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The future of iPad Pro couldn't be any brighter

gobikerider

gobikerider

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Apr 15, 2016
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This fall with iOS 11 we are going to see both iOS and apps become more Mac like then they've been in the past. I couldnt be more excited for apps releasing on the AppStore, bewteeen Affinity Photo and Designer, to a new vector graphics app "Vectornator Pro". These are probably the first of many apps releasing with the full feature set of their Mac and Windows siblings and in iOS 11 it's only going to improve. These developers have already stated they have huge things planned for iOS 11 this fall. I couldn't be more excited for the future of iPad Pro and it's endless possibilities. :apple:
 
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Agreed. I'm very excited. I honestly thought iPads and tablets were going to die out for the most part, as it seemed like Apple just couldn't figure out a way to attain the functionality of macOS, but on an iPad, without actually using macOS. Now that Apple's figured it out, it's really dependent on developers to start making desktop-class apps. Affinity is a great, great start and I couldn't be more excited that they made an app. I've been using their products on my Macs, and they've been great Adobe alternatives, and with even better performance. The fact that they finally brought a complete desktop app to mobile is very exciting, and shows much promise for what iPads and iOS are capable of. Can't wait to see things develop over the next few years. I'm now planning on buying one of the new iPad Pros, and this was after just about 2 weeks ago, I considered iPads and tablets to be heading towards their graves, and mostly worthless besides for consumption.
 
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I just came back from my 50th high school reunion. My alma mater eliminated the physical text books to those that are on the iPad. Teacher notes are also put on the iPad so the students can listen to the instructor. All homework assignments are done and submitted on the iPad. I forgot to ask how the students take their exams.
 
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xxray said:
Agreed. I'm very excited. I honestly thought iPads and tablets were going to die out for the most part, as it seemed like Apple just couldn't figure out a way to attain the functionality of macOS, but on an iPad, without actually using macOS. Now that Apple's figured it out, it's really dependent on developers to start making desktop-class apps. Affinity is a great, great start and I couldn't be more excited that they made an app. I've been using their products on my Macs, and they've been great Adobe alternatives, and with even better performance. The fact that they finally brought a complete desktop app to mobile is very exciting, and shows much promise for what iPads and iOS are capable of. Can't wait to see things develop over the next few years. I'm now planning on buying one of the new iPad Pros, and this was after just about 2 weeks ago, I considered iPads and tablets to be heading towards their graves, and mostly worthless besides for consumption.
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These are all great points. I think the hardware for the iPad hasn't significantly changed dramatically (Not that it needs to), but it has changed in the right areas with the Apple Pencil and the new Promotion display. That said, the developers are the ones that are going to be the big game changers for iOS 11 and it's capabilities to match the with the iPad.

Part of the reason I think Apple decided to debut the new iPad during WWDC, is because half of it actually focuses on iOS 11 and how the developers are the ones that are going to be the most influential part of what is yet to come. Being that we live in a highly mobile world now, these applications are going to be the most influential part of productivity for those who need something with them all the time versus just having a laptop.
 
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brianric said:
I just came back from my 50th high school reunion. My alma mater eliminated the physical text books to those that are on the iPad. Teacher notes are also put on the iPad so the students can listen to the instructor. All homework assignments are done and submitted on the iPad. I forgot to ask how the students take their exams.
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My 3 kids just finished high school, 2 of them using iPads all 4 years, the oldest only for 2. I was excited at first, but am less enthusiastic now, having watched them in use.

It certainly reduced textbook cost dramatically and was less wear and tear on the kids hauling heavy books. But the ease of use was just not there. For math and science, in particular, textbooks make it easy to flip back and forth to examples, or to an answer key. That’s not nearly as easy with an iPad. On balance, all of my children have said they would rather have used physical textbooks. And these are kids who are very enthusiastic iPhone users, in general.
 
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Well, the newest iPad Pro is already at 600 nits brightness so that's pretty darn bright already!
Also, yes, where others have failed, iPad does indeed have a bright future, especially since Apple's file amalgamation browser, dock and advanced copy-paste via gesturing really suit the tablet platform.
 
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sracer said:
No.
Yes.
No.
No.
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* If not better fine but they are both equally excellent displays
* no arguments there
* Since your gonna pull the whole ARM vs X86 thing lets ignore CPU performance :), looking at GPU performance alone well iPad Pro blows the i5 intel HD 630 out of the water, and even edges ahead of the Iris Plus 640 in the i7 model.
* price wise, lets compare both models with the pen and keyboard. iPad Pro 12.9 (to be fair) $1141. Surface Pro (M3) model $1133 okay sorry the oh so powerful M3 model is $15 dollars cheaper:D
 
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gobikerider said:
* If not better fine but they are both equally excellent displays
* no arguments there
* Since your gonna pull the whole ARM vs X86 thing lets ignore CPU performance :), looking at GPU performance alone well iPad Pro blows the i5 intel HD 630 out of the water, and even edges ahead of the Iris Plus 640 in the i7 model.
* price wise, lets compare both models with the pen and keyboard. iPad Pro 12.9 (to be fair) $1141. Surface Pro (M3) model $1133 okay sorry the oh so powerful M3 model is $15 dollars cheaper:D
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Sorry, but no.

Surface Pro lovers... lovers... are not going to be drawn to the iPad Pro simply because iOS 11 brings some kind of file manager to the table, a dock, and slightly improved multitasking.

No disrespect intended, but thinking that iOS 11 will lure Surface Pro users is nothing more than "iPad bubble-think".

We're cheering those additions, because we've been wanting them for a long time and finally getting them in some form. The other ecosystems already have them.
 
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sracer said:
Sorry, but no.

Surface Pro lovers... lovers... are not going to be drawn to the iPad Pro simply because iOS 11 brings some kind of file manager to the table, a dock, and slightly improved multitasking.

No disrespect intended, but thinking that iOS 11 will lure Surface Pro users is nothing more than "iPad bubble-think".

We're cheering those additions, because we've been wanting them for a long time and finally getting them in some form. The other ecosystems already have them.
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The "better performance" point is irrelevant between iPad/Surface in the same way it is irrelevant between iPad/Android Tablets. Until proper pro apps appear on the iPad, that performance is going to waste. I bet to this day the iPad Air still wouldn't be taxed by iPad apps. I regret the day Apple bowed to Android Fanboi's and started publishing specs.
 
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MrGimper said:
The "better performance" point is irrelevant between iPad/Surface in the same way it is irrelevant between iPad/Android Tablets. Until proper pro apps appear on the iPad, that performance is going to waste. I bet to this day the iPad Air still wouldn't be taxed by iPad apps. I regret the day Apple bowed to Android Fanboi's and started publishing specs.
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Pretty much. As I'm reading how 9.7 Pro owners are "upgrading" to the 10.5, or gen 1 12.9 owners upgrading to the 2nd gen, it really does seem like "performance" is the shiny bauble Apple uses to distract people. But that's ok. For some, buttery smooth operation is as important to them, as functionality is to others.

As I continue to try to push the limits of what I do on my 12.9 Pro, it still handles the tasks with ease.

The bottleneck is not performance... but function. (I think overall, 12.9 Pro owners have seen this more than others) That is going to be made painfully obvious once iOS 11 drops and the enhancements are going to highlight the fact that apps still lag in function.
 
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sracer said:
Pretty much. As I'm reading how 9.7 Pro owners are "upgrading" to the 10.5, or gen 1 12.9 owners upgrading to the 2nd gen, it really does seem like "performance" is the shiny bauble Apple uses to distract people. But that's ok. For some, buttery smooth operation is as important to them, as functionality is to others.

As I continue to try to push the limits of what I do on my 12.9 Pro, it still handles the tasks with ease.

The bottleneck is not performance... but function. (I think overall, 12.9 Pro owners have seen this more than others) That is going to be made painfully obvious once iOS 11 drops and the enhancements are going to highlight the fact that apps still lag in function.
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I upgraded from the Air 2 to the 9.7 pro for the quad speakers primarily. Other changes added to the upgrade. Performance increase was low on my list of priorities but came along for the ride. Same upgrading to the 10.5 pro.... updated screen size and ProMotion (and 512GB) were selling points. Performance was low on the list.
 
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gobikerider said:
I couldn't be more excited for the future of iPad Pro and it's endless possibilities. :apple:
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I won't disagree, but sales figures are not lining up with that assessment. While I do love my iPad Pro, Apple has not yet figured out how to turn around the sales.
 
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maflynn said:
Why wouldn't they? Decreasing sales is not something a company wants for one of their major products.
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Apple is NOT "The iPad Company". The iPad serves a purpose in their wide offering of devices and services. None of us here know what purpose that is. It's easy for us on the outside to look at sales figures and conclude, "more is better" but without knowing what their strategy is, we really don't know if the iPad sales are on target or not.

Apple has readjusted their product cycle for iPads. It's no longer annual. That freaked people out. Once people re-set their expectations to an 18-24 month cycle, sales will stabilize at a new, lower, more realistic level. This notion that iPad sales are going to continue to decline to zero is a bit unrealistic.
 
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sracer said:
Apple is NOT "The iPad Company".
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No they're not, but there's no way anyone can convince me that Apple is happy with the sales cratering like they have for 5+ years
iPad sales hit a new 5-year low this past quarter – BGR
Apple's iPad business is experiencing major shrinkage

No amount of spin can change that fact, and given what apple has tried lately, also shows they're looking to find ways to strike a chord with consumers. The iPad Pro is just that answer, they saw how the Surface Pro was capturing the eye of the media and so they rolled out a 12.9" iPad with a stylus and a keyboard cover like the SP.

I'm not down on Apple trying different things, but the level of shrinking sales over such an extended time frame is not a matter of re-adjusting to a different sales level but rather focusing on why people are choosing not buy the iPad.
 
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