In my opinion, there are only 4 types of mainstream consumer electronics: 1) phones, 2) televisions, 3) devices plugged into televisions, 4) whatever car stereo that came with your car when you got the car. Everything else is a niche product, as far as I'm concerned. That means iPads are niche products, and the iPad Pro is a niche of a niche. The iPad Pro isn't for everybody, it isn't even for most people. But, is it for anybody? Maybe. Let me tell you about my first 48 hours with the iPad Pro. By the way, I'm typing this on the iPad Pro (IPP) without a physical keyboard. Also, I don't have the Apple Pencil yet (does anyone?), so I can't speak on anything related to that.
Why did I get an iPad Pro? Two words: portrait mode. My life involves paper - magazines, graphic novels, regular old 8.5 x 11 inch sheets of paper, etc. Ever since I got my first iPad in 2011, I've wanted a tablet with a screen size roughly the same size as a sheet of paper. When I procured an iPad Air in 2013, I refined my wish list. I wanted a tablet that: 1) was roughly the same size and shape as a piece of paper, 2) was as thin as an iPad Air, 3) was as light as an iPad Air. Apple gave me two out of three. Yes, it is as thin as the iPad Air. Yes, the screen is big. No, it isn't as light as an Air, not even close. The IPP weighs a good half pound more than the Air, roughly the same as the original iPad from 2010. But that screen, though...
The IPP has a 12.9 inch screen. That number isn't that useful for me. What's more useful to me is that I put a piece of paper on top of the IPP and found the screen to be a little smaller, but the same shape as the paper. The IPP's screen might not be as "good" as the iPad Mini 4, according to the experts at DisplayMate, but it is still gorgeous. And size DOES matter.
Let's talk about that screen size. Let's talk about surface area. The iPad Pro's screen as roughly twice the surface area as the iPad Air. Using the iPad Pro in landscape mode with iOS 9's split screen feature is like having two iPad Airs side by side, each in portrait mode. The iPad Pro is a big-ass tablet.
Speaking of split screen, I really want Apple to come up with a better way to let users choose the second app. Scrolling through a list of apps is a pain. Could they at least alphabetize that list?
Anyway, I think a physical keyboard would be nice, but not necessary for me. I really appreciate the full-size software keyboard on the IPP when it's in landscape mode. My first reaction was "Oh ****, there's an actual CAPS LOCK button! I don't have to double-tap the shift key anymore!" I wish it had arrow keys, though. The new keyboard only works with apps that have been updated for iPad Pro. Other apps, like Facebook, use the ugly old keyboard.
How are video and audio? I used the VLC app to watch a movie on the iPad Pro. I have no complaints. The iPad screen's aspect ratio is good for simulating a piece of paper, but it leaves gaps at the top and bottom when watching a movie with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
How is battery life? Well, I only plug in the IPP for updates and automatic backups. "Real" battery life seems to be much better than your average laptop. This is definitely the device to take on a cross-country flight. Of course, I won't know that for sure until I have to fly somewhere. That will be another review.
I'd like to test out MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but that requires an Office 365 subscription in order to edit MS Office documents. Smaller iPads don’t require the subscription. Why? Because Microsoft sets a screen size limit for device that can view and edit Office 365 documents for free. The iPad Pro is bigger than that limit. I'll test out the Microsoft Office apps once my Office 365 subscribers arrives. In the meantime, I'm writing this with Apple's "Pages" word processor.
My biggest complaint is that the software needs to catch up to the hardware, both OS and apps. For example, Facebook doesn't use the new iPad Pro keyboard, nor does it seem to fully utilize iOS 9's split screen feature. Also, Apple really needs to provide a centralized file manager similar to Finder in OS X. They could at least offer the option. As an alternative, make it easier for different apps to share files. I want to be able to access my NAS, Google Drive, One Drive, and iCloud Drive from one file manager. I also want all of my apps to be able to access all of these sources.
So, is the iPad Pro for anybody? Sure, it's clearly for me. And once this tablet's price decreases and the software "grows up," I'll be happy to recommend it to other people.
Why did I get an iPad Pro? Two words: portrait mode. My life involves paper - magazines, graphic novels, regular old 8.5 x 11 inch sheets of paper, etc. Ever since I got my first iPad in 2011, I've wanted a tablet with a screen size roughly the same size as a sheet of paper. When I procured an iPad Air in 2013, I refined my wish list. I wanted a tablet that: 1) was roughly the same size and shape as a piece of paper, 2) was as thin as an iPad Air, 3) was as light as an iPad Air. Apple gave me two out of three. Yes, it is as thin as the iPad Air. Yes, the screen is big. No, it isn't as light as an Air, not even close. The IPP weighs a good half pound more than the Air, roughly the same as the original iPad from 2010. But that screen, though...
The IPP has a 12.9 inch screen. That number isn't that useful for me. What's more useful to me is that I put a piece of paper on top of the IPP and found the screen to be a little smaller, but the same shape as the paper. The IPP's screen might not be as "good" as the iPad Mini 4, according to the experts at DisplayMate, but it is still gorgeous. And size DOES matter.
Let's talk about that screen size. Let's talk about surface area. The iPad Pro's screen as roughly twice the surface area as the iPad Air. Using the iPad Pro in landscape mode with iOS 9's split screen feature is like having two iPad Airs side by side, each in portrait mode. The iPad Pro is a big-ass tablet.
Speaking of split screen, I really want Apple to come up with a better way to let users choose the second app. Scrolling through a list of apps is a pain. Could they at least alphabetize that list?
Anyway, I think a physical keyboard would be nice, but not necessary for me. I really appreciate the full-size software keyboard on the IPP when it's in landscape mode. My first reaction was "Oh ****, there's an actual CAPS LOCK button! I don't have to double-tap the shift key anymore!" I wish it had arrow keys, though. The new keyboard only works with apps that have been updated for iPad Pro. Other apps, like Facebook, use the ugly old keyboard.
How are video and audio? I used the VLC app to watch a movie on the iPad Pro. I have no complaints. The iPad screen's aspect ratio is good for simulating a piece of paper, but it leaves gaps at the top and bottom when watching a movie with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
How is battery life? Well, I only plug in the IPP for updates and automatic backups. "Real" battery life seems to be much better than your average laptop. This is definitely the device to take on a cross-country flight. Of course, I won't know that for sure until I have to fly somewhere. That will be another review.
I'd like to test out MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but that requires an Office 365 subscription in order to edit MS Office documents. Smaller iPads don’t require the subscription. Why? Because Microsoft sets a screen size limit for device that can view and edit Office 365 documents for free. The iPad Pro is bigger than that limit. I'll test out the Microsoft Office apps once my Office 365 subscribers arrives. In the meantime, I'm writing this with Apple's "Pages" word processor.
My biggest complaint is that the software needs to catch up to the hardware, both OS and apps. For example, Facebook doesn't use the new iPad Pro keyboard, nor does it seem to fully utilize iOS 9's split screen feature. Also, Apple really needs to provide a centralized file manager similar to Finder in OS X. They could at least offer the option. As an alternative, make it easier for different apps to share files. I want to be able to access my NAS, Google Drive, One Drive, and iCloud Drive from one file manager. I also want all of my apps to be able to access all of these sources.
So, is the iPad Pro for anybody? Sure, it's clearly for me. And once this tablet's price decreases and the software "grows up," I'll be happy to recommend it to other people.
