It looks like Apple is pinning its hopes on the iPad Pro becoming its entry-level computer. With this year's iteration, the tablet has come a few steps closer to this goal. The revamped hardware, processing power, and the full versions of popular applications all support this. With the added value of the long battery life and stylus input, it's truly a compelling replacement. The only question left is whether what they've done is enough to make people actually purchase it as a productivity machine.
Apple announced the new iPad Pros just before October ended. They're basically a last quarter push for our hard earned Christmas money. With the tablet's value proposition, it may just be able to give the company momentum coming into 2019. A huge chunk of this momentum will be hinged on the iPad Pro’s success as a computer.
Processing Power
The old 10.5-inch iPad Pro launched last year already outperformed the newest Macbook laptops form Apple. This year's new models are promising to double that processing power. It's a bit mind boggling considering the content consumption beginnings of the tablet genre. So all things, considered, the raw power on these new tablets is simply astounding.
This makes it difficult to consider the iPad Pro as merely a tablet in its original sense. It's morphed into a full-pledged productivity device that you can accomplish real work with. With the kind of power that its A12X Bionic processor can give, you can easily edit photos and do some light video editing on this incredible machine. Crunching numbers, even on a massive scale on an spreadsheet, should be a cinch. Don't even ask about word processing because the iPad Pro can most definitely crush that task as well.
The 8-cores should help you do these tasks all at once. It's also helped by an an ample serving of memory. Although it wasn't announced, the device should ship with 4 GBs of RAM. There are even rumors circulating that the top-end model would include 6 GBs. By laptop standards, these numbers are pretty run-of-the-mill. But, we all know what iOS can do with very little of it. With whatever configuration, the iPad Pros should be a multitasking champ.
Speaking of storage, the iPad Pros are also starting to look more like a laptop. It starts with a 64 GB option and maxes out with a whopping 1 TB. This means you can bring all your portfolio with you on-the-go everywhere you go.
The neural engine should also make it faster over time when machine learning fully kicks in. While the complete capabilities of this A.I. function is still mostly unknown, Apple is banking on the tech to make the device future-proof.
Software
But all the processing power goes to waste without proper apps to take advantage of it. This is where Adobe Photoshop currently shines.
Adobe, realizing that the iPad Pros have laptop-grade processors, developed a full version of the photo editing app on the tablet. From a productivity standpoint, this is a huge plus. The portability of the tablet and the fully functioning editing apps make this iPad a photographer's best friend.
It's not merely the availability of the full version of Photoshop that's such an exciting news for tablet owners. It's the possibility of other full versions of productivity apps getting on board the idea that's really exciting.
It shouldn't also be constrained to Adobe products. Full versions of popular editing software from Apple being available on the iPad are also an exciting prospect. Now that Photoshop has done it, other developers might actually consider making full versions of their apps available to the iPad Pro.
These new tablets also have a graphical capacity that's unrivaled in the tablet space. Apple says that it should be able to outperform the XBOX One S. Looking at NBA 2K19 demoed at the launch through the 12.9-inch Retina display is absolutely stunning.
Furthermore, iOS 12 has made all of Apple’s mobile devices look more like their desktops. Navigation-wise, it also feels a lot like desktop now more than ever.
Hardware
The hardware department is perhaps the biggest clue as to the laptop aspirations of the iPad Pro. The new design language being used on this year's iteration turns away from Apple's other mobile devices. They chose to go with a boxy, angular design that's more reminiscent of the Macbook Pro more than anything else in Apple's line-up. The now home button-less front also makes it look like a Macbook Pro.
The materials and design make these new iPad Pros sturdy as ever. Which helps immensely if you're out and about doing work in the field.
Perhaps what makes these new iPad Pros standout as a productivity device the most is the surprising adoption of USB C port. It replaces Apple's proprietary lightning port. This move makes a wide range of professional equipment such as microphones, USB hubs, and external monitors available.
The keyboard attachment is also still stellar as ever Typing on it should feel like a regular laptop. The key travel is great and the spacing is perfect. These should make it a writer's gadget too.
Professionals are going to have a great time looking at the beautiful Retina Display the whole work day. The Pro-motion feature also helps a lot with raising a user's endurance when using the product. Professionals, therefore, can work for longer hours without straining their eyes.
Conclusion
The new iPad Pros are really inching their way closer to laptop territory. And they're doing it extremely well.
With the pricing of the new Macbook Air that also launched with it, the new iPad Pros look like the best option for a productivity-based Apple device. It'll set you back $950 for the tablet, keyboard, and pencil. At this price category, the iPad Pros currently occupy a position that the beloved Macbook Air once held. The now $1,199 Macbook Air has leveled up into something entirely different from what it originally was in Apple's product line-up.
Slowly but surely, the iPad Pro has become the entry-level productivity computer on Apple's product line-up. With this year's hardware, software, and processor improvements, it's definitely making a great case in this regard.
Apple announced the new iPad Pros just before October ended. They're basically a last quarter push for our hard earned Christmas money. With the tablet's value proposition, it may just be able to give the company momentum coming into 2019. A huge chunk of this momentum will be hinged on the iPad Pro’s success as a computer.
Processing Power
The old 10.5-inch iPad Pro launched last year already outperformed the newest Macbook laptops form Apple. This year's new models are promising to double that processing power. It's a bit mind boggling considering the content consumption beginnings of the tablet genre. So all things, considered, the raw power on these new tablets is simply astounding.
This makes it difficult to consider the iPad Pro as merely a tablet in its original sense. It's morphed into a full-pledged productivity device that you can accomplish real work with. With the kind of power that its A12X Bionic processor can give, you can easily edit photos and do some light video editing on this incredible machine. Crunching numbers, even on a massive scale on an spreadsheet, should be a cinch. Don't even ask about word processing because the iPad Pro can most definitely crush that task as well.
The 8-cores should help you do these tasks all at once. It's also helped by an an ample serving of memory. Although it wasn't announced, the device should ship with 4 GBs of RAM. There are even rumors circulating that the top-end model would include 6 GBs. By laptop standards, these numbers are pretty run-of-the-mill. But, we all know what iOS can do with very little of it. With whatever configuration, the iPad Pros should be a multitasking champ.
Speaking of storage, the iPad Pros are also starting to look more like a laptop. It starts with a 64 GB option and maxes out with a whopping 1 TB. This means you can bring all your portfolio with you on-the-go everywhere you go.
The neural engine should also make it faster over time when machine learning fully kicks in. While the complete capabilities of this A.I. function is still mostly unknown, Apple is banking on the tech to make the device future-proof.
Software
But all the processing power goes to waste without proper apps to take advantage of it. This is where Adobe Photoshop currently shines.
Adobe, realizing that the iPad Pros have laptop-grade processors, developed a full version of the photo editing app on the tablet. From a productivity standpoint, this is a huge plus. The portability of the tablet and the fully functioning editing apps make this iPad a photographer's best friend.
It's not merely the availability of the full version of Photoshop that's such an exciting news for tablet owners. It's the possibility of other full versions of productivity apps getting on board the idea that's really exciting.
It shouldn't also be constrained to Adobe products. Full versions of popular editing software from Apple being available on the iPad are also an exciting prospect. Now that Photoshop has done it, other developers might actually consider making full versions of their apps available to the iPad Pro.
These new tablets also have a graphical capacity that's unrivaled in the tablet space. Apple says that it should be able to outperform the XBOX One S. Looking at NBA 2K19 demoed at the launch through the 12.9-inch Retina display is absolutely stunning.
Furthermore, iOS 12 has made all of Apple’s mobile devices look more like their desktops. Navigation-wise, it also feels a lot like desktop now more than ever.
Hardware
The hardware department is perhaps the biggest clue as to the laptop aspirations of the iPad Pro. The new design language being used on this year's iteration turns away from Apple's other mobile devices. They chose to go with a boxy, angular design that's more reminiscent of the Macbook Pro more than anything else in Apple's line-up. The now home button-less front also makes it look like a Macbook Pro.
The materials and design make these new iPad Pros sturdy as ever. Which helps immensely if you're out and about doing work in the field.
Perhaps what makes these new iPad Pros standout as a productivity device the most is the surprising adoption of USB C port. It replaces Apple's proprietary lightning port. This move makes a wide range of professional equipment such as microphones, USB hubs, and external monitors available.
The keyboard attachment is also still stellar as ever Typing on it should feel like a regular laptop. The key travel is great and the spacing is perfect. These should make it a writer's gadget too.
Professionals are going to have a great time looking at the beautiful Retina Display the whole work day. The Pro-motion feature also helps a lot with raising a user's endurance when using the product. Professionals, therefore, can work for longer hours without straining their eyes.
Conclusion
The new iPad Pros are really inching their way closer to laptop territory. And they're doing it extremely well.
With the pricing of the new Macbook Air that also launched with it, the new iPad Pros look like the best option for a productivity-based Apple device. It'll set you back $950 for the tablet, keyboard, and pencil. At this price category, the iPad Pros currently occupy a position that the beloved Macbook Air once held. The now $1,199 Macbook Air has leveled up into something entirely different from what it originally was in Apple's product line-up.
Slowly but surely, the iPad Pro has become the entry-level productivity computer on Apple's product line-up. With this year's hardware, software, and processor improvements, it's definitely making a great case in this regard.