Roger Fingas
Apple on Monday released a new ad on YouTube, "5 Reasons iPad Pro can be your next computer," once again trying to sell people on the idea that the tablet can replace a laptop workflow.
The video argues that the Pro is "more powerful than most computers," and extremely versatile, being a "scanner, camera, editing suite, notepad, cinema, music studio, book, and a computer." Other bulletpoints include available LTE support, a simple interface, and the creative possibilities of the second-generation Apple Pencil.
The ad's language is notably different from earlier iPad marketing, which tried to distance iPads from regular computers while competing with them at the same time. At one point the company referred to iPads as ushering in a "post-PC" era, and in November 2017 the company aired its infamous "What's a computer?" ad, often lampooned for being out of touch with reality.
The new ad would seem to be a reversal, embracing the "computer" label in order to be seen as serious hardware. That approach is also reflected to an extent in the new Pro's design, since it now uses USB-C instead of Lightning, opening up compatible accessories. Not all USB-C accessories will work though, and iOS has yet to gain an open filesystem.
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Wesley Hilliard
Andrew Orr
73 Comments
That is just embarrassing.too soon. And I say this as someone who uses an iPad Pro for mobile work purposes for hours each day. Apple needs to supersede the software limitations of iOS before it can try this line on with any credibility.
Mr Cook should just tap his heels together three times and repeat:
”I don’t have Steve’s Reality Distortion Field”
”I don’t have Steve’s Reality Distortion Field”
”I don’t have Steve’s Reality Distortion Field”
Edit: I can can see the future myriad parody versions already.
edit2: to replace computers the tag line should be “better than a computer”. But only once it is true. We aren’t there yet.
Close... but not before there is a core comprehensive, roubust file/folder management system with a consitant UI at the heart of ios.. accessible from every app for all types of files. Lack of this is a massive handicap... plus the restricted usb-c io
So many people complain that the iPad Pro can't replace their computer. Well, it's true that the iPad Pro can't REPLACE their computer, but remember this. In 1984, the 128K Macintosh couldn't replace my IBM Selectric typewriter. For instance, where do you put the piece of paper? What? You have to buy something extra to print something out? Well, that's not a replacement! Therefore, the Macintosh must have been garbage! It's now 2018, and I haven't used an IBM Selectric in 31 years. One of these days, I will no longer use a Macintosh. This isn't that day, but it's coming sooner than you expect. And some of the reasons are explained in this commercial.
I was around in 1984 Andre. The usability of the Mac compared with IBM PCs was so unbelievablely wonderful, any other deficincies, minor as they were, were irrelevant. Because Daleks.
The ipad doesn’t yet offer enough of a marriage between functionality and paradigm shift to justify Apple’s claims. But fear not, the problem is software limitations, which can be fixed.
edit: a more apt comparison at this point of iPad development is the Newton. A great device destroyed by advertising that over promised, prompting derisive parodies and leading ultimately to the Newton’s untimely demise.