Apple May Leave iPad Pro Without Major Upgrades for Years

[Adelphos33]

I edit Google Docs all the time on my iPad Air. If I need to do extended editing, I slap on the external keyboard or connect a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and work away. What troubles do you have using it?

This also gets to my main point (which is a bit unrelated to this exchange, but it's important for the original topic of the thread) - iPad Air is excellent for editing Google Docs. So is iPad Pro. Both offer the same OS experience. The chips are generally comparable for these tasks. Yet the the iPad Pro can cost so much more. I'm looking forward to a blue m4 iPad Air.

 

[TenSeven]

I still have my M1 iPad Pro. Probably will be good until the M7

Still tapping away on my 2018 A12X iPad Pro. It’s feeling and looking a bit long in the tooth but still hanging in there. I like the sound of M6 in 2026, that’ll be my que to finally upgrade.

 

[Alameda]

I edit Google Docs all the time on my iPad Air. If I need to do extended editing, I slap on the external keyboard or connect a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and work away. What troubles do you have using it?

Try editing a slide. Like… align some graphic elements or text bullets. It performs horribly.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Try editing a slide. Like… align some graphic elements or text bullets. It performs horribly.

Try to edit Google Slides is one thing I don't do on an iPad. Keynote on the iPad works well though. I still prefer a desktop or laptop to do any slide creation or editing. But Google Docs (the word processor) generally works quite well on an iPad to write and edit documents.

 

[jole]

Many software developers like their MacBook Pro. I'm not sure how many would use an iPad with a smaller screen, fewer ports, and need for an external keyboard, even if it ran full macOS.

They do. I have two MacBook Pros today and have bought many over the years.

If iPad Pro would work for development, I would not stop purchasing MacBook Pros. Instead, I would upgrade my iPad Pro as well.

And if iPad Pro would work for development, it would likely extend to the Vision Pro (where OS foundation is very similar). And I would upgrade that as well.

Apple should be all about making their “Pro” devices more capable. Pro users will appreciate that.

 

[jole]

But Google Docs (the word processor) generally works quite well on an iPad to write and edit documents.

It does if your documents are small. When you have larger documents, iPad will crash frequently and editing is slow.

While that can be blamed to Google building a poor excuse of a native app, the web version is even worse on iPad (and iPhone and Vision Pro). Yet, the web version works fine on a very slow Mac on Safari.

(Underlying problem is the memory management strategy chosen in iPadOS/iOS/visionOS vs any modern “computer” OS that does virtual memory properly)

 

[Apple_Robert]

It needs a vapor chamber

Do you own and regularly use an iPad Pro? If so, what are you doing with the iPad to make it hot? I have never had an iPad get hot to the touch.

 

[lapstags]

Do you own and regularly use an iPad Pro? If so, what are you doing with the iPad to make it hot? I have never had an iPad get hot to the touch.

I game on mine

 

[*~Kim~*]

Given the price tag, Apple must surely realise it is a device that people buy and then keep until something significant has changed. E.g. 2015 1st Gen -> 2018 redesign -> 2021 M Chip -> 2024 OLED. If what you've got still works and you don't need cellular/more storage/the other screen size, there's not a compelling reason to upgrade outside of a path like that.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

I have the ipad pro m5 11 inch. My anecdotal opinion is I don’t need a portable media consumption device. I have plenty of places in my home to consume media, much better than a tablet. I need an good all-aroun device. iPad is the best, full stop.

And the 11 inch is small enough that I can use it comfortably. Don’t even need anti-reflective coating.

I use my big Samsung tablet a lot when I'm outside the home, such as when I visit my brother who is in a nursing home. He loves to watch YouTube, movies, and shows. However, the home's media options aren't that extensive. The large tablet size is ideal for us to be able to comfortably watch content.

 

[Hogswarts]

How does this make any sense? Who is going to stop buying an iPad Pro because a MBP, with a totally different form factor / OS, has a touchscreen?

Because the form factor won't be totally different. Power users may still want a traditional MacBook Pro with its beefier processors, RAM and SSD.

 

[dalestrauss]

This is definitely just me, but with the upcoming iPhone Fold and Touchscreen MacBook, I wouldn’t mind Apple ditching the iPad entirely

No, no, no, no, you're missing the whole point - we are GAINING additional in between devices to fill in the gaps that we have (just like Steve taught us about the original iPad). We all (well almost all) have an iPhone, iPad, and MacBook of some vintage. The iPhone Fold will be for the times when we don't want to carry both an iPhone and iPad; or don't want to carry an iPhone, iPad and a MacBook; the new MacBook Pro Touch will be for the times we want more than a plain old Mac - so now we'll have FIVE essential devices to carry/maintain. 🤪

 

[Thunderstruck666]

As someone who has yet to buy an iPad I agree with the sentiment on first page-OS needs to support regular Mac apps from regular developers. In spite of having upgraded to an M5 MBP I was able to update all my apps including my ATF LittleSnitch. My DD is my Surface Pro tablet and it runs a full version of Windows, which makes it darned convenient. I'm sitting back, waiting for Apple to upgrade the minimum specs as they recently did with upping storage on MBP.