Apple’s newest iPad goes on sale on November 7, Wednesday, but early adopters have already given their rundown on the good points and bad points of this latest version of Apple’s tablet.
Here’s the bottom line:
The good news—it’s had a gorgeous and major hardware upgrade.
The bad news—Some apps, such as Photoshop, won’t be fully optimized for the iPad Pro until next year.
The ugly—there are no external storage options that are compatible with the new iPad Pro.
The verdict—it hasn’t quite achieved what Apple has set out to do, which is for the iPad Pro to be a replacement for your laptop. Not yet, at least. But knowing Apple, the innovative tech behemoth is on its way to getting there.
Let’s start with the good. The new iPad Pro, designed for creatives and power users, is unbelievably fast. Apple actually claimed that this model is faster than 92 percent of all other laptops in 2018, which includes those that have Intel Core i7 CPU.
Next, this model is the first to have a USB-C port instead of a Lighting port, in order to give users “a high-performance connection to accessories like an external display or camera.” This is really cool in and of itself and is much more convenient all around.
However, the tablet’s USB-C port is a mixed blessing for those looking for better storage options. After all, in order to save some money, you think you could buy the 64GB option at S $1,199 (the model with the least storage), and just augment this with an external hard drive for additional storage.
The port will work, however, with card readers, Ethernet ports, HDMI, and even 5K external displays. If you think about it, this makes sense for Apple from a financial standpoint, since people who want bigger storage options would be forced to spend more. Of course, you could also buy more iCloud storage, but this would also mean additional costs.
Which leads us to prices. As stated earlier, the smaller (11-inch) iPad Pro comes in at 64GB S $1,199. Next in storage is 256 GB, S $1,419, followed by 512GB for $1,719, and 1TB for S$ 2,319. Whew!
The bigger model (12 inch display) has the same storage options but at higher prices. 64GB for S $1,499, 256 GB for S $1,719, followed by 512GB for $2,019, and 1TB for S$ 2,619.
Both sizes come in silver and space grey.
This is not to say that the iPad Pro is not without its merits. Reviewers found much to love with the improved pencil, which will come in handy for those who use their tablets for creative purposes.
Early critics also love the A12X Bionic chip, the same processor that’s found in this year’s iPhone XS and XR. It has eight cores, half are for heavy work or for gaming, and the other half are for lighter tasks. The hips for graphics are better than ever, and when it comes to battery life, this iPad lasts for 10 hours, like the other iPads.
The bottom line is that if you’re someone who uses the iPad for heavy lifting, this will not disappoint. Otherwise, should you replace your laptop yet? Maybe not. But having said that, the iPad Pro may just still be the best tablet around.