AppleInsider Staff
Early looks at Apple's gargantuan new tablet have begun to trickle in, with most reviewers coming to relatively similar conclusions: the iPad Pro is an excellent machine and the best iPad yet, but iOS means it won't be a laptop replacement anytime soon.
Walt Mossberg
Perhaps the most pro-iPad technology journalist in the world, Walt Mossberg is high on the iPad Pro's abilities for creative professionals. He is "blown away by the Apple Pencil," and praised the iPad Pro's excellent battery life.
He won't be using the iPad Pro to replace a Mac laptop any time soon, though, largely thanks to the subpar keyboard, which he panned for its lack of iPad-specific shortcut keys and backlighting. Mossberg does believe that the iPad Pro works better as a productivity tablet than Microsoft's Surface, however, thanks to the wider availability of iPad-optimized apps.
Wired
David Pierce of Wired found the iPad Pro's performance to be excellent, ditto its display. He likewise enjoyed the Apple Pencil, but found that the Smart Keyboard didn't add much and echoed other reviewers' lament at the lack of shortcut buttons.
Pierce believes the touch-first design of iOS detracts from the operating system's ability to adapt to different workflows — and thus allow the iPad Pro to act as a laptop replacement — and he wants for a mouse in some circumstances. Still, he says, the next generation of consumers for whom a smartphone is their computer may find a more natural progression to the iPad Pro.
Ars Technica
Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham also loved the iPad Pro's performance and praised the upgraded speakers. The Pencil is seen as an excellent addition, though he winced at the total price tag when Pencil and Smart Keyboard are included.
The lack of iOS 9 multitasking support among many apps is a drawback, as is the limited nature of multitasking in and of itself. Cunningham also wished for an easier way to store the Pencil with the iPad Pro.
Chip Loder
Wesley Hilliard
Amber Neely
Marko Zivkovic
Malcolm Owen
Andrew O'Hara
Christine McKee
180 Comments
Whatever. I ordered mine.
As I said in another thread: [QUOTE]This is where I go back to Apple needs to set the narrative and get the messaging right with this device. I'm not convinced Apple is expecting everyone to ditch their laptops for this device (yet) but that's the angle all the reviews I've read so far are taking. John Gruber mentioned that when he gets devices from Apple to review someone from marketing gives him a walk through and basically goes through various talking points. I'd be curious to know what talking points these employees were given with iPad Pro.[/QUOTE] Ben Bajarin said it best on Twitter: "If all we look at the iPad Pro is as a laptop replacement we miss the point. " "The mobile generation has no ties to the PC and for them real work is done on mobile devices." For me the A9X chip and Apple Pencil stand out as seriously impressive technology. I think that's a bigger story than can this replace my current laptop.
[quote name="Rogifan" url="/t/190080/ipad-pro-reviews-great-hardware-but-potential-is-limited-thanks-to-ios#post_2804609"]As I said in another thread: Ben Bajarin said it best on Twitter: "If all we look at the iPad Pro is as a laptop replacement we miss the point. " "The mobile generation has no ties to the PC and for them real work is done on mobile devices." For me the A9X chip and Apple Pencil stand out as seriously impressive technology. I think that's a bigger story than can this replace my current laptop.[/quote]That's not the controlled narrative Mr Cook is presenting tho is it? Seems Apple marketing has decided it should be promoted as a laptop replacement.
I think that it is being promoted as an alternative to the notebook/laptop. Subtle difference I suppose, but acknowledges that some will still want to buy a Mac Book / Mac Book Pro. I'll be purchasing an iPad Pro, with pen but no keyboard; my needs are strongly design and engineering so the iPad Pro is a better fit. I will be using it as input for my iMac 5K using Astropad.
That the Mac Book is lesser performance to the iPad Pro should be worrying to Intel. It seems obvious that the current iOS limitations with keyboard will be mitigated and their will be at some point an iOS analog to the Mac Book / Mac Book Air.
If the iPad Pro ends up replacing any laptop it's the new MacBook. It has the same screen, is more portable, has the same battery life, a faster processor, and it's cheaper. Even Cook himself carries the iPad Pro over the new MacBook.