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

[jclardy]

So, playing games in iPad Pro is faster than a MacBook Pro?
I give it two/three more years to apple to start rolling out MacBooks with ARM chips

Not just games, GPU heavy apps would benefit as well, such as video editing/photo editing and vector illustration apps.

The only problem is we need pro apps on iPad now, Logic and Final Cut. I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the next year, probably with iOS 10.

 

[nagromme]

Wow, and that lowly MacBook (slightly) outperforms my current daily laptop--which doesn't exactly feel slow to begin with!

(And I was ready to complain that the iPad "pencil" should be hexagonal like one, to not roll... guess Apple was ahead of me though.)

 

[joueboy]

I thought the iPad Pro is deluded! Is it a extra large iPhone? Is it an bigger iPad? Is a touch MacBook? Is it a toy? Is it computer? I'm confused!

 

[RebornProphet]

This isn't ironic. This is by design. The iPad Pro is aimed at a group of customers (enterprise, education, etc.) who can make great use of a super powerful large screened tablet AND will not put up with having their investments rendered outdated in a year or two.

Those of us in this forum may upgrade to the latest and greatest, but most buyers want their stuff to just last.

It is ironic, because it's been the same on every iPad for the last two or three years and even on iPhone to an extent.

There is nothing on the App Store that the Air 1 can't run identically to the Air 2. The Air 1 hasn't been pushed by developers and neither has the Air 2, and it's down to install base. Developers need their apps to run on the most devices and the largest install base for sales purposes so the latest chipset is never the target audience.

This isn't unique to the iPad Pro or a new occurrence. Far from it.

 

[JD10]

Tim Cook's comments about the end of the PC are making me very nervous about the future of Mac OS development and Apple's commitment (or now lack of it?) to its PC customers.

There are so many things I use my Mac Pro (late 2013) for that I can't imagine ever being available on an iPad Pro. Things like R/R-Studio, Java JDK/JRE, Eclipse, Maven just among the software development tools. I don't want to have to go back to Windows, but if Apple drops future Mac OS development, my investment in the Mac Pro will be worthless unless someone comes out with a Linux distribution that will run on it.

I am feeling very unhappy with Tim Cook right now.

 

[kazmac]

And then next Spring, the rMBP, Macbook will be faster etc. etc. etc.

 

[quackers82]

The reason why the iPad has been so successful is because it does not run OS X. There were tablet's 15 years ago running Windows and what a flop they were. If you need the portability of a tablet, but the power of OS X, you need the new Macbook. If you want to read a kindle book, pop something in your basket from amazon then have a whirl on candy crush you need Tablet. Its the right device for the right moment.

 

[Thunderhawks]

I thought the iPad Pro is deluded! Is it a extra large iPhone? Is it an bigger iPad? Is a touch MacBook? Is it a toy? Is it computer? I'm confused!

It's a Touchpadphone, soon to be available with iOSX

 

[iPadDad]

Does anyone have the standard Geekbench 3 tests?

 

[Mike MA]

Unbelievable that the ATV4 didn't got the A9X

Or at least the A8X.

 

[redheeler]

Yes, the OS could definitely be helping the benchmarks. Remember, iOS 9 has to run at a reasonable pace on iPhone 4s and iPad 2. I can't imagine how OS X would run on that low-end hardware.

Whilst this does look great, and I would like an iPad Pro.
I fear this says more about the lack of performance of a PROPER Laptop from Apple than how fast the tablet is.

Are these taking into account the fact the Laptop has to run a full proper OS?

Is this comparing Apple's! to Oranges. Should not BOTH devices be running the same operating system to be able to compare them?

Would the iPad Pro grind to a halt if it had to run OSX?
These are the things I'd like to know.

 

[Popeye206]

First... it's amazing how fast all computers are getting. Second, is hats off to Apple to beating Intel at their own game. The A9 chip is impressive.

To me, it would seem very likely we'll see "AX" chips in MacBook Airs and the New MacBook very soon. Why not? Faster and very power efficient.

I think these are the little (but big) innovations Apple is making in the background that's easy to overlook. They continue to excel at industrial design and are probably the best in the industry.

 

[macrooster]

Of course the R9 will smoke the A9X's GPU (whatever it is). That's like comparing apples to space ships, they're not even in the same category.

AMD is nothing to be bragging about in the first place lol

 

[wiz329]

Surface Book is deluded? Tim, you'd sell a lot more of these iPad Pros if users were able to run OS X on it and pair a mouse with it. Better yet, let the iPad Pro run OS X and also run iOS apps. Best of both worlds, but then Apple would probably charge $1,299 minimum for it.

I agree that the SB is a better value proposition. But you can't just stick OS X on an ARM device. And I'm not really impressed with the Intel chips that don't require a fan.

 

[firewood]

decrease the price by $100 and then maybe I would be interested.

Decrease the price by $500, and even more people would be interested. But that's true of every product.

But companies have little reason to decrease prices if their production run pretty much sells out, and they don't get stuck with a unsold inventory. Time will tell if that happens to the iPad Pro.

 

[zaphon]

AMD is nothing to be bragging about in the first place lol

Agreed, however, to omit that off the list when it does come on MacBook Pro's is kind of silly. Of course it would completely skew the graphs because everyone knows that the Intel integrated video cards are rubbish.

 

[Thunderhawks]

I'll probably get some hate for saying this, but the Apple store employee isn't what they used to be. Many years ago, you work there, you know the product and you love the product. These days, you just get folks who has gone through some official training (probably works there because it sounds better than working somewhere else). I bet that many people on Macrumors will outperform many of the people currently working in the Apple store.

Yes, anybody interested in Apple products who follows MR, reads MacWorld, checks iFixit etc.etc.
can run rings around the genius section in the stores and certainly the sales people.

Maybe they are told not to comment on rumors.

 

[8281]

Great hardware, terrible iOS. It's almost like apple doesn't understand users' needs. A ferarri with $100 tires. A concord jet plane with 1/4" tank capacity. A motorcycle that has 85mpg but gas distance of 50 miles.

When will apple get that you cannot fit a square peg in a round hole and look great doing it? Anyone who buys this has too much disposable income and in its current iOS 9 form a complete waste of hardware.

None of these reviewers dare offend Apple by saying the iPad pro sucks. It's so biased these reviews just call it out for what it is! An oversized iPad air! iOS really shouldn't be used in any other form than on a smartphone.

Can't say I understand Apple's direction right now, "Hey, let's put this awesome GPU in this huge iPad that has a limited use potentional because the OS wasn't designed for this." "Great idea!"

"What about the Mac Mini and 13" MBP?" "Nah, people won't want that."

 

[divideby]

Surface Book is deluded? Tim, you'd sell a lot more of these iPad Pros if users were able to run OS X on it and pair a mouse with it. Better yet, let the iPad Pro run OS X and also run iOS apps. Best of both worlds, but then Apple would probably charge $1,299 minimum for it.

And I would definitely be willing to pay $1,299 for it!

 

[firewood]

But you can't just stick OS X on an ARM device.

The OS kernel of OS X (darwin) is already on ARM devices. Only the UI frameworks (and default security model) are significantly different. A mouse driver would have to be added for those UI frameworks not to be useless. And some junior intern in some top secret Apple lab probably did so easily.

 

[Mike MA]

Probably because you dont need it. What would be the point of putting a faster chip inside if all you need to do is playback a movie?

Gaming?

 

[GeneralChang]

Tim Cook Calls Microsoft's Surface Book "Deluded"

Bets on whether he actually meant "diluted" but accidentally pronounced it the same as deluded?

 

[patseguin]

Unbelievable that the ATV4 didn't got the A9X

That would have been overkill and probably driven up the cost. The A8X is plenty fast enough.

 

[firewood]

Is it a extra large iPhone? Is it an bigger iPad? Is a touch MacBook? Is it a toy? Is it computer? I'm confused!

Yes to all (including the last). Shows how much extensibility and headroom for the future the basic iPhone design had and still has.

 

[RedWing512]

God, the more Tim Cook speaks, the more stupid he sounds. The Surface Book builds upon the Surface, the very product his company is trying to piggy-back off of with the iPad Pro.

And the Surface is overall a great device; it obviously must be selling well, otherwise I doubt Apple would have tried making in-roads on that turf.