Watch: 2017 12.9" iPad Pro vs. 12" MacBook

Posted:
in iPad edited August 2017
Apple packed a ton of processing horsepower and cutting edge display technology into its latest iPad Pro series, but is it enough to replace a full-size laptop? AppleInsider takes a closer look in this comparison video.





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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    Good video! I just don't understand why Apple, years after the iPad introduction, refuse to consider input/output with external drives. It's almost like Steve Job's ghost still hovers over their planning meetings. Apple journalists try hard to make the case that the iPad Pro can or almost can take over the functions of a laptop. But they keep running into functional shortfalls that can be historically traced to Jobs's insistence on a different role for the iPad. The Apple Pencil was a big breakthrough. IOS 11 might be the next. Go all the way Apple and connect with external storage. 
    jdb8167vukasikaselleringtonGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 2 of 15
    I store my data as encrypted .dmg files on dropbox. When will I be able to open/mount these on an iPad?
    iPad needs to support the mac OS file system inorder to become an equal to the laptop.

    My 2 cents...
    [Deleted User]vannygeejdb8167
  • Reply 3 of 15
    The only thing keeping me from getting one as a MacBook replacement is the lack of dual screen (extended desktop). I simply rely on that too much for work. The day that is solved is the day I get an iPad Pro. 
    vannygee
  • Reply 4 of 15
    When I can code on my iPad as easily as I can code on my MacBook I won't be needing my MacBook on the go 90% of the times
    electrosoft
  • Reply 5 of 15
    can the ipad run the desktop version of Logic Pro X or Ableton Live? no
    can the ipad run Audio Hijack? no
    can i plug in my korg microkey into the ipad (even with the efn' dongle that lets you supposedly charge and connect something usb)? no
    can i plug in my Zoom H6 and dump my field recordings into the ipad without a special this or that? no
    likewise, can i take out the sd card on my Zoom device and just plug it in, rubberband the filesd dump them into a folder i create? no
    i/o options onboard? no
    file management? no
    file management as elegant, as deep, and as flexible as i may need it to be, or may not need it to be...MY choice? no

    dongle nickle and dime? yes
    cloud dependant? yes
    cloud dependant. so, for instance, when i am doing research in central America or southeast/central Asia, where the infastructure is dicey and i can't backup anything to solidstate devices (thumbdrives/sd)? fck yes

    is the ipad a desktop replacement? maybe for apple desktop/laptops as they boldly keep on blurring the line between ios and macos...with desktop hardware becoming more so like the ios devices with increasingly less is more philosophy driven by some knighted guy and the yes board.

    is the ipad a desktop replacement? not for a windows machine where you get bigger bang for the buck...except running the shtty operating system as its namesake.

    so no.

    apple, keep on burning people who actually ARE productive and have made great use of your quality products and operating system for countless years and instead keep on with the curated music, the shttyr and shttyr itunes ecosystem, the increasingly inaccessible physical i/o path and the social consciousness...hey, the multitude of consumers and the share holders will throw rose petals down that path
  • Reply 6 of 15
    As much as I love my ipad Pro 12.9 2017 (which replaced my Gen 1 12.9), it will never replace my MacBook Pro anytime soon.

    With that being said, the generational performance gains of the A series architecture is insane. They are catching up to Intel at a rapid pace.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,141member
    A10X in a clamshell. Maybe even actively cooled. 

    That's what I want. 

    A10X is quite the chip, but a clamshell is a much more productive form factor than a tablet. 
  • Reply 8 of 15
    peteopeteo Posts: 402member
    The new iPad pro is crazy fast. Everything launches instantly, is so fluid and smooth. The pen is is incredible and iOS 11 on it is great.  One of my favorite apple devices ever.
    For me it still can not replace a PC/Mac. Lack of track pad/mouse. Mounting external storage. Access to applications that I normally use. Its very close though. Also I wish the keyboard accessory was more like the surface pro 4/5 keyboard (one of the best mobile keyboards I've used)
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 9 of 15
    peteopeteo Posts: 402member
    tipoo said:
    A10X in a clamshell. Maybe even actively cooled. 

    That's what I want. 

    A10X is quite the chip, but a clamshell is a much more productive form factor than a tablet. 
    Wonder what the A11 will be like, A10X is a screamer...
  • Reply 10 of 15
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,141member
    peteo said:
    tipoo said:
    A10X in a clamshell. Maybe even actively cooled. 

    That's what I want. 

    A10X is quite the chip, but a clamshell is a much more productive form factor than a tablet. 
    Wonder what the A11 will be like, A10X is a screamer...

    Especially since A10X is actually conservative for iPad die size. A11 could further embiggen the cores. 


  • Reply 11 of 15
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member
    tipoo said:
    peteo said:
    tipoo said:
    A10X in a clamshell. Maybe even actively cooled. 

    That's what I want. 

    A10X is quite the chip, but a clamshell is a much more productive form factor than a tablet. 
    Wonder what the A11 will be like, A10X is a screamer...

    Especially since A10X is actually conservative for iPad die size. A11 could further embiggen the cores. 


    The purpose of A10X was to test 10nm production and yield before it hit iPhone 7s and 8. That will be the same for A11x when Apple switch to 7nm.

    TSMC has also announced there will be 7nm High Performance as well as Low Power variation at the SAME TIME. We know the Low Power, SoC node are Apple specific, or at least Apple is always the largest customer when it ship. I wonder if it is also Apple for the high performance node. Due to cost issues it is definitely not Nvidia. It is not Qualcomm because i am not aware of any high performance part that will be shipping in small volume. AMD seems to be more tied up with GF, their lower cost APU and console SoC are also price sensitive for adopting.    
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 12 of 15
    lmaclmac Posts: 206member
    To be fair to the Mac lineup, the new MacBook is one of the most underpowered and feature lacking laptops Apple has ever built, but at least it runs pro level apps like Photoshop and FinalCut. I am looking forward to iOS 11, as it narrows the gap, but I'd still prefer a Mac for most pro-level work.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    Good video! I just don't understand why Apple, years after the iPad introduction, refuse to consider input/output with external drives. It's almost like Steve Job's ghost still hovers over their planning meetings. Apple journalists try hard to make the case that the iPad Pro can or almost can take over the functions of a laptop. But they keep running into functional shortfalls that can be historically traced to Jobs's insistence on a different role for the iPad. The Apple Pencil was a big breakthrough. IOS 11 might be the next. Go all the way Apple and connect with external storage. 
    The iPad is still dependent on a computer. You cannot backup your iPad without a computer.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    That was a good, well done comparison.

    But I thought that it strange that it never mentioned the largest single functional difference between the two: 
    - lack of a touchscreen on the MacBook
    - lack of a trackpad on the iPad Pro

    While the lack of a touchscreen on the MacBook is no big loss (I agree with Apple that touchscreen sucks on a laptop), the lack of a trackpad on the iPad Pro turns it into a touch screen laptop -- which still sucks unless you're using it as an old fashioned typewriter.

    But the video did well illustrate how the performance of the iPad Pro has now matched or exceeded that of a high end, base level laptop.  And, (as many of the preceding comments have pointed out) the main differences being simply specific areas of personal preference mostly related to app availability and OS functionality.

    I have a student coming up who could soon benefit from having his own laptop.  I would love to get him an iPad Pro for that -- but that will have to wait until it has a cursor.  The worst scenario is: I will have to buy him both:   a tablet for tablet stuff and a laptop for laptop stuff.   That's so old fashioned!   
  • Reply 15 of 15
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,544member
    Good video! I just don't understand why Apple, years after the iPad introduction, refuse to consider input/output with external drives. It's almost like Steve Job's ghost still hovers over their planning meetings. Apple journalists try hard to make the case that the iPad Pro can or almost can take over the functions of a laptop. But they keep running into functional shortfalls that can be historically traced to Jobs's insistence on a different role for the iPad. The Apple Pencil was a big breakthrough. IOS 11 might be the next. Go all the way Apple and connect with external storage. 
    The iPad is still dependent on a computer. You cannot backup your iPad without a computer.
    iCloud backups work just fine. 

    However, one cannot, at this point, selectively retrieve a single file or group of files from that backup.  
    GeorgeBMac
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