Hands-On With the New 2018 12.9-Inch iPad Pro

[VMMan]

I bought the new 12.9” 256GB w/cellular gray iPad at the Apple store. They had plenty in stock.

It’s fine but now I need to find a USB-C dongle that has a 3.5 mm audio port as well as another USB-c port to allow simultaneous charging.

I wish Apple would make this. The third party ones have been available for Android devices on Amazon but have very mixed reviews.

USB-C is the future and awesome, but the iPad’s uses the DisplayPort protocol instead of Thunderbolt3. The included Apple USB-C Cable is also an older generation cable and does not support 3.1 gen 2 data speed.

All in all, it’s an upgrade from my 2015 iPad 12.9”, but actually doesn’t seem that much faster for regular, casual use. The 1st gen iPad 12.9” is in no way obsolete yet.

 

[Tonyyyperez]

I know the new iPad just came out but don’t we usually have a tear down for it by now, even an initial tear down. I can’t find one anywhere
[doublepost=1541898405][/doublepost]I c

I'd be more interested in getting one of these, but my XS has proven woeful on LTE. Dealing with Apple Support has been sorely disappointing.

I can honestly tell you the XS sucks in some ways with the new modem from intel. I took my XS and an old SE went in an area with weak signal and my XS lost signal completely where as my SE held onto to 1 or 2 bars. I hate these new intel modems. You pay such a high price for these new iPhones yet they have inferior modems

 

[Hokie804]

I know the new iPad just came out but don’t we usually have a tear down for it by now, even an initial tear down. I can’t find one anywhere
[doublepost=1541898405][/doublepost]I c

I can honestly tell you the XS sucks in some ways with the new modem from intel. I took my XS and an old SE went in an area with weak signal and my XS lost signal completely where as my SE held onto to 1 or 2 bars. I hate these new intel modems. You pay such a high price for these new iPhones yet they have inferior modems

Yeah. Apple is trying to blame my carrier (Verizon), but I continue to see fine LTE performance on my iPad Air 2.

 

[Sundoctor1]

Sorry about the scratch. I did not have the debris-trapped problem but I use it almost eclusively indoors. As for cleaning the screen, I use 75% medical alcohol and toilet tissues. I haven’t noticed any problems with that kind of cleaning method.

Thanks for the cleaning tip! Now that my iPad doesn’t have a cover, I notice how quickly it gets marked up and how much the felt covers reduced that.

 

[Abazigal]

https://twitter.com/viticci/status/1061443135975407616

Wonder how much is due to the faster processor and how much is because of there being more ram in the 1tb model.

 

[Scottz74]

Went to the store to check out the new 12.9" today. Still a little too heavy to use one handed. I'll be going for the 11". On another note, the industrial design is fantastic. Feels like a solid slab of metal and glass. Reminds of the slate used for pool tables only much lighter.

Good call. I have a 12.9” and it is awkwardly large. It is light for what it is, but once you add the keyboard, it feels like the weight and size of a laptop.

 

[partsofspeech]

Thanks for the cleaning tip! Now that my iPad doesn’t have a cover, I notice how quickly it gets marked up and how much the felt covers reduced that.

I had a matte screen protector on it. It had not given me the sensation of writing on paper as some posters had claimed. So I took it out. After that the screen looks much brighter and pleasant. I also took off the back cover protector. And l like how the naked back looks Don’t worry too much about scratches. They are not easy to occur, and if they do, they are traces of your own usage experiences, only enhancing its characters. (too sentimental, haha.)

 

[mi7chy]

https://twitter.com/viticci/status/1061443135975407616

Wonder how much is due to the faster processor and how much is because of there being more ram in the 1tb model.

Looks like he's base64 encoding and decoding the same unencoded file which will fail on the decoding part for some implementations of base64 like on Linux that do input validation so it would return an immediate error code. I'd like to see him do just an encoding only test to see if the time is ~half or the same to prove that it's actually doing both.

Anyhow, best case the iPad Pro 2018 performance is comparable to a 2008 Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz laptop with 4GB DRAM and worst case, if it's not actually doing the decoding part, then it's <half the performance. So much for the claim that's it's faster than 92% of the portable PCs sold in the last twelve months when it comes to real world performance and not misleading synthetic benchmarks.

Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz laptop results for both encoding+decoding (48s) and encoding only (15s) on a 3.6MB jpg.

 

[Abazigal]

To add some details to this:

- My iPad Pro peaks at 5 GB of RAM while running this shortcut
- Shortcuts peaks at 3.4 GB

So yeah, didn’t take long to find something that requires more than 4 GB, even if just a test

(Thanks @stroughtonsmith for helping figure this out) https://twitter.com/viticci/status/1061596934098563072/photo/1

To add on, that 6 gb of ram does make a difference. Today, and in the future.

 

[jagooch]

No touch id no sale. I really loved previous iDevices but they are forcing me to go Android when I decided to upgrade.

 

[albusseverus]

I like the square edges a lot

VERY slick and clean design. Should do that on phones, shouldn't they? Oh no, you have to have heavy, thick, glass backed phones because you demand wireless charging… who in the world needs wireless charging, really? Another useless feature added to increase selling price of phones. Sure I'll have wireless charging if it doesn't compromise the design of the phone!

The space grey iPad Pro models are just awesome to look at and hold. It's like a slab of glass and nothing else. Solid as a rock (despite being thinner than any iPhone) and just a delight.

If only Apple cared as much for Mac or even iPhone to be honest. I looked at the 2018 X range and their displays are all so much smaller than my 6Plus. Despite the wider screen, no more web content (for example) gets displayed because nothing actually protrudes into the rounded corners strips at the side of the screen. Total disappointment and I have to hold on to my 4 year old phone another year, awaiting any appreciable upgrade to my in-hand experience. Yes we have full screen displays, no they don't display any more content and they're physically smaller. 2017 & 2018 are half-effort years for iPhone, waiting for the displays to catch up to 2014 for usability.

Not so iPad, the most useless product in the line-up. All that power, brain dead OS, still can't do half of what a computer does… as iOS was designed to be… for people who don't need a computer!! Those 5 guys that run Apple have just lost the plot. You don't like MacBook, we'll call it Air, now you love it, right?? Sheesh!
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Good call. I have a 12.9” and it is awkwardly large. It is light for what it is, but once you add the keyboard, it feels like the weight and size of a laptop.

iPad Pro has one use case - people who need Pencil big time. Anything else (adding a keyboard) and you are way better off with a Mac. And frankly, Pros want Mac with Pencil anyway, not iPad! Apple is putting all its wood behind the wrong product. iPads sell more than Mac? Of course they do if you leave Mac in the previous century… even Microsoft realise you need a touch computer!!
[doublepost=1542153469][/doublepost]

No touch id no sale. I really loved previous iDevices but they are forcing me to go Android when I decided to upgrade.

I'd be happy if Watch could unlock iPhone and iPad, it only makes sense if they can make it work really close proximity!

 

[djcgeez2189]

The beautiful design, gorgeous 120hz notchless screen loud and superb speakers, AND AN AMAZING FLICK-KEYBOARD WITH A NUMBER ROW... it’s everything people have been begging for in a iPhone.... but as a useless iPad......

 

[Abazigal]

Another iPad Pro review. By someone who uses his iPad for work.

https://sixcolors.com/post/2018/11/ipad-pro-2018-review/

 

[The Game 161]

No touch id no sale. I really loved previous iDevices but they are forcing me to go Android when I decided to upgrade.

You do realise android are also removing home buttons too, right?

 

[jagooch]

You do realise android are also removing home buttons too, right?

No. I guess I'll use the touch id phones until they stop working.

 

[AllThingsApple007]

The hardware is nice, but the operating system is severely lacking. Apple has to step up and really make the next version of iOS a more robust and powerful operating system. Without it, this tech and hardware are doomed to fall into obscurity.

Today is the official launch day for the 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, and we got our hands on one of the new larger versions along with a Smart Keyboard Folio and an Apple Pencil 2, the new accessories that go along with the updated tablet.

Check out our latest YouTube video for an unboxing and feature overview of the new device, which has been radically overhauled compared to the previous-generation model.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple's new iPad Pro models feature an entirely new design with a near edge-to-edge display that replaces the Touch ID Home button with a TrueDepth camera system and Face ID for authentication purposes.

The all-screen design is, unsurprisingly, gorgeous, especially when paired with True Tone, ProMotion for 120Hz refresh, and wide color support for vivid, true-to-life colors.

Design wise, the iPad Pro models no longer use smooth, rounded edges that taper into the back of the tablet, instead featuring a flat, more industrial band around the sides that's reminiscent of the iPhone 5.

The 11-inch model is the same size as the 10.5-inch model just with a bigger display, but for the 12.9-inch model, Apple kept the 12.9-inch display and shrunk the body size, so it's smaller and more compact, and easier to hold.

There's a new USB-C port that replaces the Lightning port, so you can plug in all manner of things, like 4K displays, cameras, and even your iPhone. Over USB-C, the iPhone can charge from the iPad Pro, much like it would from a Mac.

Face ID on the new iPad Pro works great, and unlike the iPhone, it can unlock the iPad in either portrait or landscape orientation. You need to be careful not to cover up the sensor with a hand when using it in landscape mode, but it's otherwise pretty flawless.

The A12X in the iPad Pro is super speedy and faster than many notebooks on the market, but there's one thing to be aware of. All 64, 256, and 512GB iPad Pro models feature 4GB RAM, while the 1TB models have 6GB. It's not yet entirely clear why the higher-capacity models have more RAM, but it's worth noting if you're aiming for maximum performance.

Apple designed two accessories to go with the iPad Pro: the Apple Pencil 2 and the Smart Keyboard Folio. If you like to sketch and draw, the Apple Pencil 2 is a must have. It's smaller than the original and it charges and syncs when you connect it to the iPad Pro using magnets.

The Smart Keyboard Folio feels similar to the previous-generation Smart Keyboard with the same general key feel, but the folio style is nice because it offers all-around device protection.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro isn't going to be for everyone because of its size, but it offers maximum display for making art, gaming, and other purposes. For those who think the 12.9-inch model is just a bit too big, the 11-inch iPad Pro is a great compromise, offering a lot more screen real estate than the previous 10.5-inch model.

Unfortunately, neither of these two new iPads is cheap, which is the biggest negative. The 11-inch model starts at $799 for the 64GB version, while the 64GB 12.9-inch model starts at $999.

Did you get a new 2018 iPad Pro? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New 2018 12.9-Inch iPad Pro

 

[cmaier]

The hardware is nice, but the operating system is severely lacking. Apple has to step up and really make the next version of iOS a more robust and powerful operating system. Without it, this tech and hardware are doomed to fall into obscurity.

They sell many more of them than they sell macs. You have an interesting definition of obscurity.

 

[mi7chy]

So, is the tip on the new pencil replaceable or not? This video says it can't which would make it a $130 disposable but people have also mentioned that it does with tips from 1st Gen.

 

[Abazigal]

So, is the tip on the new pencil replaceable or not? This video says it can't which would make it a $130 disposable but people have also mentioned that it does with tips from 1st Gen.

The first gen tips seem to work with the new Apple Pencil. I still have the spare tip from my first gen Apple Pencil, so I guess I am covered.