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I find it baffling that Apple has completely ditched one of their nicest products; the leather smart case. They priced themselves out with the ridiculous silicone case/cover combo. A leather case would have to be $150 to keep its premium status over the silicon combo. Sad thing is, I would pay it.
 
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All I'm saying is in Apple's eyes it's a new product line. I wouldn't be surprised if iOS 10 brings software changes specific to the iPad Pro.

Yeah, but its so obvious Apple is trying to pull the wool over consumers eyes. No one is fooled. I mean I've even read reports the RAM is untouched, so not even a tiny bump there for the extra $. So Apple can call it any word in the dictionary or make one up. Everyone understands this is an Air 3 by another name.
 
Technically, there was no price increase. They just got rid of the 16 GB version and start it at 32GB for $599 which is what the original iPad has been.

Donkey dung. iPad Air 2 64GB = $599. New iPad Pro 9.7 32GB = $599. iPad Air 2 128GB = $699. New iPad Pro 9.7 128GB = $749.

Price increase considering less storage. Considering the Air is probably dead (no more updates), the new POS effectively replaces it. For people whose main concern is storage, they just got butt raped.
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It's not outrageous price increase. In fact at $600 for 32gb of memory it's the exact same cost as the iPad Air was with 32GB of HDD.
Yes they should have started at 64GB but 32gb if fine for many people. And really it's $750 for 128GB, which is $50 cheaper then the 128GB iPad Air 2 was.
So where is the price increase?

You are delusional. First off, the Air 2 128GB was $699, so the new iPad is actually $50 MORE at that price range. Second, they don't even offer 64GB anymore. One would think that homogenizing (not having as many variations) the product line would decrease costs... But not at Apple! At Apple, we tell YOU what you want and what you want to pay for it.

This iteration will not help them stem the sales losses. I sure as heck won't be buying one.
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Yes I am going to be pedantic. This isn't an iPad Air with a chip upgrade for $100 more. It's a new product line for Apple. The only thing not "pro" about it is software and that's fixable.
Spoken like a guy with a Jony Ives avatar.
 
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Still only "ugly' gray and "get dirty' white colors for the 12.9 pro... Wonder why Apple didn't make additional colors for the 12.9? Or did I mess that announcement?
 
This iPad is looking worse and worse. I didn't even see this thread before the others! So let me get this straight:
  1. No accessory compatibility
  2. Same amount of RAM, but called "Pro"
  3. Underclocked A9X, so not much faster than the iPad Air 2 in multi-core benchmarks
  4. Less storage for the same price (32GB vs 64GB)
  5. But it works with a $100 stylus!
  6. Has the same camera that everyone will have in their pockets, so mostly pointless. I've never used the camera on my Air 2 aside from the one on the front for FaceTime.
I actually really want the stylus for drawing, but couldn't help myself. This is not really a pro machine in the sense that developers can't do anything special with this hardware that they couldn't have already done with the iPad Air 2. How is this the same A9X chip like they claimed? No way I'm buying this first iteration.
 
It's not outrageous price increase. In fact at $600 for 32gb of memory it's the exact same cost as the iPad Air was with 32GB of HDD.
Yes they should have started at 64GB but 32gb if fine for many people. And really it's $750 for 128GB, which is $50 cheaper then the 128GB iPad Air 2 was.
So where is the price increase?

Actually, the Air2 didn't have a 32GB option, but rather a 64GB option. So if you really want to get technical with it, you're losing half the storage for the same price.
 
well.. they COULD have made it compatible.. quite easily.. But we all know Apple by now.

"Pro" iPad needs "Pro" - display cover. naturally. A "no-brainer"...

So we better grateful, they did not introduce another connector!
 
Thats quite a good use case. I've been tempted to get one just to do mock ups of designs and websites with the pencil I do now it now on current iPad with other pen devices. Have you thought about using your iPhone to scan though? You could scan using scannable and fling to iPad with AirDrop and it wouldn't take much longer than doing it natively on device but you'd get the better quality and the use of the bigger iPad Pro screen.

I wish AirDrop was a little more reliable, I'd use it more. Also, it's just far faster to take a picture in the app that will be using it, but yes, using your phone camera is a viable option for sure. Whenever I get handed a piece of paper that is just a printout of something someone made in a common format (like word, powerpoint, or an email) I just sigh. Couldn't you have emailed me this before the meeting? ;) In other words, it needs to happen very fast if I'm going to use it in a meeting.

(I'm a teacher, so I will take a picture of a group of students as they are presenting a project and take notes during it, including how much each student participated. It's really handy.)

I hope Apple comes up with a universal way to annotate documents... somehow. Maybe another augmentation to notes or something. Right now I'm using OneNote as it's free and has nice integration with Office products. It does the job well enough, but so much more could be done in this space.
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So, all that whining for nothing. lol
Good to hear. I had hoped it wouldn't cause an issue on a flat surface either with the much greater surface area than an iPhone but you don't know until you try... well, you could trust Apple to be sure with a device that is "Pro" and all the advertising shows flat on tables being drawn on. That 2GB RAM is unfortunate, however. It would be better if there was a sort of base RAM for the PRO models that pushed forward the possibilities of apps specifically made to be more demanding. Once you start using the iPad to generate content, the limits of RAM become much more important as clever use of memory by the apps gives way to inability to work on a larger project.

I will say this, though. Anyone considering a 9.7" Pro for any type of content generation should really consider the 12.9" first. For me, at least, the size became "normal" within a couple days and made other iPads seem like toys.
 
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Do I even need to ask if my $179 smart keyboard for the 12 inch ipad pro will work, even to just type, on a 9.7 inch ipad pro? Would be nice if I could just plop the smaller one down on the keyboard to write a quick email or something.
 
The great thing about having to buy a new smart cover for the 9.7 iPad Pro is that it comes with one of these.

A tube of Vaseline Pro.

vaseline-original-petroleum-jelly-tube__94117.1299131593.1280.1280.jpg
 
I wonder if it goes the other way, i.e. an Pro Smart Cover work with Air 2?
I would much prefer the color scheme of the new smart cover
 
Thats quite a good use case. I've been tempted to get one just to do mock ups of designs and websites with the pencil I do now it now on current iPad with other pen devices. Have you thought about using your iPhone to scan though? You could scan using scannable and fling to iPad with AirDrop and it wouldn't take much longer than doing it natively on device but you'd get the better quality and the use of the bigger iPad Pro screen.

That works but it adds an extra step and isn't as seamless. I still use my phone though to get better images, but perhaps my Pro will suffice.
 
"With Apple's own iPad Air accessories ill-suited for the new iPad Pro, it stands to reason other third-party cases and covers designed for the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 are also not going to work with the 9.7-inch tablet, requiring adopters to purchase new accessories."

I don't think this is necessarily true. I use a folio case (Dodocase) and as long as the Pro is the same dimensions, which it appears to be, then the case will work just fine. I guess they may have moved the camera slightly but I don't think I have ever used an iPad rear camera. Either way, I plan to buy it and try it out in the case.
 
I'd be more concerned that the iPad might take a tumble due to misaligned magnets in the spine.
 
Apple should really be a bit more thoughtful in its design. I mean in its recent event it was touting its environmental record. However making new products that are incompatible with new technology of the same form factor is really poor. It means more waste to landfill. Lift your game in the environmental department Apple. This is really disappointing because it could have been something that could have been avoided.
 



The 9.7-inch iPad Pro and the iPad Air 2 are the exact same size and thickness, measuring in at 9.4 inches by 6.6 inches by 0.24 inches (6.1mm), but Apple accessories designed for the iPad Air 2, such as the Smart Cover and the Smart Case, are not fully compatible with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

With the launch of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple also released a line of Smart Covers specific to the new device, which are being sold alongside Smart Covers for the iPad Air and the iPad Air 2. Given that many people may already own an iPad Air Smart Cover, there was some question as to whether it would fit on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

ipadprosmartcover-800x332.jpg

Because of the Smart Connector on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, the magnet alignment in the Smart Cover is different, something an Apple representative confirmed to Macworld. For that reason, using the iPad Air Smart Cover with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is "not recommended."

As for the Smart Case designed for the iPad Air 2, while it may fit, it isn't designed for the Smart Connector, the rear flash, or the four speakers on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, making it technically incompatible.

With Apple's own iPad Air accessories ill-suited for the new iPad Pro, it stands to reason other third-party cases and covers designed for the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 are also not going to work with the 9.7-inch tablet, requiring adopters to purchase new accessories.

Article Link: iPad Air 2 Smart Covers Not Recommended for 9.7-inch iPad Pro
[doublepost=1458719088][/doublepost]The Apple Smart Case for the iPad Air 2 isn't even compatible with the iPad Air 2! The device will fit in the case beautifully and the lightning charger will plug in but no other lightning cable (and I'm talking Apple own=- cables here) will fit-video, etc - as the connector plus is too fat.

I have a Knomo case which is equally beautiful and two thirds the price. The back case is a plastic-type of material and should be relatively easy to modify.
 
So coming from an iPad 3, to get the same type of coverage I would have with the smart case... I need the silicon backcover, and then the smart cover or the smart keyboard addon?

Don't get me wrong, I love my iPad, but all of the accessories would be more than 50% of the cost of the device itself. It makes Apple feel more like a car dealership.
 
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