I know, I know, this is what you've all been waiting for. This is the thing that will either sell you on this sort of device or not. You've been waiting for some random d-bag on the Internet to take around three or four months to write up some sort of review on a product that's been out for roughly six months. So, with little more to say, I think it's time that I get to putting some words to site about what I think of Apple's biggest tablet-top.
Oh, and some disclaimers. The thoughts that I put to words are my own. They take into account how I use my devices, including the laptops and whatever you'd call the Surfaces that I've owned. Your own uses for your devices, laptops, whatever you call a Surface, might (and most likely will) be different. This is not me really trying to sell you the Pro. These are just my thoughts that might, or might not, give you even more perspective on the type of device that Apple put out to replace those sad Windows computers.
Can't you hear them cry as you read this?
The first thing we have to look at is what I do with my computer. This is something that hasn't changed much since I first touched a computer, really. I type things up, sometimes long documents and sometimes short. I watch videos, these days on the Internet. Occasionally, I listen to music. Gaming, for the most part, is done via a console. That being said, I still keep a Windows desktop around as a dedicated gaming console. I stopped gaming on my laptop a long time ago. Nowadays, I even make bad drawings with the Apple Pencil sometimes.
The next thing is to talk about accessories. The iPad Pro, by itself, is just a 12.9" awesome tablet. So I bought the Pencil, which is good for drawing, and promptly used it about three times before remembering I can't draw and have bad hand writing. I also bought the Smart Cover and the Magic Keyboard. I had thought about getting the Smart Keyboard, but I was worried about how it would feel and went for what I knew was a good enough feeling. It takes some getting used to, as I type less than I'd like due to work.
Now, let's move on to software. I use streaming services for video. I try to use Pages, but often fall back on trusty Word to get typing done. I don't really use a lot of apps, to be honest. I'm of the mentality that the web offers most of what I need and Safari provides a good enough browser to see it. Not the best, but good enough and better than any of the other mobile browsers I've used over the years. Closest we get to it is the browser on newer Samsung phones.
Alright. We have my use cases, my hardware accessories, and my important programs down. Now we can start talking about the specific things that Apple got right and wrong with this device. Being the optimistic bundle of joy that I am, I think I'll start with the positive and go to the negative. Then I'll end with possible ideas to fix the negatives. After all, I'm obviously smarter than the people in Cupertino and have fresh ideas nobody else could possibly think of. And yes, that last line was sarcasm.
The good things are many. We have a beautiful screen. It's large enough, has nice colors, and crisp text. Everything is big enough to where I can have the screen a bit away and type it up on my keyboard without worrying about my eyes getting hurt. The speakers are good, better than most of the built in speakers I've heard. I think they're even better than the ones on my TV. It's light and portable, which is always good. The software design is decent enough, with apps being made to have a more simple UI that puts the content front and center. The browser is also decent, better than any mobile browser out there in my opinion.
Now the negatives. Let's start with the browser. I know I said that it was good and a mobile browser, but it's pathetic that the iPad Pro even has a mobile browser. The hardware can handle a desktop browser. This thing is, theoretically, almost as powerful as a Core M device. I don't see the MacBook getting a mobile browser. Just unite the browsers already. Kill mobile Safari. The UI of the OS is a phone UI. There are, somehow, stutters on a device that is almost, theoretically, as powerful as a Core M device. I don't know how Apple managed that one, but they did. Split Screen has its own issues, with only one side being able to be changed. Then we have PiP, which isn't enforced on a system level. And don't get me started on the browser ... AGAIN.
Seriously, the problems are easy to fix. Just make an iPad OS with Split Screen that can be changed from either side (and is enforced on a system level), and PiP that is enforced on a system level. The other choice is to do what is being done to Apple Watch apps. Provide a royal decree that states app makers have a certain amount of time to update their apps to take advantage of the new API. And then when Google fails to do it, remove their apps completely. Replace Mobile Safari with normal Safari. Give us Mission Control as the multitasking thing. Give us drag and drop between Split Screen. Remake the file system to have some sort of pile of files split between video, pictures, music, and so forth. Let us download from Safari to our iCloud Drive. Also, make that app more useful.
The hardware is willing, but the software is lacking in ways. None of this is even touching the fact that your other core apps need work on every single device I have.
Oh, and some disclaimers. The thoughts that I put to words are my own. They take into account how I use my devices, including the laptops and whatever you'd call the Surfaces that I've owned. Your own uses for your devices, laptops, whatever you call a Surface, might (and most likely will) be different. This is not me really trying to sell you the Pro. These are just my thoughts that might, or might not, give you even more perspective on the type of device that Apple put out to replace those sad Windows computers.
Can't you hear them cry as you read this?
The first thing we have to look at is what I do with my computer. This is something that hasn't changed much since I first touched a computer, really. I type things up, sometimes long documents and sometimes short. I watch videos, these days on the Internet. Occasionally, I listen to music. Gaming, for the most part, is done via a console. That being said, I still keep a Windows desktop around as a dedicated gaming console. I stopped gaming on my laptop a long time ago. Nowadays, I even make bad drawings with the Apple Pencil sometimes.
The next thing is to talk about accessories. The iPad Pro, by itself, is just a 12.9" awesome tablet. So I bought the Pencil, which is good for drawing, and promptly used it about three times before remembering I can't draw and have bad hand writing. I also bought the Smart Cover and the Magic Keyboard. I had thought about getting the Smart Keyboard, but I was worried about how it would feel and went for what I knew was a good enough feeling. It takes some getting used to, as I type less than I'd like due to work.
Now, let's move on to software. I use streaming services for video. I try to use Pages, but often fall back on trusty Word to get typing done. I don't really use a lot of apps, to be honest. I'm of the mentality that the web offers most of what I need and Safari provides a good enough browser to see it. Not the best, but good enough and better than any of the other mobile browsers I've used over the years. Closest we get to it is the browser on newer Samsung phones.
Alright. We have my use cases, my hardware accessories, and my important programs down. Now we can start talking about the specific things that Apple got right and wrong with this device. Being the optimistic bundle of joy that I am, I think I'll start with the positive and go to the negative. Then I'll end with possible ideas to fix the negatives. After all, I'm obviously smarter than the people in Cupertino and have fresh ideas nobody else could possibly think of. And yes, that last line was sarcasm.
The good things are many. We have a beautiful screen. It's large enough, has nice colors, and crisp text. Everything is big enough to where I can have the screen a bit away and type it up on my keyboard without worrying about my eyes getting hurt. The speakers are good, better than most of the built in speakers I've heard. I think they're even better than the ones on my TV. It's light and portable, which is always good. The software design is decent enough, with apps being made to have a more simple UI that puts the content front and center. The browser is also decent, better than any mobile browser out there in my opinion.
Now the negatives. Let's start with the browser. I know I said that it was good and a mobile browser, but it's pathetic that the iPad Pro even has a mobile browser. The hardware can handle a desktop browser. This thing is, theoretically, almost as powerful as a Core M device. I don't see the MacBook getting a mobile browser. Just unite the browsers already. Kill mobile Safari. The UI of the OS is a phone UI. There are, somehow, stutters on a device that is almost, theoretically, as powerful as a Core M device. I don't know how Apple managed that one, but they did. Split Screen has its own issues, with only one side being able to be changed. Then we have PiP, which isn't enforced on a system level. And don't get me started on the browser ... AGAIN.
Seriously, the problems are easy to fix. Just make an iPad OS with Split Screen that can be changed from either side (and is enforced on a system level), and PiP that is enforced on a system level. The other choice is to do what is being done to Apple Watch apps. Provide a royal decree that states app makers have a certain amount of time to update their apps to take advantage of the new API. And then when Google fails to do it, remove their apps completely. Replace Mobile Safari with normal Safari. Give us Mission Control as the multitasking thing. Give us drag and drop between Split Screen. Remake the file system to have some sort of pile of files split between video, pictures, music, and so forth. Let us download from Safari to our iCloud Drive. Also, make that app more useful.
The hardware is willing, but the software is lacking in ways. None of this is even touching the fact that your other core apps need work on every single device I have.
