks for the 128GB.

This product to me (purely opinion) seems like a money grabbing gimmick.
 
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IllusionEntity said:
So, while I appreciate that the iPad Pro is a larger tablet with a lot more power. What is it going to run that makes it "Pro"? It will still be running apps from the App Store (a lot of these apps still don't take advantage of the potential of the iPad Air 2.) so I really don't understand how it is "Pro" in any way, shape or form?

Most other tablet in the class of the iPad Pro run desktop OS and desktop applications. And have great storage capacities.

Also the fact that apple decide to make a 32GB and 128GB is just a slap to the consumer. Why no 64GB? 32GB is barely enough nowadays yet you either have to get by with 32GB or pay big bucks for the 128GB.

This product to me (purely opinion) seems like a money grabbing gimmick.
Click to expand...
I agree. Many disagree.
 
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IllusionEntity said:
So, while I appreciate that the iPad Pro is a larger tablet with a lot more power. What is it going to run that makes it "Pro"? It will still be running apps from the App Store (a lot of these apps still don't take advantage of the potential of the iPad Air 2.) so I really don't understand how it is "Pro" in any way, shape or form?

Most other tablet in the class of the iPad Pro run desktop OS and desktop applications. And have great storage capacities.

Also the fact that apple decide to make a 32GB and 128GB is just a slap to the consumer. Why no 64GB? 32GB is barely enough nowadays yet you either have to get by with 32GB or pay big bucks for the 128GB.

This product to me (purely opinion) seems like a money grabbing gimmick.
Click to expand...
eh. "Pro" is only a subjective marketing qualifier not some quantifiable claim of capabilities.

This device probably should've been called , "the iPad+" to go along with the iPhone 6 naming convention. But I believe that Apple HAD to call it "the iPad Pro" in order to set customer expectations that "this is it, there will not be something above this"...specifically to head off those who were hoping for a soon-in-the-future response to Microsoft's Surface. There were already quite a few people holding off buying an iPad Air 2 waiting to see what was coming.

The 32GB/128GB options are hardly a "slap to the consumer". We (collectively) have been saying that 16GB is too low to be an entry level model. For the Pro, Apple agrees.... not only did they bump the RAM from 2GB to 4GB, they bumped the entry level from 16GB to 128GB. Seems reasonable and fair. If there is any room for a legitimate gripe it would be the $150 bump to go from 32GB to 128GB rather than $100.

The only thing that took the Pro off my list for potential tablets was the lack of support for a pointing device (mice/trackpad).

Having said that, no, I don't think that the Pro is a joke.
 
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First, I think Apple naming anything Pro or Extreme is short sighted and problematic at best.....

What is "Pro"? For what group of pros is it pro? What about other users?

As for the iPad Pro itself:

  1. It should come as no surprise that it runs iOS, as opposed to a full or desktop OS. They have made it clear that they think mobile/touch devices should have their specialized OS. Nobody should expect that to change for the foreseeable future. Someday...likely. When? Not soon.
  2. The size and performance are a substantial upgrade/improvement over all previous iOS devices. Nothing subjective there.
  3. The new touch interface and support a dedicated stylus is a huge change. Twitter posts show Pixar animators finding it to be a real alternative to a Wacom Centiq. A couple said better response time and feel, which would be huge.


Does any/all of that make it "Pro"? Probably depends on who you ask, and what their primary use of a tablet is. For those that are creating pen based art, it could be a game changer. For more general purpose use, I suspect it is just a big, fast iPad.
 
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Companies won't be willing to invest in full-blown apps for iPad Pro until there is a certain volume of iPad Pro devices out there. So naturally at launch the list is going to be very short, but longer term if the IPP sales are good, you will see better apps for it.

Personally I just want a bigger, faster iPad than what I currently have (an old iPad 3) to run a few apps, do email, and surf the web, so I am happy to buy an IPP. Bonus for me is that it is barely any heavier than my current iPad but with a much bigger screen!
 
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To me it is a naming convention that Apple use - Air/Pro/Mini/Nano etc. I don't get hung up on the name 'Pro', it means different things to each person, generally to Apple it means more features over the others.

Referring to the Pro vs the Air 2. It has double the RAM, larger screen, faster processor, different screen technology - More Features than other iPads (Not Surfaces or Nexus why compare to devices running different OS's), therefore in Apple's world = Pro.
 
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IllusionEntity said:
So, while I appreciate that the iPad Pro is a larger tablet with a lot more power. What is it going to run that makes it "Pro"? It will still be running apps from the App Store (a lot of these apps still don't take advantage of the potential of the iPad Air 2.) so I really don't understand how it is "Pro" in any way, shape or form?

Most other tablet in the class of the iPad Pro run desktop OS and desktop applications. And have great storage capacities.

Also the fact that apple decide to make a 32GB and 128GB is just a slap to the consumer. Why no 64GB? 32GB is barely enough nowadays yet you either have to get by with 32GB or pay big bucks for the 128GB.

This product to me (purely opinion) seems like a money grabbing gimmick.
Click to expand...
Well, let's deconstruct this:

"What is it going to run that makes it "Pro"?" - Others have pointed out that the term 'Pro' is purely subjective, and Apple has consistently used this moniker to indicate something that is bigger, better, and more capable than the 'normal' dingus. So, 'Macbook Pro' is a bigger, more capable device than a 'Macbook'. I use a Macbook Pro because I like the 15" screen, and it encodes videos fast enough. No, I'm not a 'pro' video editor.

"Most other tablet in the class of the iPad Pro run desktop OS and desktop applications. And have great storage capacities." - Well, the only tablets I know of that fits your description boils down to one: the Microsoft Surface Pro. The SP4 is getting some pretty good reviews, but most reviewers like it as an ultraportable laptop more than a tablet. It's screen aspect ratio makes it awkward to use in portrait mode and the mouse-sized targets make a stylus pretty much a necessity (thus, they've included the stylus in the box). So, no, I don't think that 'other tablet' is in the class of the IPP - the SP4 is a tablet PC, and the IPP is a tablet. Different beast.

Now, compare the IPP to any current Android tablet, and you're closer to an apples-to-apples comparison, even though there's no current Android tablet (to my knowledge) with the screen size or processor horsepower of the IPP.

And about storage: I'd prefer more storage, sure, but more chips in the device means more battery drain, and Apple is pretty good about figuring out what gives the best mix of economy, battery life and feature set. Not sure how the decision to go with two storage tiers is a slap at anyone - if you don't like it, don't buy it.

There are lots of folks that have looked at the IPP and have decided, for one reason or another, that it's not for them. Others are ready to put down their money, sight unseen. My guess is that it won't be a runaway hit, but that it will have a sizable and enthusiastic following, a few tentpole apps that take advantage of the bigger screen, the pencil and the improved CPU, and that we will most certainly see an IPP2 that builds on the strengths of this device in a year or two.

Not joking.
 
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everything is a money grabbing gimmick. It's a business after all.

It's perhaps better though, to make really cool stuff while your at it

So while you laugh and shake your head, I will be playing with an awesome toy :D
 
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Yeah it's still going to use the same apps that the iPad mini uses. The thing is though, what other software can it run? Unless developers start making apps exclusive for it.
 
What a device "runs" doesn't make anything "Pro". A device can be "Pro" and not have designation "Pro".
I make money using a iPad 2 using music apps from the App Store. People that I work with use everything from a iPad 2 to a Air 2 as a keyboard rack with virtual instruments from Apps bought in the App Store. I've watched a piano tuner tune a Grand Piano with a iPad 2 and a very expensive app from the App Store.
At the end of the day if you get a check from using anything be it iOS or a App Store app it's Pro and true "Pros" know this.
 
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No force touch? no bundled stylus?
I don't see the reason to get this over a surface pro 4 or a regular iPad air 2. Price aside, very disappointed.
 
IllusionEntity said:
So, while I appreciate that the iPad Pro is a larger tablet with a lot more power. What is it going to run that makes it "Pro"? It will still be running apps from the App Store (a lot of these apps still don't take advantage of the potential of the iPad Air 2.) so I really don't understand how it is "Pro" in any way, shape or form?

Most other tablet in the class of the iPad Pro run desktop OS and desktop applications. And have great storage capacities.

Also the fact that apple decide to make a 32GB and 128GB is just a slap to the consumer. Why no 64GB? 32GB is barely enough nowadays yet you either have to get by with 32GB or pay big bucks for the 128GB.

This product to me (purely opinion) seems like a money grabbing gimmick.
Click to expand...

No, i agree with you..
 
IllusionEntity said:
So, while I appreciate that the iPad Pro is a larger tablet with a lot more power. What is it going to run that makes it "Pro"? It will still be running apps from the App Store (a lot of these apps still don't take advantage of the potential of the iPad Air 2.) so I really don't understand how it is "Pro" in any way, shape or form?

Most other tablet in the class of the iPad Pro run desktop OS and desktop applications. And have great storage capacities.

Also the fact that apple decide to make a 32GB and 128GB is just a slap to the consumer. Why no 64GB? 32GB is barely enough nowadays yet you either have to get by with 32GB or pay big bucks for the 128GB.

This product to me (purely opinion) seems like a money grabbing gimmick.
Click to expand...
It is a joke. BUT the Apple Watch is a much bigger joke ;)
 
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IllusionEntity said:
So, while I appreciate that the iPad Pro is a larger tablet with a lot more power. What is it going to run that makes it "Pro"? It will still be running apps from the App Store (a lot of these apps still don't take advantage of the potential of the iPad Air 2.) so I really don't understand how it is "Pro" in any way, shape or form?

Most other tablet in the class of the iPad Pro run desktop OS and desktop applications. And have great storage capacities.

Also the fact that apple decide to make a 32GB and 128GB is just a slap to the consumer. Why no 64GB? 32GB is barely enough nowadays yet you either have to get by with 32GB or pay big bucks for the 128GB.

This product to me (purely opinion) seems like a money grabbing gimmick.
Click to expand...

Are you saying the joke is in the name? In the storage? I don't think either of those things makes the overall device a joke.

I'm all over the iPad Pro and can't wait to try one. I've been in need of a portable drawing device (I don't want a Surface Pro or Wacom Companion) and it looks like Apple might have just produced what I need! I don't see this as a joke. Actually, I think with the larger screen size, you might see more and more people making their iPad Pro their laptop. I already do 90% of my work on my iPad and I think others will try it.
 
Centris 650 said:
Are you saying the joke is in the name? In the storage? I don't think either of those things makes the overall device a joke.

I'm all over the iPad Pro and can't wait to try one. I've been in need of a portable drawing device (I don't want a Surface Pro or Wacom Companion) and it looks like Apple might have just produced what I need! I don't see this as a joke. Actually, I think with the larger screen size, you might see more and more people making their iPad Pro their laptop. I already do 90% of my work on my iPad and I think others will try it.
Click to expand...
I don't think he's saying tha name is a joke...
 
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People will debate this forever, but I'm inclined to believe the Pro is simply an attempt at a larger iPad with no functional differences except an add-on pencil. The lack of OS X or something similar to complete more professional tasks than those on iOS makes me want to buy it even less. I'll support Apple forever, but this is too much.
For what it's worth, at least the watch gives me wrist notifications, something I can't get in a similar Apple device for a lot less money like the iPad Pro.
 
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The pencil and keyboard case are clearly intended to make it a surface competitor but the software makes it anything but.

It's not a joke and I'm sure it will be great for a lot of people, but not for me. I need a proper word processing solution on it before I'd even consider upgrading my Air 2.
 
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