New iPad Pro Begins to Arrive to Customers Around the World

[miric]

To me concept of tablet is completely ridiculous. Release MBP already, apple!

To me, such kind of comment is completely ridiculous.
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- No improvements in display quality (same brightness, no mini-LED)
- No improvements in CPU speed (for the first time since A5X)
- No improvements to the main camera (no Night Mode support)
- No improvements in speaker quality
- No improvements in battery life

- Still not ready probably. Now is already the best display on the market so why do it right now?
- What is a problem in CPU speed? It is blazingly fast so far
- The only reasonable point here
- What is a problem with a speaker quality?
- What is the problem with battery life?

 

[PickUrPoison]

I agree with you and did the same thing. I don’t think it will be justifiable either and will probably just return and wait for the next upgrade. Very disappointing. If I end up keeping my current 11 Pro will definitely be getting the new keyboard in May. At least it will seem somewhat different then.

Really? Given that there’s been ten years of development, do you honestly expect that big a difference from one generation to the next? You already have the major redesign with the 11” Pro.

From the first or even second gen this is a good update, but I think the gen-to-gen updates can be expected to be incremental, for the most part, from here on out.

Some will be really excited for A14X, 5G and/or mini-LED as rumored for the next model due this fall or winter, but some won’t care much at all (especially if they don’t want cellular).

But with all three features potentially on tap, count me in 🙂

 

[Jury]

Returning this model soon due to underwhelming update.

 

[miric]

I updated to 13.4 and got the new wallpaper for my 2018 Pro. Just as good! Love what Apple is doing with tablets, definitely where the future is headed. Looking forward to the fall refresh for a potential upgrade.

How? I also updated my iPad Pro 11 2018 to 13.4 yesterday. Just checked out. No any new wallpapers like on box photo above.

 

[Flow39]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see another iPad 3/iPad 4 situation happen again this year. The new 2020 Pros just don't really improve on anything. The Geekbench scores show very small double-digit increases in single and multicore scores, the display is the same, and the battery life is the same. If I were in the market for a new Pro, I'd just go for one of the 2018 models on sale or wait until the next generation comes out (possible in the fall, but maybe not) before I'd buy this. The only real improvement is the camera, and who would buy an iPad for the camera performance? Not many, I'm guessing.

 

[TitsLegendary]

Has anyone confirmed that it actually has 6gigs of RAM?

 

[pearvsapple]

Meh. They want the iPad to kill the PC, but it was iPhone Plus that killed the iPad. Lolz

 

[Jury]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see another iPad 3/iPad 4 situation happen again this year. The new 2020 Pros just don't really improve on anything. The Geekbench scores show very small double-digit increases in single and multicore scores, the display is the same, and the battery life is the same. If I were in the market for a new Pro, I'd just go for one of the 2018 models on sale or wait until the next generation comes out (possible in the fall, but maybe not) before I'd buy this. The only real improvement is the camera, and who would buy an iPad for the camera performance? Not many, I'm guessing.

Agreed. Apple SoC GPU is a lot worse in performance improvement!

 

[44267547]

Has anyone confirmed that it actually has 6gigs of RAM?

Official Teardown coming to confirm. (Likely posted by Friday at the latest). Stay tuned.

 

[dvdlovr24]

How? I also updated my iPad Pro 11 2018 to 13.4 yesterday. Just checked out. No any new wallpapers like on box photo above.

You have to download them and save to your photos. 9to5 Mac has links to download them.

 

[DribbleCastle]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see another iPad 3/iPad 4 situation happen again this year. The new 2020 Pros just don't really improve on anything. The Geekbench scores show very small double-digit increases in single and multicore scores, the display is the same, and the battery life is the same. If I were in the market for a new Pro, I'd just go for one of the 2018 models on sale or wait until the next generation comes out (possible in the fall, but maybe not) before I'd buy this. The only real improvement is the camera, and who would buy an iPad for the camera performance? Not many, I'm guessing.

See you in Spring 2021. The only option I can see being added in the fall is a 5G modem, but with the iPhone demand, I could see that waiting until Spring for release.

 

[miric]

You have to download them and save to your photos. 9to5 Mac has links to download them.

I'm able to manage this. Even found source HEICs. I'm just curious about that stupid Apple's segregation among devices.

 

[GuruZac]

Lol. Well here's to another decade of this "ridiculous concept"

Yes. I'm upgrading just for the RAM, but I have a few specific applications that will work so much better because of it. If it turns out the extra 2GB isn't accessible by apps, it's fairly simple to return and wait...

MKBHD alluded to the new iPads only having 4GB of RAM on all but the 1TB model again. I ran geekbench just test the performance of the A12X vs A12Z in MKBHD’s video and my A12X scores were slightly higher than his A12Z scores, but within the normal level of variance, so it appears there is zero difference in performance other than 1 extra core in the GPU (7 core in ipad Pro 2018 vs 8 core in iPad Pro 2020). His A12Z scores were 1108 single-core and 4324 multi-core scores, and I attached mine. I see no reason to upgrade from 2018 iPad Pro if you currently own one, and if it turns out there is only 6GB of RAM in the 1TB model again. This is probably the most minor update to the iPad Pro we’ve seen to date.

 

[iMi]

Is anyone replacing last year's iPad Pros? Is the upgrade worth it or should I wait until next year?

 

[tomO2013]

et me get this straight:

- No improvements in display quality (same brightness, no mini-LED)
- No improvements in CPU speed (for the first time since A5X)
- No improvements to the main camera (no Night Mode support)
- No improvements in speaker quality
- No improvements in battery life

Hopefully, there are at lest some improvements in rigidity and durability.

CPU speed still remains to be seen - Geekbench graphics scores show a 10-15% improvement. like the 16macbook pro which uses the same i9 processor as the prior 15" MacBook Pro, the new thermal design optimizations that Apple announced may well allow it to maintain sustained load at peak speed for much longer thereby giving significant real world performance gains. Same story with battery.

On the topic of the camera hardware, there is a significantly better camera module - including second camera, LIDAR for better augmented reality applications. If you are involved with AR development or use your device in the medical field, design field, this is a very nice upgrade.

Audio hardware has seen a significant bump. The speaker quality remains class leading. Microphone hardware quality has taken a noticeable upgrade - if you do any recording on the go this is a very nice hardware upgrade.

Battery life - has this bee confirmed? More the point, given the same level of load and tasks, does the same amount of battery allow you to get more done given the more efficient thermal design and memory optimizations supposedly brought by the a12z.

I think the hardware upgrades in this iteration are in areas that will provide greater usability beyond a huge processor bump. On that note, the a12x already exports 4k footage from lumafusion faster than a MacBook Pro 15 i7 and even i9. Any small bump is welcome but not exactly a priority in my opinion.

On the topic of rigidity, I've never personally experienced bending with my work iPad Pro - however I've seen some reports all the same. I hope they have address QC issues if they exist. Having said that an iPad (for my uses anyway) does not have to go through the rigors and stresses that a phone does in my pocket so this is less of a worry for me anyway.

 

[regan_ev]

I had my Gen 3 from day 1 and have loved every moment with it. And while I'm always at risk of pulling the trigger with any new iDevice Apple releases, I'm perfectly fine to take a pass on this one.

Now that Magic Keyboard... Here I come!

I have read that the new Magic Keyboard will only work with the gen4/2020 iPP :/
edit: Magic Keyboard DOES work with 3rd gen 2018 iPP [thanks pick your poison for correction]

 

[GuruZac]

Is anyone replacing last year's iPad Pros? Is the upgrade worth it or should I wait until next year?

See my post above. With Magic Keyboard support and essentially zero upgrades other than camera and a very minor upgrade to the GPU, I would say no. Wait until next year or buy a refurbished 2018 model. This minor update proves the power of the A12X and how overpowered the iPad Pro still is.

 

[jjudson]

Let me get this straight:

- No improvements in display quality (same brightness, no mini-LED)
- No improvements in CPU speed (for the first time since A5X)
- No improvements to the main camera (no Night Mode support)
- No improvements in speaker quality
- No improvements in battery life

Hopefully, there are at lest some improvements in rigidity and durability.

Really at this point, the biggest thing that can happen to the iPad Pro is a complete overhaul of the stale and stunted OS. The iPadOS so far has been underwhelming, especially the overall GUI, the complex and deficient multitasking capability, and it’s reliance on convoluted gestures for what should be simple tasks — among many others.

While trackpad functionality is a nice step, the OS has a long way to go to make this a viable laptop replacement or even an eye-to-eye competitor of the Surface Pro.

The hardware is competent and ready. The OS, not so much.

 

[PickUrPoison]

I have read that the new Magic Keyboard will only work with the gen4/2020 iPP :/

There was some initial confusion, but it is compatible with the 3rd gen 🙂
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Is anyone replacing last year's iPad Pros? Is the upgrade worth it or should I wait until next year?

Unless you’ve got money to burn, or want the new LiDAR sensor, I think most would recommend waiting. The 12.9” is rumored for this fall or winter 2020 but who knows?

 

[Kal-037]

Has anyone found CPU speed and performance in a recent iPad Pro lacking?

I'm not talking about contrived tests to discover the limits. But from everyday common iPad usage.

*Knock on wood. Not here, it destroys all my other tech one every way and in any application... MacMini, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPhone Pro, Windows Desktop, etc, etc... I guess I am just not a big power user anymore... or the 2018 iPad was/is still like 10-years ahead of its time. ha ha

 

[Lobwedgephil]

MKBHD alluded to the new iPads only having 4GB of RAM on all but the 1TB model again. I ran geekbench just test the performance of the A12X vs A12Z in MKBHD’s video and my scores were slightly higher than his A12Z scores, but within the normal level of variance, so it appears there is zero difference in performance other than 1 extra core in the GPU (7 core in ipad Pro 2018 vs 8 core in iPad Pro 2020). His A12Z scores were 1108 single-core and 4324 multi-core scores, and I attached mine. I see no reason to upgrade from 2018 iPad Pro if you currently own one, and if it turns out there is only 6GB of RAM in the 1TB model again. This is probably the most minor update to the iPad Pro we’ve seen to date.

So yours is only 4Gb?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Meh. They want the iPad to kill the PC, but it was iPhone Plus that killed the iPad. Lolz

No, they want the iPad to kill the Mac. With iPad sales WAY over Mac sales year over year, it appears that they’re accomplishing that.

 

[GDF]

Except for size, definitely do not notice any speed difference from my 2008 11 Pro vs the 2020 12.9 I just received. Not worth the upgrade from 08 unless you are going up or down a size. Disappointing Apple - you can do a better upgrade than this!
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[Kal-037]

Really at this point, the biggest thing that can happen to the iPad Pro is a complete overhaul of the stale and stunted OS. The iPadOS so far has been underwhelming, especially the overall GUI, the complexity and deficient multitasking capability, and it’s reliance on convoluted gestures for what should be simple tasks — among many others.

While trackpad functionality is a nice step, the OS has a long way to go to make this a viable laptop replacement or even an eye-to-eye competitor of the Surface Pro.

The hardware is competent and ready. The OS, not so much.

Don't know what experience you had, but iPad OS has been incredible, I no longer use any other computer except for at work. The iPad OS has allowed my computer... I mean iPad Pro to do everything a regular computer can. ✌🤘

 

[tomO2013]

See my post above. With Magic Keyboard support and essentially zero upgrades other than camera and a very minor upgrade to the GPU, I would say no. Wait until next year or buy a refurbished 2018 model. This minor update proves the power of the A12X and how overpowered the iPad Pro still is.

That's a perspective where value is placed predominantly on what is perceived to be a substantial performance boost beyond the obvious 10-15% graphics improvement in geekbunch. I'm still waiting to see what sustained peak load e.g. 4k render export is going to show where the new thermal design should allow peak performance for longer. Something that bench's don't make readily apparent e.g MacBook 15. vs MacBook 16 but real world testing has demonstrated.

if you need better audio hardware, superior microphones for on the go note taking, video conferencing etc..., need additional rear camera hardware upgrade, need the LIDAR for AR work then the new iPad is a huge upgrade. If you need a 30% faster upgrade then wait for the next release IMHO.