iPad Pro Quick review from someone who had the first gen pro and now the new one

[Ghost31]

Thought I'd chime in and throw down a mini review from someone that had the first gen 12.9 who upgraded to the new one.

I should probably say right out of the gate I wasn't totally excited to upgrade after watching the keynote. Even being a huge apple fanboy and always having to have the newest stuff, I left the keynote with a "well that's cool. Don't need it right now, but eventually when I get a new iPad those will be nice features to have" with no plans on getting a new one for a long time. My plan was to just ride it out, enjoy iOS 11 on my first gen and ride that mofo til the wheels fall off. If I could've kept my iPad for 4 years, I would have. I've gotten to the point where I'm kinda sick of buying new stuff all the time. I wanted to try to hold out for as long as I could.

And then it happened. A bunch of rainbow colored lines across the screen of my iPad. And it just got worse over the next couple days to the point where I couldn't see a damn thing and the screen would flicker. Called up apple and it's $600 for a screen replacement? Well...damn. I've never gotten AppleCare on anything but this was the kick in the butt to Finally purchase it for my next product. So my first gen is dead

I order from Verizon and my 256gig pro won't ship til next month. I get impatient and upgrade to the 512 (despite not needing the space) just to get it sooner and I've had it for a bit and like it a lot, but I was right to not get overly excited about it

True tone is something I didn't think was that great when I first saw it. I had it switched on and was like....meh? Then I got used to using it in different settings and switched it off just to see if I'd even notice and was blinded by the super bright screen. It's one of those subtle things that you don't notice until you notice it. My eyes are considerably less strained

Speed: when loading apps or doing anything I normally do, the difference isn't hugely noticeable. The first gen was still a really powerful tablet so it's not like I upgraded from an iPad 2 or something to this, so understandably it's not a hugely noticeable thing.

The camera: oh yeah man. This is gonna be totally great at concerts! Okay but seriously. It's a petty little thing, but I love that it has a flash on it. I'm hoping with iOS 11 I can use it as a flashlight when I'm walking around the house in the dark or something

Pro motion screen: man. Isn't it weird how you're totally fine with your device, then apple comes out with a new version of it with a feature you never would have thought of and it makes your old device look like a big piece of crap? This is easily the most noticeable feature. I saw a lot of YouTube videos of people talking about this feature and how 'you just don't get it until you see it in person'. Yep. That's a fair statement. It's the strangest thing to see an interface be THAT smooth. It's almost like the shock value when we went from iPad 2 to retina screens it's just...wow. It's actually a bit disappointing to look back down at my iPhone 7 plus after using the new iPad for awhile. Everything looks so shakey. It's amazing how our perception of things around us can change so quickly.

BUT...as cool as some of these things are, if I could magically revive my first gen pro and use that for the next couple years, I totally would. Nothing on the new iPad dramatically changed how I use it on a daily basis and my overall experience didn't feel that different (I didn't expect it to anyway, but still) These aren't features that I think for most people are worth the trouble of upgrading to if they're only 1 generation behind. I know what it's like to sit back and lust after the new apple product and think about how cool it would be to have so and so feature but I'm tellin ya, if you're happy with your first gen pro, don't worry too much about it. There are MORE cool features coming in iOS 11 that'll make you forget all about true tone and pro motion and whatever the hell else. It's a great tablet though and I'm glad I have it. Gonna try to stick with this one for as long as I can!

 

[Max Your Macs]

Excellent post and I can agree with you 100%. I have a first gen 12.9" and I happened across a killer deal on an open box 10.5" at Besy Buy so I thought it might be nice to try it out. At first, I was loving the smaller size to carry around and things like that. Honestly, I really, really hate True Tone. To me, anyway, it just makes everything too warm and yellow so I left it switched off for the most part. ProMotion is nice but I almost have to put both iPads side by side to appreciate the difference. It is extremely smooth but my 12.9" is right on its heels and not really so dramatic. The Apple Pencil is so smooth on both it's hard to tell but I would still give the edge to the 10.5.

I have been bouncing back and forth trying to decide which one to keep or sell/return as they both have pluses and minuses. One thing that jumped out to me today was the viewingheight is so much better on the larger screen when using the ASK. The 10.5 is ok, but it does sit quite lower than the larger where you have a more direct line of sight placed on a desk.

Both great, just a tough decision but I agree, upgrading from just one gen back is a bit underwhelming.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Excellent post and I can agree with you 100%. I have a first gen 12.9" and I happened across a killer deal on an open box 10.5" at Besy Buy so I thought it might be nice to try it out. At first, I was loving the smaller size to carry around and things like that. Honestly, I really, really hate True Tone. To me, anyway, it just makes everything too warm and yellow so I left it switched off for the most part. ProMotion is nice but I almost have to put both iPads side by side to appreciate the difference. It is extremely smooth but my 12.9" is right on its heels and not really so dramatic. The Apple Pencil is so smooth on both it's hard to tell but I would still give the edge to the 10.5.

I have been bouncing back and forth trying to decide which one to keep or sell/return as they both have pluses and minuses. One thing that jumped out to me today was the viewingheight is so much better on the larger screen when using the ASK. The 10.5 is ok, but it does sit quite lower than the larger where you have a more direct line of sight placed on a desk.

Both great, just a tough decision but I agree, upgrading from just one gen back is a bit underwhelming.

[doublepost=1499808251][/doublepost]I have the sweet 9.7 iPad Pro, love its features and size, will be getting the new 12.9 when IOS11 releases
[doublepost=1499808770][/doublepost]

Excellent post and I can agree with you 100%. I have a first gen 12.9" and I happened across a killer deal on an open box 10.5" at Besy Buy so I thought it might be nice to try it out. At first, I was loving the smaller size to carry around and things like that. Honestly, I really, really hate True Tone. To me, anyway, it just makes everything too warm and yellow so I left it switched off for the most part. ProMotion is nice but I almost have to put both iPads side by side to appreciate the difference. It is extremely smooth but my 12.9" is right on its heels and not really so dramatic. The Apple Pencil is so smooth on both it's hard to tell but I would still give the edge to the 10.5.

I have been bouncing back and forth trying to decide which one to keep or sell/return as they both have pluses and minuses. One thing that jumped out to me today was the viewingheight is so much better on the larger screen when using the ASK. The 10.5 is ok, but it does sit quite lower than the larger where you have a more direct line of sight placed on a desk.

Both great, just a tough decision but I agree, upgrading from just one gen back is a bit underwhelming.

 

[Feenician]

Thought I'd chime in and throw down a mini review from someone that had the first gen 12.9 who upgraded to the new one.

I should probably say right out of the gate I wasn't totally excited to upgrade after watching the keynote. Even being a huge apple fanboy and always having to have the newest stuff, I left the keynote with a "well that's cool. Don't need it right now, but eventually when I get a new iPad those will be nice features to have" with no plans on getting a new one for a long time. My plan was to just ride it out, enjoy iOS 11 on my first gen and ride that mofo til the wheels fall off. If I could've kept my iPad for 4 years, I would have. I've gotten to the point where I'm kinda sick of buying new stuff all the time. I wanted to try to hold out for as long as I could.

And then it happened. A bunch of rainbow colored lines across the screen of my iPad. And it just got worse over the next couple days to the point where I couldn't see a damn thing and the screen would flicker. Called up apple and it's $600 for a screen replacement? Well...damn. I've never gotten AppleCare on anything but this was the kick in the butt to Finally purchase it for my next product. So my first gen is dead

I order from Verizon and my 256gig pro won't ship til next month. I get impatient and upgrade to the 512 (despite not needing the space) just to get it sooner and I've had it for a bit and like it a lot, but I was right to not get overly excited about it

True tone is something I didn't think was that great when I first saw it. I had it switched on and was like....meh? Then I got used to using it in different settings and switched it off just to see if I'd even notice and was blinded by the super bright screen. It's one of those subtle things that you don't notice until you notice it. My eyes are considerably less strained

Speed: when loading apps or doing anything I normally do, the difference isn't hugely noticeable. The first gen was still a really powerful tablet so it's not like I upgraded from an iPad 2 or something to this, so understandably it's not a hugely noticeable thing.

The camera: oh yeah man. This is gonna be totally great at concerts! Okay but seriously. It's a petty little thing, but I love that it has a flash on it. I'm hoping with iOS 11 I can use it as a flashlight when I'm walking around the house in the dark or something

Pro motion screen: man. Isn't it weird how you're totally fine with your device, then apple comes out with a new version of it with a feature you never would have thought of and it makes your old device look like a big piece of crap? This is easily the most noticeable feature. I saw a lot of YouTube videos of people talking about this feature and how 'you just don't get it until you see it in person'. Yep. That's a fair statement. It's the strangest thing to see an interface be THAT smooth. It's almost like the shock value when we went from iPad 2 to retina screens it's just...wow. It's actually a bit disappointing to look back down at my iPhone 7 plus after using the new iPad for awhile. Everything looks so shakey. It's amazing how our perception of things around us can change so quickly.

BUT...as cool as some of these things are, if I could magically revive my first gen pro and use that for the next couple years, I totally would. Nothing on the new iPad dramatically changed how I use it on a daily basis and my overall experience didn't feel that different (I didn't expect it to anyway, but still) These aren't features that I think for most people are worth the trouble of upgrading to if they're only 1 generation behind. I know what it's like to sit back and lust after the new apple product and think about how cool it would be to have so and so feature but I'm tellin ya, if you're happy with your first gen pro, don't worry too much about it. There are MORE cool features coming in iOS 11 that'll make you forget all about true tone and pro motion and whatever the hell else. It's a great tablet though and I'm glad I have it. Gonna try to stick with this one for as long as I can!

Stop it. STOP IT! You're gonna make me replace a perfectly good 9.7" Pro!!

 

[44267547]

Excellent post and I can agree with you 100%. I have a first gen 12.9" and I happened across a killer deal on an open box 10.5" at Besy Buy so I thought it might be nice to try it out. At first, I was loving the smaller size to carry around and things like that. Honestly, I really, really hate True Tone. To me, anyway, it just makes everything too warm and yellow so I left it switched off for the most part. ProMotion is nice but I almost have to put both iPads side by side to appreciate the difference. It is extremely smooth but my 12.9" is right on its heels and not really so dramatic. The Apple Pencil is so smooth on both it's hard to tell but I would still give the edge to the 10.5.

I have been bouncing back and forth trying to decide which one to keep or sell/return as they both have pluses and minuses. One thing that jumped out to me today was the viewingheight is so much better on the larger screen when using the ASK. The 10.5 is ok, but it does sit quite lower than the larger where you have a more direct line of sight placed on a desk.

Both great, just a tough decision but I agree, upgrading from just one gen back is a bit underwhelming.

I actually have had difficulty of which iPad to purchase. I like the 10.5 with the 20% larger display and reduced bezels, which really refined the look of the iPad aesthetically. I think the 10.5 iPad finally reached a peak where it seems sufficient enough to label it a "Pro" device aside from all the upgrades. This would be more of my mobile device.

Then you have the 12.9 iPad Pro. Primarily
A specification update internally. But the fact it includes Tru-Tone, A10X, and the 120 HZ refresh rate are huge selling points for me. But the biggest factor is the large 12.9 display that I want for the more immersive viewing experience with media. I also plan on adding the Smart Keyboard as well.

Being both iPads really appeal to me, I plan on purchasing both, which I usually wouldn't do. But they both have enough power and the new displays are more than enough I could ask for. Everything else included is a bonus.

 

[NightWingz]

If I could've kept my iPad for 4 years, I would have. I've gotten to the point where I'm kinda sick of buying new stuff all the time. I wanted to try to hold out for as long as I could.

And then it happened. A bunch of rainbow colored lines across the screen of my iPad. And it just got worse over the next couple days to the point where I couldn't see a damn thing and the screen would flicker.

Do you believe in destiny?

Perhaps you are destined to own the latest and greatest model. XD

 

[The Game 161]

I actually have had difficulty of which iPad to purchase. I like the 10.5 with the 20% larger display and reduced bezels, which really refined the look of the iPad aesthetically. I think the 10.5 iPad finally reached a peak where it seems sufficient enough to label it a "Pro" device aside from all the upgrades. This would be more of my mobile device.

Then you have the 12.9 iPad Pro. Primarily
A specification update internally. But the fact it includes Tru-Tone, A10X, and the 120 HZ refresh rate are huge selling points for me. But the biggest factor is the large 12.9 display that I want for the more immersive viewing experience with media. I also plan on adding the Smart Keyboard as well.

Being both iPads really appeal to me, I plan on purchasing both, which I usually wouldn't do. But they both have enough power and the new displays are more than enough I could ask for. Everything else included is a bonus.

Yeah it's a tough one

Past few days I've thought about getting the 10.5 to go with my 12.9 but not sure I want to pay 43 a month extra for one.

If I want to take my 12.9 on the go I could just buy a portable wifi dongle to keep me going for data on the go.

 

[TheRealAlex]

Thought I'd chime in and throw down a mini review from someone that had the first gen 12.9 who upgraded to the new one.

I should probably say right out of the gate I wasn't totally excited to upgrade after watching the keynote. Even being a huge apple fanboy and always having to have the newest stuff, I left the keynote with a "well that's cool. Don't need it right now, but eventually when I get a new iPad those will be nice features to have" with no plans on getting a new one for a long time. My plan was to just ride it out, enjoy iOS 11 on my first gen and ride that mofo til the wheels fall off. If I could've kept my iPad for 4 years, I would have. I've gotten to the point where I'm kinda sick of buying new stuff all the time. I wanted to try to hold out for as long as I could.

And then it happened. A bunch of rainbow colored lines across the screen of my iPad. And it just got worse over the next couple days to the point where I couldn't see a damn thing and the screen would flicker. Called up apple and it's $600 for a screen replacement? Well...damn. I've never gotten AppleCare on anything but this was the kick in the butt to Finally purchase it for my next product. So my first gen is dead

I order from Verizon and my 256gig pro won't ship til next month. I get impatient and upgrade to the 512 (despite not needing the space) just to get it sooner and I've had it for a bit and like it a lot, but I was right to not get overly excited about it

True tone is something I didn't think was that great when I first saw it. I had it switched on and was like....meh? Then I got used to using it in different settings and switched it off just to see if I'd even notice and was blinded by the super bright screen. It's one of those subtle things that you don't notice until you notice it. My eyes are considerably less strained

Speed: when loading apps or doing anything I normally do, the difference isn't hugely noticeable. The first gen was still a really powerful tablet so it's not like I upgraded from an iPad 2 or something to this, so understandably it's not a hugely noticeable thing.

The camera: oh yeah man. This is gonna be totally great at concerts! Okay but seriously. It's a petty little thing, but I love that it has a flash on it. I'm hoping with iOS 11 I can use it as a flashlight when I'm walking around the house in the dark or something

Pro motion screen: man. Isn't it weird how you're totally fine with your device, then apple comes out with a new version of it with a feature you never would have thought of and it makes your old device look like a big piece of crap? This is easily the most noticeable feature. I saw a lot of YouTube videos of people talking about this feature and how 'you just don't get it until you see it in person'. Yep. That's a fair statement. It's the strangest thing to see an interface be THAT smooth. It's almost like the shock value when we went from iPad 2 to retina screens it's just...wow. It's actually a bit disappointing to look back down at my iPhone 7 plus after using the new iPad for awhile. Everything looks so shakey. It's amazing how our perception of things around us can change so quickly.

BUT...as cool as some of these things are, if I could magically revive my first gen pro and use that for the next couple years, I totally would. Nothing on the new iPad dramatically changed how I use it on a daily basis and my overall experience didn't feel that different (I didn't expect it to anyway, but still) These aren't features that I think for most people are worth the trouble of upgrading to if they're only 1 generation behind. I know what it's like to sit back and lust after the new apple product and think about how cool it would be to have so and so feature but I'm tellin ya, if you're happy with your first gen pro, don't worry too much about it. There are MORE cool features coming in iOS 11 that'll make you forget all about true tone and pro motion and whatever the hell else. It's a great tablet though and I'm glad I have it. Gonna try to stick with this one for as long as I can!

Honest review, feel the same way except I'm keeping my 9.7" Pro. Here's why. How does Apple sell 50+ Million iPhones each year.? Answer:
#1. There's a. Huge Spec Bump. And the following year there's a redesign.
#2. It's a social filter here let me show off my new gadget.
So Apple's iPad sales were in massive decline there's No need to change devices each year. Apple decides they will change that and with the iPad Pro in 2015 Starts to Apply the iPhone formula to iPads that's how all iPad gen 1 owners were bamboozled "insert stronger curse word"
Here comes the new iPad Pro major Spec and Feature bump. You have to show it off to other people this meets Apple #1 and #2 criteria above.
I am holding off for Next years OLED redesign and removal of the Home Button.

 

[Dave245]

I am holding off for Next years OLED redesign and removal of the Home Button.

They might not update them next year, the iPad Pro doesn't get a yearly update, for example the 12.9" was first introduced in 2015 and then updated at WWDC this year! Also OLED on an iPad probably won't happen for a couple more years yet, Apple are using a lot of the OLED they can get for the upcoming iPhone 8 (10 or whatever they call it) so having enough for iPads probably won't happen yet.

 

[rui no onna]

How does Apple sell 50+ Million iPhones each year.? Answer:
#1. There's a. Huge Spec Bump. And the following year there's a redesign.

Nah.

Before, it was the 2-year contracts so there were always people due for an upgrade. Now, they have equipment installment plans which is probably treated as an equipment lease by most.

Make everyone pay cash for their smartphones like most do with their iPads and computers and we'll probably see a significant drop off in sales.

 

[Dave245]

Nah.

Before, it was the 2-year contracts so there were always people due for an upgrade. Now, they have equipment installment plans which is probably treated as an equipment lease by most.

Make everyone pay cash for their smartphones like most do with their iPads and computers and we'll probably see a significant drop off in sales.

While this may be true, people like myself do pay outright for our phones iPads and Mac's.

 

[rui no onna]

While this may be true, people like myself do pay outright for our phones iPads and Mac's.

Yes, I'm sure there are some that do. Likely not the majority of iPhone purchases, though (at least not in the US).

 

[Dave245]

Yes, I'm sure there are some that do. Likely not the majority of iPhone purchases, though (at least not in the US).

You might be right about the U.S but here in the U.K. I think a lot of people buy outright because contract prices (at least for new iPhone's are ridiculous, usually starting at around £50 a month and with nothing less than a 2 year contract!

 

[Leroy_Melb]

Thought I'd chime in and throw down a mini review from someone that had the first gen 12.9 who upgraded to the new one.

I should probably say right out of the gate I wasn't totally excited to upgrade after watching the keynote. Even being a huge apple fanboy and always having to have the newest stuff, I left the keynote with a "well that's cool. Don't need it right now, but eventually when I get a new iPad those will be nice features to have" with no plans on getting a new one for a long time. My plan was to just ride it out, enjoy iOS 11 on my first gen and ride that mofo til the wheels fall off. If I could've kept my iPad for 4 years, I would have. I've gotten to the point where I'm kinda sick of buying new stuff all the time. I wanted to try to hold out for as long as I could.

And then it happened. A bunch of rainbow colored lines across the screen of my iPad. And it just got worse over the next couple days to the point where I couldn't see a damn thing and the screen would flicker. Called up apple and it's $600 for a screen replacement? Well...damn. I've never gotten AppleCare on anything but this was the kick in the butt to Finally purchase it for my next product. So my first gen is dead

I order from Verizon and my 256gig pro won't ship til next month. I get impatient and upgrade to the 512 (despite not needing the space) just to get it sooner and I've had it for a bit and like it a lot, but I was right to not get overly excited about it

True tone is something I didn't think was that great when I first saw it. I had it switched on and was like....meh? Then I got used to using it in different settings and switched it off just to see if I'd even notice and was blinded by the super bright screen. It's one of those subtle things that you don't notice until you notice it. My eyes are considerably less strained

Speed: when loading apps or doing anything I normally do, the difference isn't hugely noticeable. The first gen was still a really powerful tablet so it's not like I upgraded from an iPad 2 or something to this, so understandably it's not a hugely noticeable thing.

The camera: oh yeah man. This is gonna be totally great at concerts! Okay but seriously. It's a petty little thing, but I love that it has a flash on it. I'm hoping with iOS 11 I can use it as a flashlight when I'm walking around the house in the dark or something

Pro motion screen: man. Isn't it weird how you're totally fine with your device, then apple comes out with a new version of it with a feature you never would have thought of and it makes your old device look like a big piece of crap? This is easily the most noticeable feature. I saw a lot of YouTube videos of people talking about this feature and how 'you just don't get it until you see it in person'. Yep. That's a fair statement. It's the strangest thing to see an interface be THAT smooth. It's almost like the shock value when we went from iPad 2 to retina screens it's just...wow. It's actually a bit disappointing to look back down at my iPhone 7 plus after using the new iPad for awhile. Everything looks so shakey. It's amazing how our perception of things around us can change so quickly.

BUT...as cool as some of these things are, if I could magically revive my first gen pro and use that for the next couple years, I totally would. Nothing on the new iPad dramatically changed how I use it on a daily basis and my overall experience didn't feel that different (I didn't expect it to anyway, but still) These aren't features that I think for most people are worth the trouble of upgrading to if they're only 1 generation behind. I know what it's like to sit back and lust after the new apple product and think about how cool it would be to have so and so feature but I'm tellin ya, if you're happy with your first gen pro, don't worry too much about it. There are MORE cool features coming in iOS 11 that'll make you forget all about true tone and pro motion and whatever the hell else. It's a great tablet though and I'm glad I have it. Gonna try to stick with this one for as long as I can!

Hi there. I did the same thing and purchased the new one. I've noticed that the new one takes significantly longer to boot from holding the power button to seeing the apple logo when compared to the 1st gen. When not plugged in this takes about 6 seconds. I'm interested if you have the same behaviour?

 

[Dunbar]

Good post. I have a gen 1 12.9" iPad Pro which I got as a gift through work. I was just at the Apple Store yesterday playing with the new 12.9" Pro. I convinced myself that it was "better" and "faster" while I was there but once I got home I realized the performance difference is pretty small. I did just order a 10.5" Pro LTE to use as on the go, and while traveling, so I'm definitely guilty of wanting the latest Apple stuff. I cashed in some frequent fliers points to cover most of it and I'll get a SIM card through work for free mobile data. As much as I like the bigger 12.9" screen for multi tasking (which will get even better with iOS 11) it's not something you want to carry around with you all the time.

If you can wait for the refurbished 2nd gen iPads to be available I think the upgrade cost will be a lot more reasonable. Plus, if you own an Apple Smart Keyboard it will work on the 2nd gen 12.9" Pro which saves you some money when upgrading.

 

[The Game 161]

You might be right about the U.S but here in the U.K. I think a lot of people buy outright because contract prices (at least for new iPhone's are ridiculous, usually starting at around £50 a month and with nothing less than a 2 year contract!

Yep thats my plan. Switched to sim only for this reason.