iPad Pro Tidbits: A9X Outperforms MacBook, Apple Pencil is Weighted, T-Mobile Financing and More

[pat500000]

This is so true. I love the iPhone but the intelligence of their employees there has gone from rocket scientist to high school dropout in just a few years. Who does their employee hiring anyway? I got an iPhone fixed three times because they could not get it right each time until the last attempt. The Microsoft Store reps actually know what they are talking about and are very tech savvy.

I had many bad experiences with them because they don't know what they are talking about. Their brain is filled with "i need to sell" mentality or "i have no idea" mentality. However, I do like some people with good attitude and great service like replacing my phone as brand new.

 

[iSheepHunter]

hahaha, a powerful device gimped by a mobile OS the same as the iPhone runs.... [FACEPALM]

Oh Apple Apple Apple, how this could have been with a special touch version of OSX.

And as for the Surface Book being diluted, erm, yeah, a device that makes the iPad Pro look like a toy.

Loving this war of words, it's like Sony VS Microsoft during the PS3 VS 360 day's.

Without Job's vision, Apple is beginning to slip. I just hope that they keep up the pace and innovation in the iPhone line. My, how I love iPhone and iOS--for on-the-go, it does simplicity in the palm perfectly. I hate Android for the buggy mess it has become and Windows Phone still has years to go.

 

[DigMe]

It seems not because having used the surface pro, it kinda sucks at doing both.

You're focusing on the execution, not the capability. They have clearly demonstrated that the capability is there. So far, up to this point, Apple has erected a barrier between tablet and laptop for their products. They seem to be locked into this barrier between mobile and desktop/laptop OS. Hopefully they will come up with a solution to bring it down in the not-so-far future. Not sure if that solution will be a dual boot mobile/laptop OS or an all new single hybrid OS that works on both. I suspect that they may possibly follow MS and do the latter but then they'll have to solve the problem of running legacy apps on both platforms. Or maybe they'll follow the route they did with Flash and continue things as they are and simply wait for developers to develop more complex productivity apps for their platform. As it currently stands though they are behind in the game in this regard - basically every reviewer says "Great piece of hardware, too bad it is so limited in productivity by the software barrier that Apple has in place. Hopefully they'll catch up." I cannot pick up an iPad Pro and perform my professional photography tasks on it. I can do that with a Surface Pro 3 or 4 or the Surface Pro Book - not saying the execution is perfect but I CAN DO THAT on one and not on the other.

 

[iSheepHunter]

Other way around. Microsoft licensed technology and design patents from Apple to make the Surface.

Source?

 

[RockSpider]

Other way around. Microsoft licensed technology and design patents from Apple to make the Surface.

I don't know if that's true, but even if it is it's garbage Apple didn't have anything like the Surface Pro, until now that is, and a pretty poor imitation at that.

 

[Renzatic]

I don't know if that's true, but even if it is it's garbage Apple didn't have anything like the Surface Pro, until now that is, and a pretty poor imitation at that.

I think I remember reading something about MS having to license a patent for the magnetic connection on the cover or something. Nothing huge, but there was some exchange of something or other.

 

[iSheepHunter]

I don't know if that's true, but even if it is it's garbage Apple didn't have anything like the Surface Pro, until now that is, and a pretty poor imitation at that.

Now, I remember. It's the MagSafe charging connector. Besides that one mere charging port, the Surface is very much its own thing, a very innovative product line.

 

[mkimid]

I have so disappointed about A9X is the dual core, Actually, if Apple really want to put "PRO" name, it should have multiple core ~

 

[Daws001]

Since there was apparently no info in any articles about it, I called my local Apple Store this morning to find out if I could get hands-on time with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. The woman who answered told me yes ("they're available today"), though she sounded like she wasn't paying attention to me. I showed up at the store and a dude with wooden earrings told me there weren't any on the floor till tomorrow. "There was definitely a miscommunication on one side or the other; sorry man" he said, after I said "I explicitly asked if I could get hands-on time with one". Yeah, miscommunication on their end, not mine. Sigh.

Wooden earrings you say?

 

[jonnyb098]

I just got back from the Apple Store and even the unit on display showed obvious stuttering in multitasking, proving Apples hardware means nothing when the software isn't properly optimized. Thankfully iOS 9.2 beta 3 is much smoother.

 

[applezulu]

Why all the hate simply over a new product. It's a bigger and faster iPad. Relax people!

If I had to venture a guess, it would be because this place is crawling with trolls under contract to Microsoft, Samsung and Google. Mind you, there are also people who just like to harsh on things for sport, but I think criticisms like "the iPad Pro is no good until it runs on OSX" probably originate with MS-funded goons.

Tim Cook's comment about Surface pro being "deluded" ("diluted" makes more sense contextually) is consistent with someone coming from the Apple business model criticizing the MS/Google/Samsung business model. Apple doesn't make products that try to be all things to all people. They never have. By intentionally not doing so, Apple devices tend to do what they are designed to do reliably well, because they've limited unnecessary variables in both hardware and software design. The iPad Pro is aimed at a specific niche market, professionals who want some screen size and some power, but don't have any need for a full-fledged OSX Notebook. It's aimed at a specific bandwidth within the Apple product line that exists between the iPad and a MacBook Air.

The Surface Book is centered on a similar bandwidth, but also tries to overlap the space held by a Surface on the low-end and a notebook computer on the other end. Cook's point is that by trying to occupy all that space, you end up with a device that has too much stuff for a tablet, and not enough for a notebook.

On the flip side, the commenters here who say the iPad Pro should run on OSX are (in some cases deliberately) missing the point of the Apple business model. An OSX iPad Pro would cannibalize a MacBook Air's space in the product line, wouldn't function well for interfacing with OSX, which was written from the ground up for devices with keyboards and touchpads, and would be a tablet that doesn't run iOS, which was written from the ground-up for touchscreen tablets. Interestingly, such an OSX tablet device would deserve exactly the criticism Mr. Cook made about the Surface Book. It would be 'trying to be a tablet and a notebook and really succeed at being neither. It would be sort of diluted.

 

[Tiger8]

Well, consider this. The Surface line outsells every other 2-in-i on the market, and the 2-in-1 market, on average, has almost doubled sales this year, and again Surface is well above the average of its OEM partners like Dell, Lenovo and HP. It was confirmed that there were at least a few million Pro 3's sold last year. So doubling that, at least 6 million Surface Pro's will sell this year and if we are being more realistic since it sells much more than its OEM partners' products do, perhaps 10 million.

Thanks. That seems good.

I am not a Microsoft lover, but I like to give them credit for the things they do well. Many folks here like to think EVERYTHING Apple does is great, and everything Microsoft does is bad, even in a situation where Apple was clearly... ummm.. heavily inspired by Microsoft.

Also Tim Cook should lean to shut it sometimes.

 

[jlo1158]

Was that supposed to be funny? I feel you think you're making a good joke there.

I thought it was very funny. Probably accurate also.

 

[jlo1158]

the iPad pro is too overpriced. Therefore the long joke was necessary.

Yeah, what you said.

 

[apolloa]

Without Job's vision, Apple is beginning to slip. I just hope that they keep up the pace and innovation in the iPhone line. My, how I love iPhone and iOS--for on-the-go, it does simplicity in the palm perfectly. I hate Android for the buggy mess it has become and Windows Phone still has years to go.

I actually really like Android, not buggy on my tablet. It's been good as gold and incredibly fast and smooth, but then it is a Sony tablet.
I agree a bit with the Jobs comment. although I love that they updated the iPod Touch this year, but the lineup of devices is a bit odd.
Take the iMac, it's gone from a nice powerful useful machine you could easily repair, to one that's now glued together to save costs and has no optical drive to save costs, all marketed on how thin it is for more money than it used to cost, the only real winner is Apple....
Now I would buy a modern day iMac, but I would worry about anything going wrong and someone having to get the 'heatgun' out to fix it as opposed to a screwdriver!

Anyway, the iPad pro is great for artists or those that can fully utilise the fancy stylus, but for everyone else it seems a bit pointless?

 

[peterpan123]

I really don't care if the iPad PRO runs faster than a super computer if it runs IOS.

 

[newdeal]

Unfortunately this device also has a battery as big as a macbook air and so even with the arm chip the battery life isn't any better. I suppose that has a lot to do with the display being much better than the airs display though

 

[Max(IT)]

You obviously don't understand the context... at all. Watch the full video. Jobs condemns styli of any kind as awkward and unwieldy, and believes touch and a desktop OS never should be mixed together. This meme is not implying that the iPhone will ever have a stylus. The point is this: Jobs was adamantly against a stylus on iOS products because he knew it would pull their focus from the consumer market, where they have the most success. Now, Cook has done exactly what Jobs told them not to do--put a stylus on an iOS device and market it to professionals and corporations.

again, this is no 2007 anymore ...
iOS is changed since then, so has users' needs.

You think apple people know what they are talking about?

surely better than you (and me).

Without Job's vision, Apple is beginning to slip. I just hope that they keep up the pace and innovation in the iPhone line. My, how I love iPhone and iOS--for on-the-go, it does simplicity in the palm perfectly. I hate Android for the buggy mess it has become and Windows Phone still has years to go.

yes, Apple is doomed .... except they are doing better today than when SJ was CEO.

 

[Renzatic]

Anyway, the iPad pro is great for artists or those that can fully utilise the fancy stylus, but for everyone else it seems a bit pointless?

Once some good apps that can take advantage of the extra screen real estate start showing up, it'll be great.

But right now? As in this very moment? Kinda. Unless you're a heavy note taker, or like you said, an artist, you're buying it more for what it will be than what it currently is.

 

[firewood]

If I had to venture a guess, it would be because this place is crawling with trolls under contract to Microsoft, Samsung and Google.

Are you sure that some aren't under contract to MacRumors or Apple as well?

 

[jlo1158]

Considering that MS depends on Intel.. I wouldn't bet on Surface 5 outperforming AT ALL.

It's not like Apple depends on Intel for the Macs.

 

[apolloa]

Once some good apps that can take advantage of the extra screen real estate start showing up, it'll be great.

But right now? As in this very moment? Kinda. Unless you're a heavy note taker, or like you said, an artist, you're buying it more for what it will be than what it currently is.

Pretty much yeap, best to wait for the second gen model I feel. Tell you one thing, would be nice if they stuck that iPad Pro processor in the iPad Air 3 no?? That would be a beast of a tablet!

 

[appledefenceforce]

Thanks. That seems good.

I am not a Microsoft lover, but I like to give them credit for the things they do well. Many folks here like to think EVERYTHING Apple does is great, and everything Microsoft does is bad, even in a situation where Apple was clearly... ummm.. heavily inspired by Microsoft.

Also Tim Cook should lean to shut it sometimes.

Wrong. Many folks here trash everything Apple does, doesn't matter good or bad. This site is so overrun by negativity it will kill a baby spirit to read through the first 2 pages of the comment section.

 

[Renzatic]

Pretty much yeap, best to wait for the second gen model I feel. Tell you one thing, would be nice if they stuck that iPad Pro processor in the iPad Air 3 no?? That would be a beast of a tablet!

Yeah, it would. But it'd probably eat through that smaller battery like a fat kid on a cake.

I wouldn't mind seeing the pencil on the regular iPad, though. There's no reason why it shouldn't show up there eventually, other than Apple's love of pigeonholing features to certain products.

 

[apolloa]

Wrong. Many folks here trash everything Apple does, doesn't matter good or bad. This site is so overrun by negativity it will kill a baby spirit to read through the first 2 pages of the comment section.

A what??