iPad Pro Today, my iPad Pro beat my 15" rMBP

[Allewsive]

I thought I would share an experience I had in college today. I left the house today with a fully charged 15" Macbook Pro and fully charged iPad Pro (WiFi Only) /w SmartKeyboard and Pencil. I didn't know I would be using both, but when I sat down in the Library to work on a group project, I found out that a teammate had packed his laptop in a move of apartments, and left it at home.

So, I handed him my Macbook, and I used the iPad Pro instead. For the next 3 hours we both worked in Office apps on WiFi. This included editing a PowerPoint, creating an instruction document in Word, and browsing the web for information. Two main differences between our workflows was that he was using Eclipse to write Java code for about 45 minutes, while I was running a pre downloaded Apple Music playlist all 3 hours.

By the end of the third hour, my Macbook Pro was at 5% power, so he saved his work to my iCloudDrive and powered down. I finished my files and then opened up his files in PowerPoint and Word for iPad, opening from iCloudDrive, and then handed him the iPad (at 52% battery). At first he really disliked the keyboard, but over 10 minutes he got used to it. Occasionally we used the Pencil to move text boxes or place the type cursor where we wanted. And about an hour later he was done with his files.

The iPad Pro went into my bag 4 hours later from when it came out, and still had 39% battery. Both devices had full-brightness the whole time. The only limitation we experienced with the iPad was that it is not allowed to run code compilers, and so we were not able to code on it; however, we only did very basic coding and not for very long.

So yeah, just wanted to share how the iPad Pro really surprised me today. I think I will end up keeping it and selling my Air 2. Does anyone else have an experience that surprised them?

 

[ZombiePete]

My only surprise really has been how much I've enjoyed using it despite not having the keyboard or Pencil yet. I've been using one of my Bluetooth Mac keyboards in the meantime, and I've actually been able to get work done in Office. I really thought I might miss my rMBP for some stuff and that just being a bigger screen wouldn't make the iPP easier to use as a productivity device, but I was wrong. Even typing on the onscreen keyboard is a million times better on this screen. I really am just totally enamoured with this device.

Picking up my Pencil from BB this evening; I think that in particular is going to be a game changing experience for me as a big note taker.

 

[Allewsive]

The Pencil really sold me on the device after using it with Procreate. The way it imitates an actual pencil for sketching is too awesome to pass up, especially if you are into design and art creation.

Do you think you will get the keyboard @ZombiePete?

Some people despise it, but I actually like the speed the reduced travel offers.

 

[ZombiePete]

Do you think you will get the keyboard @ZombiePete?

Some people despise it, but I actually like the speed the reduced travel offers.

Oh yeah for sure. I've tried it a couple of times at the Apple Store and it works great for me. Now that I have my Pencil I can focus my efforts on getting it.

 

[AppleRobert]

I bought a 13" rMBP on sale at Best Buy last week the day after I bought the Pro, lol.

I figured I have time to try both and see which I would end up keeping.

The Smart Keyboard and Pencil have put the IPP on top at this point, the Pencil I just got today and I'm having a ball with it. The IPP is a better immersive device for me personally. I prefer the rMBP for video but that isn't enough for it to be in the lead at this point. But I got to say the rMBP is a real looker.

 

[craig1410]

I'm a web developer and typically use my iMac or MBP for work using tools such as Textmate and RubyMine and other dev related tools such as Git and Postgresql. While I can't completely reproduce my dev setup on the iPad Pro, I can get real work done using apps such as Prompt, Screens, Working Copy and Textastic. I've not yet settled on my ideal setup but these apps give plenty of good options and work really well together.

Textastic can open files directly from a cloned repo in Working Copy *without* requiring any copying of files back and forward like we used to have to do. I currently still need to rely on remote servers or virtual machines to run my development environment but that's not uncommon even on a MBP or iMac because you often want to run on simlar hardware to what you'll be using in production and that's usually some sort of Linux box.

So it's early days but the iPad Pro and Smart Keyboard are a powerful combination. My iMac will still be my primary development machine when I'm in my office but when out on the road I will seriously consider leaving the MBP behind and taking the iPad Pro instead. I might need to create some automation to make this friction free and maximise productivity but even as it stands I can defintely get real work done.

I've only had the Smart Keyboard for a few hours but I'm really liking it so far. The fabric texture is really a pleasant change from smooth plastic and the short travel keys are not that different in feel to the Magic Keyboard. I'm already up to a decent speed and accuracy level and I expect this to improve in the days ahead.

 

[MH01]

Well my iPhone , iPad Air 2, rmb , iPad pro all beat my 15 rmbp in terms of battery, though when plugged into a charger, no comparison.

My iPad pro has amazing battery compared to my 15 rmbp, for my use the iPad pro cannot fulfill most tasks that the rmbp can. To be frank, the difference is OSX and ability to boot camp into Windows .

Heck my iPhone can do 90% of what my iPad pro can do. The large screen experience is much better tough.

 

[MH01]

The Pencil really sold me on the device after using it with Procreate. The way it imitates an actual pencil for sketching is too awesome to pass up, especially if you are into design and art creation.

Do you think you will get the keyboard @ZombiePete?

Some people despise it, but I actually like the speed the reduced travel offers.

If the pencil is the main selling point, and you are creative, the iPad pro is a much better device compared to a rmbp with a mouse. Nothing beats a pencil for drawing etc....

Enjoy it's awesome. I only wish I could draw/paint

 

[Tsepz]

I'm not surprised, the iPad Pro is a freak of a device, it has the power (hardware) and battery for a small laptop but runs a mobile OS, so the hardware is underused and so should not really get strained, meaning it should run for very long periods.

I am prepared to bet the iPad Pro is at the moment the longest lasting on a single charge mobile device out there and will remain so for quite some time.

Glad you are enjoying it.

 

[Vandam500]

This right here is exactly why the iPad "Pro" does not beat your MBP or any laptop:

" The only limitation we experienced with the iPad was that it is not allowed to run code compilers, and so we were not able to code on it"

It's literally a blown up iPhone...

 

[Skika]

This right here is exactly why the iPad "Pro" does not beat your MBP or any laptop:

" The only limitation we experienced with the iPad was that it is not allowed to run code compilers, and so we were not able to code on it"

It's literally a blown up iPhone...

Oh boy...

 

[MH01]

Oh boy...

Apart from the pencil, what can't you achieve on a iPhone 6S plus ? In the OPs example all those apps are available for the iPhone...

The iPad pro make it much easier to work on due to the excellent screen, though fundamentally it's running iOS and has a lightning port.

 

[zacheryjensen]

Why is this so confusing for people to understand? The screen is 45% larger than iPad Air. It's the selling point. Pencil is cool and all, and I'm glad to have this smart connector for the keyboard (and a first party keyboard finally endorsing the use of keyboards as official UX) but you don't need ANY other reason beyond a FORTY FIVE PERCENT increase in screen space to leap past thresholds in user comfort for any number of given tasks.

Having a huge jump in RAM and CPU is just a bonus that lets me blow my secondary attention span on some streaming video and keep group chat up on the side of the screen while getting actual work done on a damn tablet that weighs almost nothing and is pretty much the most stable computer ever.

I can't even imagine what it must be like to be so conservative that the iPad makes you afraid and all you can do is lash out at people who are interested in it on the internet. So, so sad.

 

[maflynn]

Apart from the pencil, what can't you achieve on a iPhone 6S plus ? In the OPs example all those apps are available for the iPhone..

Probably not much, but then do you want to do those tasks on a 6" display or a 12" display? Just because can do it on an iPhone doesn't mean its ideal

As for me, the lack of a file system (outside of iCloud and oneDrive), and a mouse, really inhibit my usage. That is I need to mouse, as I remote into servers and workstations. The mobile versions of apps, at least the ones I use are too limited in features, i.e., Office. Overall however i think the IPP can be an excellent solution for many people.

 

[MH01]

Probably not much, but then do you want to do those tasks on a 6" display or a 12" display? Just because can do it on an iPhone doesn't mean its ideal

As for me, the lack of a file system (outside of iCloud and oneDrive), and a mouse, really inhibit my usage. That is I need to mouse, as I remote into servers and workstations. The mobile versions of apps, at least the ones I use are too limited in features, i.e., Office. Overall however i think the IPP can be an excellent solution for many people.

Thats exactly my issues with the iPad pro. Well in regards to it being a computer replacement.

For me it's the iPad plus, and I love it for the screen and battery life. Others will get soooo much more out of it . For me the happy place is sitting in front of a powerful desktop computer with 2 or 3 large screens etc, anything after that is compromises of portability and power .