Apple’s new iPad Pro is now available, and the embargo on reviews has been lifted. So we’re sharing some of the more interesting ones from around the web.
MacStories – Federico Viticci:
The iPad Pro is positioned as a more productive take on the iPad for those who need to get work done on it. My recommendation couldn’t be more straightforward: if iOS is your main computing platform, or if you plan to turn an iPad into your primary computer, you’ll want an iPad Pro. Its powerful hardware, multitasking interface, and extensible nature are superior to every other iPad. I don’t see myself using a Mac as my primary computer ever again.
Ars Technica – Andrew Cunningham:
It’s best to think of the iPad Pro as a starting point, especially for iOS 9. These multitasking features are still brand-new, and there’s a lot of low-hanging fruit to pick in future iOS 9 revisions and into iOS 10. My biggest gripes with the iPad Pro are with the software rather than the hardware, and that means that most of them can be fixed given enough time and enough feature requests. It took Microsoft three tries to really nail down the Surface Pro concept, and given a couple of iOS updates the iPad Pro has room to grow into a more versatile laptop replacement without necessarily giving up the things that people like about iOS.
The Verge – Walt Mossberg:
My problem with the iPad Pro is threefold. First, I found it just too big and bulky to hold and use comfortably for long periods. And that was when held horizontally. Held vertically, it was worse, because it felt unbalanced to me.
Second, I was disappointed with Apple’s optional keyboard case. It’s essentially a shallow Mac keyboard, with keys like Command that mean something only in Mac OS X, but not a single shortcut key to an iPad function, like Home or Search. It’s also not backlit, and it has only one angle in which it holds the screen. Additionally, it’s so light and small compared to the screen that I find it difficult to balance properly on my lap for typing. It’s also really costly, at $169.
[…]
Third, I found few apps that took advantage of the greater screen real estate to display panels or functionality often hidden on mobile devices. One of the iPad’s great advantages over other tablets is that it boasts 850,000 apps that have been optimized for tablet use. But few of these used the much bigger screen on the Pro. One example is Google Docs, which still places comments in a text-hiding pop-up window, instead of in the margin as on a laptop. One exception is Slack, which, on the Pro, moves a previously hidden right-hand menu to a permanent position.
Last but not least, TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino, who says this about the iPad Pro:
This new iPad is powerful — and for various reasons, this is the first time I feel that it’s actually possible to tell. Between this and the Apple TV, we’re seeing Apple’s A-series chips get pushed really, really hard for the first time, and what this thing can do is pretty damn impressive. It’s pushing over 5.5 million pixels at all times, but never stutters or lags.
But his review is notable, as he had his artist Dad review the artistic functions of the über-large tablet:
I brought in my dad, Thomas Panzarino, who is a working artist (you can see his stuff here) to noodle on it. You can see his reactions in the video review, but overall he was very impressed. I’ve had him use a regular iPad and stylus combo before, and he wasn’t wowed. I also had him take a Surface Pro for a spin — but the iPad Pro and Pencil just destroyed it when it came to fluidity and precision.
That was a cool idea Matthew. Readers, be sure to check out the video of his Dad using the Pro. We think the iPad Pro may prove to be popular with older users – IF they can get their head around the way it works, AND the sheer size of the thing…
