iPad Pro Reviews Roundup: Blazingly Fast With a More Balanced Design, But Some Face ID and USB-C Quirks

[Ghost31]

I would assume that this person is talking about different home screen layouts and such. The ability to have true multiple users. While I wouldn't really benefit from that, families certainly would.

Ah. In that case, I’m wrong. That would be a huge feature though and I hope we get it

 

[Scottsoapbox]

Is being a laptop replacement such a huge deal to everyone here?

Look, I believe you all know my story. I use my iPad Pro 9.7" to teach in the classroom, though I still do the bulk of my lesson prep on my iMac, including converting word documents to pdf format (which then gets synced to the documents app via dropbox) so they can be opened in Notability for annotating.

I don't pretend the iPad can replace my Mac, and honestly, that doesn't bother me. I have two devices, each of which excels in what I need it to do, and they complement each marvellously. I don't need my iPad to run macOS because my iMac already does, and truth be told, I have genuinely come to prefer iOS for its ease of use and intuitiveness. Not saying the iPad is perfect (google docs still sucks on it, for one), but having worked with integrating an iPad into my workflow since 2012, I do find that the iPad has come a very long way since then.

Not too long ago, the phrase “you can’t do real work on an iPad” was thrown around a lot, but as more people have shown that they totally can do their work on iPads, the PC defenders have had to become more specific in their criticisms. Arguments for the continued dominance of the PC have been reduced to “you need it for sharing documents” or “you can’t do development on iOS.” or some other niche use case.

The trend towards eliminating things that iOS devices can’t do is marching on and there’s no reason to think it will stop. With each passing day, people are changing their workflows in ways that make PCs less relevant, while iOS (and Android) are making changes to fill the gaps that are still there.

PCs will exist for a long time, and I have no doubt that they will remain relevant for many people, but it continues to become more and more clear that the future is not macOS or Windows, but iOS and Android. As such, I am neither surprised nor dismayed that Apple continues to favour development of iOS over the Mac.

We really should be beyond debating whether the iPad can be used for content creation. That discussion is over and those still arguing that it cannot are saying more about themselves than about the iPad with every passing day.

You should go watch the Apple event again and see how many times APPLE COMPARES THE IPAD TO LAPTOPS. It's not MR it's Apple making it a big deal.

 

[Never mind]

'still not a laptop replacement'

For you maybe but for me it is a laptop replacement. We all have different needs.

 

[cmaier]

I see Nilay Patel continues to be a useless human being.

Does he still wear that studded leather wrist collar while lecturing Apple on their lack of “fashion sense?”

 

[Rogifan]

Bottom line is Apple’s software team just can’t keep up with the hardware/chip teams. Still I suspect we will see iPad specific OS improvements in iOS 13.

 

[phoJOEgraphy]

I use iPad Pro for my work daily. I must be impossible!

Haha - Same. I always chuckle when people use the word "impossible" as a blanket statement.

I use my current iPad pro Gen 1 daily with Procreate and Affinity Designer for client work. It's replaced everything but photography for me. (I'm not happy with how iOS handles RAW files - hopefully that will change soon). I believe non-creatives, (non-illustrators & non-designers,) view the limitations more than we do for some reason as I see a big, beautiful canvas of possibilities and can't wait for my new 12.9 512GB to arrive.

 

[hypertoast]

Like multi user support.

Hahaha. So how will apple make extra millions $ if a family starts sharing an ipad? I do not see it happening in the near future.
Desktop replacement = iPad... But, only for the individual....

 

[Burger Thing]

I think that these reviews tend to be biased towards laptop users because they are written by people who mainly use laptops.

If you have been using a laptop to get your work done all this while, the iPad might make a poor replacement. However, there are also people who have been using a laptop not because it was the best tool for the job, but because until the iPad came about, the laptop was really the only tool available, and so they had to make do.

To use an analogy, these are the people who were trying to drive in screws using a hammer because the screwdriver hadn't been invented yet. The iPad is that screwdriver which allows them to do their work better than a laptop ever could. Not saying the laptop was bad; it just wasn't suited for their type of work.

Or could it be, the other way around, that YOU don't simply understand some of the tech reviewers criticisms or frustrations because your personal usage horizon as a school teacher - your personal skill and tool bag to stay with your example - of the iPad is rather limited? At least compared to a tech reviewer? No offence.

 

[nt5672]

In front of iPad Pro, the New MacBook Air becomes embarrassed due to its lower performance and higher price tag.

Yep, really looks like Apple is still trying to force people from computers to iPad. Too bad the work some people are required to do, does not follow Cook's dream state.

 

[Gudi]

Everybody, Apple said the iPad will change your perception of what a computer is.

Nobody promised the iPad will eventually end up mimicing a PC in a Tablet PC form factor. That’s not going to happen.

#ipadisnotapc

 

[DNichter]

Some people do get attached to old stuff and struggle to adapt to the new stuff. Just the way people are.

And I am not saying anyone HAS to adapt, but it's really not all that difficult. I don't even think about storage or files or anything, it's just there.

 

[jlc1978]

Pretty sure you can do that. I can do that with faceid on my iPhone with me and my wife

On a Mac you can have different setups for multiple users. AFAIK iOS logs each user to the same instance; you can log multiple users in but ey all have the same setup.
Is there a setting similar to users on the Mac?

 

[Rogifan]

The one review I will really care about is from Federico Vittici. He actually uses iPad as his main computer. He’s been a huge advocate for Shortcuts. Why Apple didn’t give him a review unit is beyond me. His review matters way more than Nilay Patel’s even if The Verge gets more traffic than MacStories.

That brings up question: has any major tech publication focused at all on Shortcuts? I’m not aware of any of them putting in the work Federico has. Not even Ars Technica. It’s a major new iOS feature and gets not much more than a passing mention from the major tech sites.

 

[Ghost31]

On a Mac you can have different setups for multiple users. AFAIK iOS logs each user to the same instance; you can log multiple users in but ey all have the same setup.
Is there a setting similar to users on the Mac?

Nope I was wrong. I misunderstood I’m thinking they just meant logging in. The different setups may happen with iOS 13 being a iPad centric update

 

[nburwell]

I'll most likely upgrade once my 10.5" gets a bit long in the tooth (which I imagine won't be for a couple years). Right now, it performs flawlessly on iOS for the tasks I need it for.

 

[jwalker99]

Yes, but there are plenty of other windows laptops out there, likely better or the same as the Surface. I guess I don't see why the Surface specifically is the one to get. It's not a good tablet (let's be honest) and it's an okay laptop. I don't personally want a traditional OS and all the baggage that comes with it (these last two weeks with a Windows machine have been terrible). I moved to iOS only a few years back and I don't think I'd ever go back to a traditional computer.

The Surface may not be the best stand-alone tablet, but it's still pretty good. And more importantly, it let's you consume and interact with content in basically the same form factor as an iPad. Without having to purchase and carry around a completely separate device.

 

[Rogifan]

Yep, really looks like Apple is still trying to force people from computers to iPad. Too bad the work some people are required to do, does not follow Cook's dream state.

How so?

 

[69Mustang]

Is being a laptop replacement such a huge deal to everyone here?
.

I think the unnecessary focus of an iPad being a laptop replacement is the fault of Apple. When Apple and Cook say that's what they are, people are going to compare them as such.

That cringe worthy "what's a computer" ad was a Clarion call to the tech press and the public to judge the iPad against computers not tablets.

 

[DNichter]

The Surface may not be the best stand-alone tablet, but it's still pretty good. And more importantly, it let's you consume and interact with content in basically the same form factor as an iPad. Without having to purchase and carry around a completely separate device.

I don't know, I used one for a business trip once and was not impressed at all. I found it to be a crappy tablet, not a ton of good apps, and a pretty standard windows laptop. I'd much rather just have an iPad, but I get that everyone is different.

 

[Burger Thing]

The one review I will really care about is from Federico Vittici. He actually uses iPad as his main computer. He’s been a huge advocate for Shortcuts. Why Apple didn’t give him a review unit is beyond me. His review matters way more than Nilay Patel’s even if The Verge gets more traffic than MacStories.
.

Why? Because you have a personal dislike to whatever Nilay writes? I just read his review. Personally I think he was spot on regarding Lightroom CC and the import of files for example. The more shortcomings in iOS are highlighted in critical reviews, the faster they will be solved.

 

[UltimateSyn]

The Wired. Haha. HBO’s new tech drama?

 

[Rogifan]

Or could it be, the other way around, that YOU don't simply understand some of the tech reviewers criticisms or frustrations because your personal usage horizon as a school teacher - your personal skill and tool bag to stay with your example - of the iPad is rather limited? At least compared to a tech reviewer? No offence.

While Apple is saying an iPad can be someone’s primary computer I don’t see where they’re explicitly saying they want iPad to replace the Mac. Does Nilay Patel want to replace his Mac (or whatever Wintel machine he’s using) with an iPad Pro? Is that his goal?

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I see your point but the cost of something has nothing to do with its selling price. That is set by demand; and why Apple can get huge margins while others making similar products can't.

And, finally, that might be changing to the benefit of the consumer as we see less demand for these overpriced gadgets. At the same time, Apple needs to keep revenue up and their stockholders happy, so lower prices and possibly higher volume may be the ticket.

 

[diamond.g]

The one review I will really care about is from Federico Vittici. He actually uses iPad as his main computer. He’s been a huge advocate for Shortcuts. Why Apple didn’t give him a review unit is beyond me. His review matters way more than Nilay Patel’s even if The Verge gets more traffic than MacStories.

That brings up question: has any major tech publication focused at all on Shortcuts? I’m not aware of any of them putting in the work Federico has. Not even Ars Technica. It’s a major new iOS feature and gets not much more than a passing mention from the major tech sites.

Much like Automator got no love, I would be surprised if publications outside of iMore talked about Shortcuts more than in passing.

 

[Abazigal]

As someone who has used an iPad exclusively as a laptop replacement for 8 years now since the first version I can say you are missing one big point... these new iPad Pros are 2-4x’s the cost of a regular iPad and now cost the same or more as Apple laptops so it is reasonable to expect they should do more (like a laptop) yet they are so hampered by iOS 12 that they really can’t do much beyond the $399 2018 iPad (which also can have a pencil) other than run smoother with a nicer to look at screen. For many who like you said don’t have need of a laptop an iPad is ideal and at the $399 version is great but what about this $800-1900 version, surely Apple should deliver more but are they? I think the answer on the software side is absolutely NO and that everything is going to come down to if iOS 13 in 2019 delivers the “ah, that’s what the Pro was meant to be!” moment we all hope.

Seriously, I don't know why people are acting all surprised now.

iOS 12 was released like close to 2 months ago (longer, if you played around with the public beta). You all knew what iOS 12 did, and what it was going to be like on an iPad. And now everyone is feigning shock and disappointment over what the iPad can't do?