iPad Pro First Impressions: Surprisingly Light, But Screen Size May Be Unnecessary for Most

[fitshaced]

The weight between an iPad Pro and a Surface Pro 3 is minimal = .2 lbs.

Office 365 and Azure services are being signed up by customers like crazy. Cloud is the future for sure and Microsoft is in a superior position with office, PowerBI, etc. just in my experience (I know I'm not everyone) Microsoft owns the enterprise and will continue to do so. I don't see this device making much of a dent.

Add to it we haven't seen a surface pro 4 which is due soon which may even be more compelling. TBD.

I can only speculate but from looking at it, the iPad Pro looks far nicer to hold than a surface. The weight difference is also enough to be significant for a tablet. Plus, and this is actually a big deal, the iPad doesn't need a massive power block. Why do Microsoft insist on going that way? I have an Xbox one and it is really bizarre why they built a huge power block for it.

 

[jase1125]

I can only speculate but from looking at it, the iPad Pro looks far nicer to hold than a surface. The weight difference is also enough to be significant for a tablet. Plus, and this is actually a big deal, the iPad doesn't need a massive power block. Why do Microsoft insist on going that way? I have an Xbox one and it is really bizarre why they built a huge power block for it.

Well we agree on the power block. I think that is due to it using a full core i5/i7 cpu. The iPad does have a similar block to the surface pro 3. One is at the wall and the other in line. I think the iPad has a more elegant design though. Don't know about the Xbox. I don't have one.

 

[fitshaced]

How can it not be a tablet????? Millions use it as a tablet today. I use my iPad Air primarily at home because I am locked in the ecosystem of apps. I use my surface at work constantly as a tablet.

I guess it you have never used one you could make that assumption. However, if you used one then I think you would have a different conclusion if you went in with an unbiased view. Nice chatting with you. If you end up getting an iPad Pro then I hope it meets all of your needs. Surely quite a few will be happy with it.

If your iPad had the same functionality in their office apps, would you use it more at work as a tablet than the Surface? Your point makes it look like you see the Surface as a better tablet and I find that hard to believe. It's not as pleasant to hold, especially for a length of time. Your use, I'm guessing, has more to do with work compatibility than better design.

 

[Renzatic]

And I always default to the iMac over the Air because screen real estate wins out.

That's why I'll always have a desktop around, and I'll continue to do so until I have no other choice. Even the best made laptops can't beat the size, reliability, and speed of a good old fashioned tower, or even the newer all-in-ones.

As far as weight goes, I have to say that everything is so light these days, the differences among them all don't matter unless you intend on holding it between your index and thumb for an extended period of time. Granted, lighter is preferable, especially with tablets, but I'm not about to scoff at the difference between two devices because one's half a pound heavier than the other. The way I hold a tablet, with my hand wrapped around the back, resting the machine against my forearm, pretty much negates any real weight differences anyway.

Though that's kind of an aside, since I was talking more about the design than the size of the keyboards. I like the keys on the iPP smart keyboard better because of that spacing. I obviously haven't used one yet, but it just looks more comfortable to me.

 

[Renzatic]

If your iPad had the same functionality in their office apps, would you use it more at work as a tablet than the Surface? Your point makes it look like you see the Surface as a better tablet and I find that hard to believe. It's not as pleasant to hold, especially for a length of time. Your use, I'm guessing, has more to do with work compatibility than better design.

You have seen the SP3, right? You're not comparing it to the old 16:9 machines, which...yeah, did kinda suck.

 

[jase1125]

If your iPad had the same functionality in their office apps, would you use it more at work as a tablet than the Surface? Your point makes it look like you see the Surface as a better tablet and I find that hard to believe. It's not as pleasant to hold, especially for a length of time. Your use, I'm guessing, has more to do with work compatibility than better design.

The iPad Air is nicer to hold one handed for longer periods, but it is also smaller. The air is better as a tablet than the surface pro 3, but that doesn't make the sp3 rubbish by any means. The iPad pro is going to be similar to the surface pro 3 I believe. Similar size/weight.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

It's basically an oversized iPad, still with a phone operating system, no expandable storage or ram, and an OS like Window RT where you cannot run OS X based applications - what a waste. Surface better value and more flexible and functional.

 

[bobenhaus]

Very true. I use a Wacom tablet with my Mac but if Apple creates a tablet and Apple Pencil for the Mac, Wacom will be gone sooner than later.

Why would you want Wacom gone? That would put a lot of GOV eyes on Apple.

 

[spinedoc77]

But what you have then is a redundant tablet function of your surface. This iPad Pro does some things better than a surface. For artistic creativity, this is better than the iPad Air and the Surface. It has the combination of lightness and aspect ratio that make it a different use case to the Surface which is undoubtedly a good laptop but a rubbish tablet.

Really? That .25lb is going to make that much of a difference? What else makes this better for artistic creativity? All the programs available for iOS like PhotoShop and zbrush?

I'm curious, what makes the surface more rubbish than the IPad pro? I feel the opposite and never understood why a lack of features is superior.

 

[bobenhaus]

You do know IBM and Cisco are all in with Apple... I think they know a bit more about the enterprise than you do. Apple tablets are already all over the enterprise and this is not changing. In fact, it's the consumer side of tablet sales that'S weakening, not the enterprise side. This explains the Ipad Pro tablet the most.

I work for a very BIG company and at first iPads were everywhere but not Surface is everywhere. Kind of makes you think huh?

 

[rfrmac]

ripoff of Microsoft Surface. Nice try Apple. You can get a tablet with a full OS for that price.

Yes, and what an operating system Microsoft Surface users get. Let's get serious here. The only thing that is similar is a fold out keyboard and that's not really the same because of what Apple has put into each and every key. I can see me getting the Apple Pencil but not the keyboard. As for nice try, the whole Surface was a rip-off of Apple's iPad in the first place. They just sold a keyboard and Apple didn't. Apple let third parties sell Blue Tooth keyboards instead or did we forget this.

 

[MasterRyu2011]

ripoff of Microsoft Surface. Nice try Apple. You can get a tablet with a full OS for that price.

Yeah, but does it come with the coolest logo on the planet?

 

[e93to]

I'll definitely get a 12+ inch tablet. Heck, as a matter of fact, I want my tablet to be 15". Unnecessary? Sure. But that big screen will be a pleasure to play with and watch movies on. Also, 12" tablet should be actual size of papers for textbooks and printed documents. So when I read pdf files, I won't have to zoom in as I do on my 10" tablet. I wish I had something like this when I started university several years ago.

I've been drooling at 12 inch Galaxy tablet for awhile. And now iPad Pro comes along. Hmmm. Decisions, decisions…

12.2" Galaxy is $800 in Canada, and I am guessing iPad Pro will cost around $950-ish here? I'm still leaning towards Galaxy because it has file system, and I can directly connect USB drive to the tablet. As for iPad Pro… that $150 premium will be justified by better speakers, better display resolution, multitask mode, much better performance and connectivity/ecosystem.

Well, I'll mostly use it for watching movies, carrying pdf files and occasionally editing documents. Maybe paying $900 is a bit absurd since tablets don't really have serious computing power and limited usability when it comes to serious work. But then again, I rarely use my MBP now. It's sitting on my desk, collecting dust.

 

[MH01]

Interesting that apple held back the iPad Air 3, Which would have got the same cpu/gpu enhances to make the iPad pro it's the most powerful iPad .

It's just a 12" iPad Air with a stylus. A Welcome bonus for those that will benefit . For me it's to big to surf the net and too small to watch videos , iPad Air 2 is still the perfect form factor.

 

[CFreymarc]

And the DynaBook postulated by Xerox PARC twenty years ago is here. A screen with the same size as a 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper with a stylus to sign documents is here.

About all is missing is the OS recognition of a free fall event with the unit backs itself up and orders replacement with the backed up hardware already unsteady to "continue the live in a new body." With the accel in the device this is possible with the right bandwidth and cloud plan.

 

[FieldingMellish]

It's an acknowledgement to the fact that so many iPad users wanted their iPad to be more laptop-like. And they ponied up for all the add-ons.

For me, the choice came down to a MacBook Air for the complete experience because I favored a work computer first over a consumption device.

 

[MyopicPaideia]

Only downside in my eyes is no file system. So I couldn't load files off a flash drive, edit them in illustrator, and save them again...

But DropBox, iCloud, One Drive???

 

[Monique1]

I just don't get it. the ipad pro can never be more than a niche product in anyone's arsenal of iGizmos. It can't replace a laptop and you'll still need something to do the heavy lifting most "pros" need to do. Tell me how I can hook this thing into dual 27" monitors, have each one scale correctly then be able to navigate those displays with a mouse or external trackpad? I have a $200 Baytrail Windows tablet that does exactly this and has pretty much replaced my desktop. And how far can Apple go with an OS originally intended for a thumb and a cell phone...

Did I mention I just don't get it?

 

[Mtmspa]

A lot of woody's for surface. Too bad we don't care.

 

[Mtmspa]

I just don't get it. the ipad pro can never be more than a niche product in anyone's arsenal of iGizmos. It can't replace a laptop and you'll still need something to do the heavy lifting most "pros" need to do. Tell me how I can hook this thing into dual 27" monitors, have each one scale correctly then be able to navigate those displays with a mouse or external trackpad? I have a $200 Baytrail Windows tablet that does exactly this and has pretty much replaced my desktop. And how far can Apple go with an OS originally intended for a thumb and a cell phone...

Did I mention I just don't get it?

With that screen, I wouldn't need dual monitors. You are stuck in an old paradigm.

 

[SSDGUY]

This is a wet dream for artist. I assume wacom is ******** bricks right now. now all we need is zbrush for iOS. will definitely get one when it comes out.

Probably no coincidence that I got an email from Wacom this morning announcing new products.

 

[SSDGUY]

With that screen, I wouldn't need dual monitors. You are stuck in an old paradigm.

A 13" replaces two 27"s? How does that work? He's right, it's kind of a niche product, but it's gonna be a pretty big niche.

 

[Kal-037]

Give the iPad back to Marvel!

 

[usarioclave]

The only problem with Surface is the OS. Windows is a vector for infection, and anything that removes that vector will be welcome in the corporate space.

Surface is like a portable virus platform. Do you really want someone carrying a tablet that could infect your entire infrastructure if it hooked itself up to a WiFi or Ethernet network?

There is now an alternative: all the benefits of a Surface without the risks associated with Windows.

 

[SSDGUY]

As journalists and bloggers leave the Apple media event in San Francisco, the first impressions of the brand-new iPad Pro have begun trickling out onto the Internet. Sites like Wired, Engadget, SlashGear, and TechnoBuffalo all got to go hands-on with the new tablet and came away with largely positive impressions of the device, with one of the only negatives being the large size of the device. At an unwieldy 12.9-inches, the consensus is that the iPad Pro may be too big for many users.

The first big takeaway about the iPad Pro Wired noticed was that despite the tablet's size, it's surprisingly comfortable to hold in one hand. The site also noted that the new 2732×2048 resolution screen is "smooth and fast," and gave particular praise to the $99 Apple Pencil accessory the company also debuted during today's media event.

Still, despite its positives, Wired believes that using a tablet in the place of a desktop or laptop computer will always remain a lesser experience. They called some of the experience of iOS "clunky," and were unsure of whether Microsoft's new Word experience, shown off at the event as well, would actually be a selling point for the work-focused device.Engadget also expressed surprise over the device's lightness, noting that the iPad Pro felt "lighter than it looks," but that in portrait mode, it can be a bit awkward and top-heavy. The site noted that the tablet's other accessory, the Smart Keyboard, provided some decent travel when pressing the keys down and overall felt like a step above other keyboards bundled in third-party case sleeves.

SlashGear called the iPad Pro "incredibly, vastly, ridiculously huge," but that its thin size and easiness to hold gives it the feel of a science fiction "digital newspaper." The site also called the four speakers on the device "laughably strong," and appreciated that they automatically adjust and change when displaying the tablet's orientation. Similar to other opinions, SlashGear's biggest negative on the tablet is more of a caveat: "it makes far more sense as a content creation tool than one for consumption."

Everyone who wasn't at Apple's event will be able to see the iPad Pro for themselves when the device launches this November in Space Gray, Gold, and Silver color options. The new tablet will be priced at $749 (32GB) and $949 (128GB) for the Wi-Fi models, while a 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular option will come in at $1,079.

Article Link: iPad Pro First Impressions: Surprisingly Light, But Screen Size May Be Unnecessary for Most

I'd like to see Apple make a full-wrap cover/keyboard. Having the back exposed to scratching is a bummer for me, plus some added grip is nice. Maybe a slot for the Apple Pencil?