First wave of 2018 iPad Pro reviews praise new features, but warn on price & OS limitation...
Some of the earliest reviews of the 2018 iPad Pros have gone live, lauding the tablets for their improvements, while cautioning that they may not be for everyone, given high prices and limits in completely replacing a laptop.
This year's models are a "refreshing, positive step forward for the iPad," Wired wrote, adding that they "put other tablets to shame." Focusing on the possibility of using a Pro as a laptop replacement however, the magazine argued that people will need "the right kind of occupation, and a lot of patience and determination," since iOS multitasking isn't on par with a Mac or Windows machine, and some apps and websites are limited on the device, though the latter is as much a matter of developer support.
TechCrunch called the Pro "an excellent tablet," but said that it "really shines" when paired with the second-generation Apple Pencil and a keyboard. The double-tap gesture on the new Pencil could potentially make it the "mouse for the tablet generation," the site remarked, becoming "the key to unlocking an interface that somehow blends the specificity of mouse-driven computing with the gestural and fluidity of touch-driven interfaces."
A recurring theme in reviews is the cost of a Pro, which is higher this year at a minimum of $799. CNET for example was positive on the tablets' use of Face ID, "all-screen design," and "scary-fast performance," but commented that the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio are effectively mandatory add-ons that "jack up the already-high total price." The issue is potentially compounded by the switch from Lightning to USB-C and the removal of a headphone jack, since existing iPad owners may need to replace other accessories too.
Mashable called the new Pros "beautiful slabs of glass," and "more powerful than any iOS device or competing tablets." Going further the site enthused about the "physical closeness with digital content creation," describing it as a "paradigm shift from mouse and keyboard."
"It's such an intimate creation process that it made me realize that Apple's not merely trying to change my or your old habits," the site elaborated. "Apple's not trying to make the iPad Pro a laptop replacement because the device isn't one. It's trying to do something bigger: invent a new way of creating for a new generation that is not bound to the old computing laws of clicking a mouse."
Nevertheless, it said that "iOS on an iPad still isn't as robust for general work as a MacBook running macOS." A common complaint is that iOS still lacks an open filesystem, which would make it easier to manage data and allow customization. Apple has kept iOS locked down on both iPhones and iPads in order to control the user experience and deter hacking.
The Verge's conclusion summarized many reviews.
"Is the new iPad Pro a stunning engineering achievement? Without question," the site wrote. "Has Apple once again produced mobile hardware that puts the rest of the industry to shame when it comes to performance, battery life, and design? Yep. Is the iPad Pro the best, most capable iPad ever made? It certainly is. But you know what? It's still an iPad."
This year's models are a "refreshing, positive step forward for the iPad," Wired wrote, adding that they "put other tablets to shame." Focusing on the possibility of using a Pro as a laptop replacement however, the magazine argued that people will need "the right kind of occupation, and a lot of patience and determination," since iOS multitasking isn't on par with a Mac or Windows machine, and some apps and websites are limited on the device, though the latter is as much a matter of developer support.
TechCrunch called the Pro "an excellent tablet," but said that it "really shines" when paired with the second-generation Apple Pencil and a keyboard. The double-tap gesture on the new Pencil could potentially make it the "mouse for the tablet generation," the site remarked, becoming "the key to unlocking an interface that somehow blends the specificity of mouse-driven computing with the gestural and fluidity of touch-driven interfaces."
A recurring theme in reviews is the cost of a Pro, which is higher this year at a minimum of $799. CNET for example was positive on the tablets' use of Face ID, "all-screen design," and "scary-fast performance," but commented that the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio are effectively mandatory add-ons that "jack up the already-high total price." The issue is potentially compounded by the switch from Lightning to USB-C and the removal of a headphone jack, since existing iPad owners may need to replace other accessories too.
Mashable called the new Pros "beautiful slabs of glass," and "more powerful than any iOS device or competing tablets." Going further the site enthused about the "physical closeness with digital content creation," describing it as a "paradigm shift from mouse and keyboard."
"It's such an intimate creation process that it made me realize that Apple's not merely trying to change my or your old habits," the site elaborated. "Apple's not trying to make the iPad Pro a laptop replacement because the device isn't one. It's trying to do something bigger: invent a new way of creating for a new generation that is not bound to the old computing laws of clicking a mouse."
Nevertheless, it said that "iOS on an iPad still isn't as robust for general work as a MacBook running macOS." A common complaint is that iOS still lacks an open filesystem, which would make it easier to manage data and allow customization. Apple has kept iOS locked down on both iPhones and iPads in order to control the user experience and deter hacking.
The Verge's conclusion summarized many reviews.
"Is the new iPad Pro a stunning engineering achievement? Without question," the site wrote. "Has Apple once again produced mobile hardware that puts the rest of the industry to shame when it comes to performance, battery life, and design? Yep. Is the iPad Pro the best, most capable iPad ever made? It certainly is. But you know what? It's still an iPad."
Comments
Hilarious. Especially when he was given a pre-release version of Photoshop to try. I wonder, if iOS tablet Apps/ecosystem are “limited” then how would you describe Android, which is a complete joke? Or using a Surface in tablet mode without any optimized software? What is his point of reference to make this claim?
btw: read the fine print on Microsoft's website about Office support on iOS devices. "iOS: Office for iPad® and iPhone® requires iOS 11.0 or later. Office for iPad Pro™ requires iOS 11.0 or later. Office is supported on the two most recent versions of iOS. When a new version of iOS is released, Office’s Operating System requirement becomes the then-current two most recent versions: the new version of iOS and the previous version."
This curious elision is especially awkward in the case of Nilay Patel's review for The Verge — "the site wrote" is all we are told. But Patel is a heavy-hitter, on a par with Walt Mossberg in the Jobs era, and certainly no enemy of Apple, as evidenced by his glowing reviews of the new iPhones. I imagine Tim Cook does not think of him as "the site."
That quibble aside, thanks for the informative sampling!
Has it been confirmed that only the 1TB models get 6GB RAM? If so it would be nice to know if the difference is noticeable.
I appreciated his review -- all of the reviews actually. I like looking at differing viewpoints, not just ones that align with my views. I'm actually trying to decide between replacing my Apple Watch Series 2 Stainless Steel with an Apple Watch Series 4 Stainless Steel or getting an 11-inch iPad Pro 64GB (I have $750 in Best Buy gift cards that I cashed in from my CC rewards).
The Series 4 would be a big upgrade for me speed wise over my Series 2 and I love the display, but at the end of the day this would be a "want" versus a need. I still mainly just use my Apple Watch for notifications and not much else, so $700 is kind of silly when I can just potentially wait and get it secondhand.
The iPad Pro, however, is starting to sound like a more promising purchase. I don't currently have a personal iPad (my kids share a 2018 9.7-inch iPad 32GB), and it could serve as a more portable alternative to my 15-inch MacBook Pro. So knowing the limitations and pluses and getting input from all sides is great to read.
You’re on the wrong line, dude, go to the correct one.
-DJ's will think about the missing headphone jack, and also the inability to hold a music library in a external storage device.
-Photographers will miss the ability of editing their pictures on an external storage device, some TIFF files could be larger than the internal memory of the iPad Pro.
-Musicians would also appreciate a headphone jack, a dongle might work but if you forget it on a gig than it could be a disaster. Air Pods and Bose QC 35 are great for everyone else but not this class of Pro users.
Some of the limitations might be resolved by app updates, but only time will tell if app developers can and will work around them. I was really excited by USB-C, but the lack of external storage support while working with Lightroom CC kills it for me, may be a future software update might solve that but until then, i will be happy to use my 2014 iMac for editing pictures and my iPad Air 2 for watching Netflix.