What is the iPad Pro?
The iPad has been more successful than Apple could have hoped for.
Sure,
the company was aware that its handsome slab of glass was going to be
the perfect platform on which to bring folk closer to content – be that
web browsing, watching videos or casual gaming. What it may not have
foreseen, though, is the slew of third-party peripherals and apps that
have been designed to extend its functionality beyond solely a "play
thing" into a workhorse too.
Enter the iPad Pro, the daddy of all
iPads thanks to an enormous 12.9-inch screen. More than two inches
bigger than the iPad Air 2 – and five more than the iPad mini 4 – the
iPad Pro provides around 80% more viewing area when compared to its
9.7-inch counterpart.
The iPad Pro is bigger than all iPads that
have gone before it – although incredibly, this increase in size is
delivered in a package that's only 33g heavier than the first version
released back in 2010.
Every other feature of note receives a
boost too. The screen has a higher resolution, there’s a brand-new A9X
processor and 4GB of RAM. Apple claims the iPad Pro is faster than 80%
of portable PCs shipped last year, and while I'd take that declaration
with a pinch of salt, it may not be too far off the mark. The reason
being that the vast majority of laptops sold tend to be cheap and
cheerful – particularly with the advent of the Chromebook.
The
real question is, does it have what it takes to be the laptop
replacement that closest rival, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, is aiming
to deliver? Would you rather have a iPad Pro in your bag than a MacBook or Dell XPS 13?
For
some, the answer is yes. The iPad Pro is a stylish, powerful tablet
that, when combined with a keyboard and Apple Pencil, has the ability to
stand toe-to-toe with traditional laptops – despite running a mobile
operating system in iOS 9.
Those
accessories are key, though. Without them, the iPad Pro is just an
oversized tablet – great for entertainment and consuming web content,
but not much else. Unfortunately, as with most things Apple, neither
come cheap. The keyboard costs £139/$169, while the less essential
Pencil will set you back a hefty £79/$99. Add this to the £679/$799
cost of the basic 32GB Wi-Fi-only model, and you're looking at a
considerable dent in your wallet.
Design
Holding the iPad Pro makes you feel like a little kid, especially if you normally use an iPad mini. There’s just so much of it.
In
all other respects, the iPad Pro is identical to the smaller tablets in
the range. You get the excellent Touch ID fingerprint scanner built
into the home button, a power button and volume controls.
Aside
from the Lightning port for charging and connecting to a computer, and a
front and rear-facing camera, that’s about it. Like all of Apple’s
tablets, the iPad Pro is a simple proposition regardless of its
"professional" moniker.
Like all other tablets in its range, the iPad Pro is also super-model thin, just 6.9mm to be precise.
So
even though it’s light and slim, its sheer size means you won’t be
comfortable using the iPad Pro with only one hand. In fact, it’s a
handful even when using two.
This
is where the Smart Keyboard becomes handy. It connects via three small
magnetic points on the left side of the device, which allow for both
data and power to transfer. As a result, it doesn’t require a Bluetooth
connection or charging.
Smart Keyboard Cover
Thin
keyboards for tablets have come on leaps and bounds, with the Microsoft
Surface keyboard being among the best. The iPad Pro’s unit is almost as
good – except that it doesn’t include a touchpad; you need to use the
screen. A lot.
Covered in a tough fabric, which makes it robust and water-resistant, it also serves as a screen cover for the iPad Pro.
It
comes with a full Qwerty keyboard, with low-profile keys that help
retain the iPad Pro's overall slenderness. There’s still adequate travel
for you to know that you’ve hit a key, and they're large enough and
spread enough to make accurate typing a doddle.
Unlike the latest
Microsoft Surface tablets, which feature adjustable kickstands, the iPad
Pro has only one screen angle. It’s good for typing, but is a little
too laid back for my liking when placed on a bedside table. I found
myself having to use a small book to prop up the rear and bring the
screen a little further forward for some late-night Netflix binging.
Where
the iPad Pro trumps the Surface is with stability. It provides a solid
foundation whether used on a table or, crucially, on your lap. In fact, I
found that typing with the iPad Pro on my lap was more comfortable than
using my laptop, primarily because my thighs didn't get singed by the
hot components, nor did the fans get blocked by my jeans.
Keyboard
shortcuts work too, but only for apps that support them. All of Apple’s
native apps – Pages, Notes, Numbers and Keynote – are good to go;
Google Docs isn’t. Shortcuts do appear at the bottom of the screen close
to your fingers, which helps, but this isn't ideal. App developers will
catch up, but at the moment shortcuts aren’t quite the benefit they
could be.
It’s the same story with video apps. I found myself
regularly whacking the spacebar to pause videos on YouTube only to
realise that I wasn't using a Windows 10 laptop. Touch the screen it is,
then.
Apple's keyboard isn't the only version out there for the iPad Pro.
Logitech,
too, has released the backlit CREATE keyboard that covers the iPad Pro
entirely. Slightly cheaper and a lot chunkier than the Smart Keyboard,
it makes the iPad Pro look and feel far more like a full-sized laptop,
especially since the keys have more travel.
It also comes with
handy shortcuts for switching apps, adjusting volume and brightness, and
positions the iPad Pro a little straighter. It’s the keyboard I’d
choose to pair with the Apple’s giant tablet.
The iPad Pro comes
close to emulating the form and function of a laptop, but it isn't quite
a replacement. If, like me, you spend much of your day typing then
you'll miss a trackpad and screen pointer for editing.
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