Some of you are delusional...

[spiderman0616]

How so? If the processor is as powerful as an i5 (which it sounds like it is), and the Pro has 4gb of ram, what exactly needs to change? Sure mouse support would be interesting, but beyond that with the use of cloud services for sharing files, exactly what is "needed"?

"Pro" example:

I record, sync, and edit a dual ended podcast every weekend. I use my Macbook Pro for this by hooking it up to two big monitors through the Thunderbolt/HDMI ports, plugging in a Bluetooth mouse/keyboard to a USB port, plugging in an Apogee mic to another USB port, and then hooking up audio monitors through the audio jack. On one monitor, I run GarageBand to record my isolated audio. On the other monitor I run Piezo, which records the Skype conversation between myself and my cohost. I close the laptop lid in this case and use the two big monitors as my displays. On his end, he is recording his own isolated audio. At the end of the recording, he sends me his audio file, I pull them all in together to the same GarageBand session, sync them, and then wipe the Skype recording. The end result is that even though we're thousands of miles apart, we sound like we're in the same room. To achieve this, I need very precise touchpad control to make sure everything syncs up to the millisecond, and the end result is pretty fantastic. When I'm done editing and happy with the recording, I export the mp3 of the show to a specified folder. I then drag and drop a copy of that to my Dropbox folder for safekeeping, and also upload it to our website to supply the feed for iTunes/Stitcher/etc. This method of dual ended recording, though tedious and not worth the time to some people, is highly regarded as the best way to get high quality audio out of a podcast rather than relying on Skype's crappy sound and unreliable connections. (Assuming all parties have good gear to record on.)

How do I duplicate this on an iPad Pro? And yes, I'm an outlier because most people don't record podcasts, but they called it an iPad Pro, so how do I duplicate this workflow?

 

[sracer]

The fact of the matter is that 99% of what you can do on a laptop CAN be done on the iPad Pro, it's just a matter of the apps being written for it. It has a full office suite in Microsoft Office.

No it doesn't. MS Office for iPad is FAR from being a full office suite. Enough for some/many? Yes. But not full.

It is NOT a fact that "99% of what you can do on a laptop can be done on the iPad Pro". I really wish we can deal with the reality of the situation rather than engaging in hyperbole to bolster up one's OPINION.

It will probably be able to do most of the graphics work once the Adobe apps are finished. Saying you can't replace a laptop with an iPad Pro show a complete lack of understanding of how powerful the tablet is. Editing three 4k video streams at the same time? I know a lot of laptops out there that would choke on that. I think until it is released and the apps start populating, you can't even begin to truly judge the power and flexability of the Pro. I was thinking of buying a Surface Pro 3, but I've mothballed the idea. I can do all my admin duties at work on my iPad mini or iPhone. And the fact that the iPad has a built in LTE option that the Surface Pro 3 doesn't offer?

Having a powerful processor is great for those who lovingly stare at a spec sheet, but for those of us who have to get things done TODAY, there is more to the equation than simply a powerful processor.

App don't currently exist, but they'll probably appear. But ports are not going to magically appear on the iPad "Pro". The ability to attach USB peripherals to a tablet is very important for "Pro" uses.

Sorry, the iPad Pro will be replacing my laptop.

Sounds like a chromebook could probably also replace your laptop based on your use cases... for a lot cheaper too.

 

[temna]

No it doesn't. MS Office for iPad is FAR from being a full office suite. Enough for some/many? Yes. But not full.

It is NOT a fact that "99% of what you can do on a laptop can be done on the iPad Pro". I really wish we can deal with the reality of the situation rather than engaging in hyperbole to bolster up one's OPINION.

Having a powerful processor is great for those who lovingly stare at a spec sheet, but for those of us who have to get things done TODAY, there is more to the equation than simply a powerful processor.

App don't currently exist, but they'll probably appear. But ports are not going to magically appear on the iPad "Pro". The ability to attach USB peripherals to a tablet is very important for "Pro" uses.


Sounds like a chromebook could probably also replace your laptop based on your use cases... for a lot cheaper too.

You forget that the version of Office will be brand new for the iPad Pro. Let's wait and see what it can do before dismissing it. And yes, you can do 99% of tasks on an iPad today. Yes, it takes a little imagination and retraining, but it is definitely doable. And as for the processor, what I was saying is as the apps come out, it should be able to match the Surface Pro 3 for performance. Maybe not the i7, but the i3 and the i5...

As for USB devices, I'll wait and see what happens. And no, Chromebooks suck. They don't have the apps or the flexibility of an iPad. Nice attempt though.

 

[Kendo]

"Pro" example:

I record, sync, and edit a dual ended podcast every weekend. I use my Macbook Pro for this by hooking it up to two big monitors through the Thunderbolt/HDMI ports, plugging in a Bluetooth mouse/keyboard to a USB port, plugging in an Apogee mic to another USB port, and then hooking up audio monitors through the audio jack. On one monitor, I run GarageBand to record my isolated audio. On the other monitor I run Piezo, which records the Skype conversation between myself and my cohost. I close the laptop lid in this case and use the two big monitors as my displays. On his end, he is recording his own isolated audio. At the end of the recording, he sends me his audio file, I pull them all in together to the same GarageBand session, sync them, and then wipe the Skype recording. The end result is that even though we're thousands of miles apart, we sound like we're in the same room. To achieve this, I need very precise touchpad control to make sure everything syncs up to the millisecond, and the end result is pretty fantastic. When I'm done editing and happy with the recording, I export the mp3 of the show to a specified folder. I then drag and drop a copy of that to my Dropbox folder for safekeeping, and also upload it to our website to supply the feed for iTunes/Stitcher/etc. This method of dual ended recording, though tedious and not worth the time to some people, is highly regarded as the best way to get high quality audio out of a podcast rather than relying on Skype's crappy sound and unreliable connections. (Assuming all parties have good gear to record on.)

How do I duplicate this on an iPad Pro? And yes, I'm an outlier because most people don't record podcasts, but they called it an iPad Pro, so how do I duplicate this workflow?

The funny thing is that for my next laptop, I considered getting a Surface Pro 3 or a Retina MacBook. But a post like this reminds me that you should never give up on a traditional laptop with multiple ports. Skylake MacBook Pro it is...

 

[newellj]

You forget that the version of Office will be brand new for the iPad Pro. Let's wait and see what it can do before dismissing it. And yes, you can do 99% of tasks on an iPad today. Yes, it takes a little imagination and retraining, but it is definitely doable. And as for the processor, what I was saying is as the apps come out, it should be able to match the Surface Pro 3 for performance. Maybe not the i7, but the i3 and the i5...

As for USB devices, I'll wait and see what happens. And no, Chromebooks suck. They don't have the apps or the flexibility of an iPad. Nice attempt though.

Whether or not it can compete in office productivity apps depends on what happens with MS Office (and also whether Adobe ever bothers to bring Acrobat Pro to iOS - iAnnotate is simply not an effective substitute). The i5 version of the SP3 is a very capable laptop although only a so-so tablet. The iPad Pro may turn out to be a killer table but only a so-so laptop replacement. A lot will depend on app development and on individual needs.

 

[viperGTS]

In WWDC '98 Steve Jobs announced abandoning OS 7 and bringing in OS X, because when the original MacOS was made it was not made with the future advancement in mind so they just kept adding code and plug-ins to it until it became this heavy OS and closer to a mutated freak.

This is what is happening with iOS. Its a cell-phone OS that at release they had no idea it will have an app store. Now its its supposed to run Microsoft office with a stylus.

I have been following Apple for a long time, one of the reasons Jobs said Apple was failing(in mid-90s) is because its vast product line. He said he spent like 2 weeks and he still can't tell the difference between Apple computer models and then he came up with his 4X4 grid (Desktop-Laptop) x (Pro - Consumer) .

Now we have 5 iPads: iPad mini 2 , iPad mini 4, iPad Air , iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro. The same thing goes with macbooks. There are 3 models of macbook pro 13, 2 macbook pro 15, 4 macbook Airs, and 2 macbooks (which is thinner than Macbook air, go figure.)

just my 2-cent.

Um, Apple released iOS knowing very darn well that it would have an App Store. They started off slow with web apps, but they never rejected the notion of an App Store. I think they knew exactly what they were doing with iOS 1.

Also, iOS releases are becoming less and less feature dense, which is by no means a bad thing. Now, they're starting to focus on refining the OS from the inside out, which is exactly what we're seeing with iOS 9.

Perhaps Jobs' 4x4 grid was applicable back in the mid 90s, but now we're at the point where technology is much more accessible to many more people, all who have varying needs out of various gadgets, and I'm sure they were made with this in mind. Their many product lines "failed" back then because most people didn't have the access to technology that they have now.

 

[striders]

...if you think the pro will replace your laptop/desktop. Lot of threads and comments referring to the iPad pro replacing your current laptop/desktop and I just don't understand how people can think that. It will run with iOS not a full OS like the surface does.

I'm in the IT field and I love my iPad for lounging on the couch and surfing the web or playing games on the toilet. However, that's where it stops. No MS suite, Adobe suite, or real programs in general. The off chance that one of these programs has an app for iOS will be functionally limited to a word viewer or something of that nature.

The age of the tablet is dying and the more time apple wastes with this 13 inch candy crush player the more people will move to a "hybrid" like the surface 3/4 running a full windows 10 OS that can double as a tablet.

Here's a pov from a web designer...your meeting a client and you bring the surface you can load up dreamweaver, Photoshop, or any other program and make changes on the spot. With the iPad pro all you can do is take notes while playing hill climb.

tldr: Put OS X on this new iPad so we can do different things other than play bubble pop games.

I am also in the IT Field and I carry my iPad Mini 3 LTE to the office and used it as my personal "workstation". If I need to do some heavy lifting work on the iPad (open a large Excel file, etc.), I connect the iPad to my home server via Parallel Access. I don't this too often though, since I found out that MS Office app is really good for pretty much any Word or Excel docs that I throw at em.

The idea is that I don't use work machines for ANY personal stuff (email, browsing, etc.) and it's small enough to carry around rather than bringing my home MBP Pro. Carrying BOTH work and home machine (both are MBP Pro) surely going to break my back soon.

 

[Michael Goff]

No it doesn't. MS Office for iPad is FAR from being a full office suite. Enough for some/many? Yes. But not full.

It is NOT a fact that "99% of what you can do on a laptop can be done on the iPad Pro". I really wish we can deal with the reality of the situation rather than engaging in hyperbole to bolster up one's OPINION.



Having a powerful processor is great for those who lovingly stare at a spec sheet, but for those of us who have to get things done TODAY, there is more to the equation than simply a powerful processor.

App don't currently exist, but they'll probably appear. But ports are not going to magically appear on the iPad "Pro". The ability to attach USB peripherals to a tablet is very important for "Pro" uses.


Sounds like a chromebook could probably also replace your laptop based on your use cases... for a lot cheaper too.

This entire thread is hyperbole. I mean, the first post referred to the iPad Pro as a 13" Candy Crush player. Both sides are pushing their ideas with as much hyperbole as possible.

 

[Game64]

...if you think the pro will replace your laptop/desktop. Lot of threads and comments referring to the iPad pro replacing your current laptop/desktop and I just don't understand how people can think that. It will run with iOS not a full OS like the surface does.

This is your first mistake OP. You apply your criteria to other people and expect that everyone has the same experience as you. Guess what - They don't. This is Observation Bias 101. Your point of reference is your own and is no one elses.

I'm in the IT field and I love my iPad for lounging on the couch and surfing the web or playing games on the toilet. However, that's where it stops. No MS suite, Adobe suite, or real programs in general. The off chance that one of these programs has an app for iOS will be functionally limited to a word viewer or something of that nature.

The age of the tablet is dying and the more time apple wastes with this 13 inch candy crush player the more people will move to a "hybrid" like the surface 3/4 running a full windows 10 OS that can double as a tablet.

Here's a pov from a web designer...your meeting a client and you bring the surface you can load up dreamweaver, Photoshop, or any other program and make changes on the spot. With the iPad pro all you can do is take notes while playing hill climb.

I'm glad you're in IT OP. Me too, I own my own company, and also am contracted to other companies that are pretty big names. I spend on average 10 hours a day 7 days a week in an IT Environment. I'm an addict. I work on embedded platforms, remote platforms, clusters, virtual appliances, mobile devices, hell even industrial lasers. I work with MS, Adobe, and many other suites.

Yet i'm going to be using the iPad Pro as my main machine and it's going to be glorious. What you've failed to understand is that the iPad is not the bottleneck to your workflow. In-fact it is the answer to your bottleneck. If you compare a Microsoft Surface to the iPad Pro - The iPad Pro will win. The Microsoft Surface isn't more capable, it's not more functional. What it is is an answer to a world that is changing. It is a stop-gap. The Adobe and MS Suite you so desperately love isn't going to work well on a Surface Pro, not because it doesn't have the power. But because they weren't designed for touch nor were they designed for such a small screen with a high resolution.

The experience is abyssal, it's poor. As someone who works a hell of a lot in IT. I DESPISE AND HATE INEFFICIENCIES. Such as a User Interface that is cumbersome and uncoordinated for it's platform.

The iPad is the answer to this because the applications on it are not cumbersome or uncoordinated. They're designed for touch and innovative. They're not a bandaid, they're a suture. While the iPad may not have the application you may desire at this exact moment - It will in time. Even Adobe Photoshop has an HTML5 User Interface that they're testing on top of their platform. This is to allow Adobe to be more x-platform and be more maneuverable.

I'm not even going to sit down and discuss how unprofessional it is to be developing a client's product in their presence during a meeting. We'll just skip over that.

But if you were so inclined - And you were forced to use Dreamweaver by some unforgiving soul crushing deity. You could just as easily remote into your home PC, Remote Server, or Home Server to edit the website on Dreamweaver.

Or you could join the pros - SSH into the web server and VIM those files using the onboard keyboard. You may ask, why go through all this trouble? Because the iPad is light weight. Sure you could get a Macbook Air, or even an 7" Asus Netbook from 2008 if you're so inclined. But we're not talking Laptop vs Tablet. We're talking Tablet vs. Tablet, and you're recommending a tablet that runs inadequate software for it's environment that have HORRIBLE User Experiences.


But this is just the POV from a Technical Architect who had built websites in 9 different languages; and also deploys, configures, and programs entire server clusters and database clusters. I don't need a workstation when i'm out and about. I don't need to make edits with a client present, I don't need to design in photoshop in a client meeting, and I don't need a workstation when i'm in a server room diagnosing problems. That's what I have an office, expensive workstation, and personal server rack for.

What I need when i'm out and about is quick access to the tools that resolves problems as they arise. The Surface Pro is great for what it does but there's a reason more times than not you see it on a dock on an engineers desk. I've owned all 3 of them, including Macbooks, Mac Pros, etc. But when i'm in the McDonalds Drive Thru and [insert intern here] panic calls me and says that a server is down. My iPad is my SSH machine of choice.

But that's my perspective and it's different for everyone else. If the Surface Pro works for you so be it. But don't come in here and call professionals who get real work done delusional. We use the tools we do because they work for us and allow us to get our job done quickly.

 

[spiderman0616]

This entire thread is hyperbole. I mean, the first post referred to the iPad Pro as a 13" Candy Crush player. Both sides are pushing their ideas with as much hyperbole as possible.

I gave a real world "Pro" use case that mimics a lot of similar use cases for people with, let's say, Macbook Pros or Mac Pros. I've yet to have anyone tell me how I'm supposed to duplicate that work flow on an iPad with a mobile OS. I'm sure I can do one or two of those things at once on an iPad, but nowhere near all of them. And I don't think a dongle exists for the Lightning connector that would even come close to allowing me to do it.

Don't get me wrong, I love iPads. I think they're fantastic devices. But I think calling it an iPad Pro refers more to a power IPAD user, not a power user in general. These are not laptops.

 

[Michael Goff]

I gave a real world "Pro" use case that mimics a lot of similar use cases for people with, let's say, Macbook Pros or Mac Pros. I've yet to have anyone tell me how I'm supposed to duplicate that work flow on an iPad with a mobile OS. I'm sure I can do one or two of those things at once on an iPad, but nowhere near all of them. And I don't think a dongle exists for the Lightning connector that would even come close to allowing me to do it.

Don't get me wrong, I love iPads. I think they're fantastic devices. But I think calling it an iPad Pro refers more to a power IPAD user, not a power user in general. These are not laptops.

You don't and cant. But I couldn't even see myself being able to do all of that easily on my Surface Pro 3, to be honest. Also, I see this as a device that Pro users can use, but not all Pro users. This could easily be a laptop for a lot of people. It won't work for you, sure, but I feel a person should always use the best tool for whatever job they're doing.

You don't judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, after all.

 

[spiderman0616]

You don't and cant. But I couldn't even see myself being able to do all of that easily on my Surface Pro 3, to be honest. Also, I see this as a device that Pro users can use, but not all Pro users. This could easily be a laptop for a lot of people. It won't work for you, sure, but I feel a person should always use the best tool for whatever job they're doing.

You don't judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, after all.

I agree with you 100%, but I think this is what so many people are forgetting.

People are freaking out because Tim Cook said something along the lines of "This is our clearest vision for computing in the future." He didn't say we're all expected to use iPad Pro as our main computer in the future. I believe you can interpret his comment a number of ways:

--Maybe iOS evolves into something that can act more like iOS (stability, simplicity, efficiency), but scale into something that can run on a Macbook as well. OS X goes away and iOS is the platform that runs across almost the entire product line. After all, the form factor of the iPad Pro is nothing new. It's an iPad with an attached keyboard, and now a really awesome stylus. It basically mimics a laptop but isn't really a laptop and isn't really a 2 in 1 either.

--Maybe he was referring to laptops of the future running on A chips all the way up and down the product line and making "Pro" products just as accessible to the average user as entry level products.

--Maybe he just means for the standard user, an iPad is still plenty powerful enough, much like the scenario we're currently already in, and an iPad Pro just makes it easier to transfer that over to more business use cases.

--Maybe he's just trying to jumpstart tablet sales and say to users, "Hey everyone, it's ok to upgrade your iPad every once in awhile. We're still innovating on that front."

But from my experience with iOS 9 on an iPad with a keyboard attached, it's just not optimal for me as a laptop, and I imagine a lot of people going into it thinking it's a laptop now because it says "Pro" and because it's being marketed like it's a laptop, are going to be pretty disappointed. iOS just doesn't function like a productivity OS yet, no matter how much processor and RAM you throw at it. It needs to change on a fundamental level on iPad to become what they're marketing it to be.

 

[RUGGLES99]

A year or so ago I replaced a 13" mba with a samsung note pro 12.2 tabley, bt kb and mouse as a laptop replacement. It worked for a time. But now i have a base 2014 11" mba and the new rmb. I hardly ever use the tablet, one if several I have, and when I do its mainly for entertainment. Replacing a laptop with an big tablet looks good on paper, but usually doesn't work out. I see it mainly for artists, etc.

 

[eyeseeyou]

I think people are too hung up on the "Pro" branding. Yes, it's not a Surface Pro 3, we get it. It's just a big iPad with some cool accessory options. If you're an iPad fan and in the market for another one, it's an attractive option. I like the iPad, I like iOS on the iPad, and I like many of the apps on iOS and the iPad overall as a mobile device. If you need a full OS, it's clearly not an option at all. Not sure why the Surface is suddenly the gold standard. It's a fine product but MS is still working out the kinks and has been for three years. I have a work issues laptop, and a beast of a desktop machine at home. The iPad Pro is thus appealing to me because I don't really need it to do anything it can't do.

Exactly. For iPad users it's a "Pro" level iPad.

 

[Capt T]

"Pro" example:

I record, sync, and edit a dual ended podcast every weekend. I use my Macbook Pro for this by hooking it up to two big monitors through the Thunderbolt/HDMI ports, plugging in a Bluetooth mouse/keyboard to a USB port, plugging in an Apogee mic to another USB port, and then hooking up audio monitors through the audio jack. On one monitor, I run GarageBand to record my isolated audio. On the other monitor I run Piezo, which records the Skype conversation between myself and my cohost. I close the laptop lid in this case and use the two big monitors as my displays. On his end, he is recording his own isolated audio. At the end of the recording, he sends me his audio file, I pull them all in together to the same GarageBand session, sync them, and then wipe the Skype recording. The end result is that even though we're thousands of miles apart, we sound like we're in the same room. To achieve this, I need very precise touchpad control to make sure everything syncs up to the millisecond, and the end result is pretty fantastic. When I'm done editing and happy with the recording, I export the mp3 of the show to a specified folder. I then drag and drop a copy of that to my Dropbox folder for safekeeping, and also upload it to our website to supply the feed for iTunes/Stitcher/etc. This method of dual ended recording, though tedious and not worth the time to some people, is highly regarded as the best way to get high quality audio out of a podcast rather than relying on Skype's crappy sound and unreliable connections. (Assuming all parties have good gear to record on.)

How do I duplicate this on an iPad Pro? And yes, I'm an outlier because most people don't record podcasts, but they called it an iPad Pro, so how do I duplicate this workflow?

I don't think you are the target 'replace laptop' audience...just like I am not as I need to draft on my laptop. Heck a MacBook air can't replace my MacBook pro, for what I use it for. But that does not mean for some it won't replace their laptop.

The iPad pro is just another tool. And I do see how it will be useful to me for many things I use the iPad Air for now, only way better. And if the new MS Office for it is closer to it's OSX counter part, that will be icing on the cake.

 

[HenryDJP]

I would say the OP could be one of those who are "setup" to come here. He just opened up an account on Wednesday and his first post is saying "Some of you are Delusional"? Not a great start as a new forum member. And to answer his question as to how the iPad Pro could replace a full OS X/Windows computer...
Well if the person is going to use the iPad Pro for MS Office/iWork, E-Mail, Web Surf, Online shopping, Playing Music, Editing video, Photo Management/Editing, Creating Music via Garageband, Recording video, Skype and Playing some games......OH WAIT! That's what most people do with standard full-sized OS X and Windows computers right now.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

And you forgot, a huge security risk..

Adobe Flash, PDF reader, and IE are the biggest risks. Java is not the risk it is today like is was a decade ago.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I would say the OP could be one of those who are "setup" to come here. He just opened up an account on Wednesday and his first post is saying "Some of you are Delusional"? Not a great start as a new forum member. And to answer his question as to how the iPad Pro could replace a full OS X/Windows computer...
Well if the person is going to use the iPad Pro for MS Office/iWork, E-Mail, Web Surf, Online shopping, Playing Music, Editing video, Photo Management/Editing, Creating Music via Garageband, Recording video, Skype and Playing some games......OH WAIT! That's what most people do with standard full-sized OS X and Windows computers right now.

I can't manage that list at 100% productively with any mobile OS. A file manger at minimum is important when using those apps on a regular basis. And there is no desktop, multiple work spaces, and etc. When I edit audio, video, or photos, I usually have multiple editors open at the same time and drag n drop between them.

I'm not saying the iPad Pro is not productive, but a desktop replacement .......HELL NO!!!

 

[spiderman0616]

I can't manage that list at 100% productively with any mobile OS. A file manger at minimum is important when using those apps on a regular basis. And there is no desktop, multiple work spaces, and etc. When I edit audio, video, or photos, I usually have multiple editors open at the same time and drag n drop between them.

I'm not saying the iPad Pro is not productive, but a desktop replacement .......HELL NO!!!

Same here. The only way I could do it is if iPad let me use two monitors and let me drag apps/files/tracks/etc. back and forth to each one. I don't see a mobile OS ever being able to allow things like that. What I DO see happening is a convergence of the two (OS X and iOS) running on Macs that can do it. I think we're a long way off from that though.

 

[spiderman0616]

I don't think you are the target 'replace laptop' audience...just like I am not as I need to draft on my laptop. Heck a MacBook air can't replace my MacBook pro, for what I use it for. But that does not mean for some it won't replace their laptop.

The iPad pro is just another tool. And I do see how it will be useful to me for many things I use the iPad Air for now, only way better. And if the new MS Office for it is closer to it's OSX counter part, that will be icing on the cake.

Going by the original version of Office I tried on iPad, I'm sure it is a lot closer to the OS X version now.

Just as a side note--my work gives us 10 licenses to put Office on any device we want (using a work login, of course) and I'm really liking Office 2016 on my rMBP. They have really nailed it. I think Wednesday was Apple's admission that Microsoft beat them at productivity software, and Microsoft's admission that Apple beat them at hardware.

 

[MacBH928]

Um, Apple released iOS knowing very darn well that it would have an App Store. They started off slow with web apps, but they never rejected the notion of an App Store. I think they knew exactly what they were doing with iOS 1.

Perhaps Jobs' 4x4 grid was applicable back in the mid 90s, but now we're at the point where technology is much more accessible to many more people, all who have varying needs out of various gadgets, and I'm sure they were made with this in mind. Their many product lines "failed" back then because most people didn't have the access to technology that they have now.

I am pretty sure they were not going to add an app store. Steve Jobs was against this and said they should use web apps instead. Only later after they talked him into it by letting apps go through intensive monitoring they added it later. The point being iOS today is not what it was built for, it needs revolution not an evolution. This is very clear, when Jobs announced the iPhone he made fun of the stylus now its a selling feature on the iPad Pro.

While I agree that technology is more accessible, they are still confusing the customer. If there was 1 mini, 1 Air, and 1 Pro maybe but 2 minis, 2 Airs, and 1 Pro is confusing. each one of those 5 models has a different spec. There are studies that once there is too much to offer, people are less willing to buy. Imagine if you had a doughnut shop with 100 flavours and one with 7 flavours. If you disagree, please google. Apple used to have 1 button mouse for so long just because they believe that 2 button mice confused people.

 

[mixel]

The iPad pro is great if you already have a desktop, you can have many of the advantages of both If you use something like Splashtop. Everyone's usage cases are so different. I'd take a IPad pro over a laptop, but not if I didn't also have multiple desktops. I don't want to duplicate "real computer" functionality. I want to run procreate, Safari, Lightroom mobile, etc.

 

[s2mikey]

I need to apologize and this comment made me think about my parents usage on their desktop. Being how they only surf the web and use Facebook to yell at me for going out to much I can see the iPad pro as a replacement for them. However, I do not think that the "parents" computer population outnumbers the population that uses a computer for more than surfing the web.

Theyre not going to like the cost of the Pro either. $799 for base model with nothing else and minimal storage. IMO, they should all come with cell data support & have at least ONE port or connector. Its time, folks. Cmon. The keyboard seems pricey too. Couldnt they bundle this with the pen for a package price or something. Just relentless pricing... LOL.

Its a cool device but isnt much more "cool" than a modern iPad non-pro. Better/more speakers, some better hardware I suppose but real world usage probably wont show a ton of difference. If its going to replace a real computer for a professional, it needed MORE than what Apple gave it. IMO. Not interested.

 

[KittyKatta]

tldr: Put OS X on this new iPad so we can do different things other than play bubble pop games.

Its a shame that the most vocal portion of the Apple Community is incapable of "Thinking Different" until given permission by a guy on a stage, but I agree completely about this form factor running OSX.

I'm exclusively an Apple user but due to a fantastic sale at Best Buy I ended up with a Surface Pro 3 as my couch computer. Desktop OS, Touchscreen, Voice Commands, Stylus, Removeable Keyboard etc. Everything about it was fantastic except for one minor thing... it didn't run OSX.

As much as I liked the Surface (and even Windows 10), I was a fish out of water without my iServices and Apple Apps. And thats why when I saw them demo the Stylus/Keyboard on the iPad Pro then all I could do is wish that the MacBook One and iPad Pro were combined into a single product because I know from experience on both sides of the fence that Tablet Form Factor + Desktop OS = It Just Works

 

[Krevnik]

--Maybe he just means for the standard user, an iPad is still plenty powerful enough, much like the scenario we're currently already in, and an iPad Pro just makes it easier to transfer that over to more business use cases.

This is the interpretation that Cook most likely meant. It refers to Jobs' comments years ago that tablets like the iPad are the future of computing. Laptops and Desktops as we use them today are "trucks" according to those comments. You still need them, but you aren't going to sell them to everyone when sedans will do.

The thing is, us debating on how useful the iPad is or how well it can replace a laptop is a bit like a bunch of ranchers saying how they could never use a 2-door convertible as their main work car. We are the part of the market most likely to be needing trucks, and having them around.

That said, I do agree that iOS has gaps that will prevent it from replacing laptops for many workflows. Some of it is hardware (the iPad Pro addresses a couple of them, while ignoring others). Some of it is software (extensions help make it a bit easier to access files between apps, but a shared file store would still be a huge boon). And some of it is apps that aren't being fleshed out enough on the tablet (which the Pro might spur some action on, it might not). So there is a bit of chicken/egg, but I don't disagree that tablets running something akin to iOS or Windows' "Modern" interface are the future. But it will be years before workflows for us truck drivers get anywhere near what's needed.