I think I represent the convergence of all worlds. I own a Surface Book (256Gb, GPU), and just got an iPad Pro 9.7" (128Gb, Wifi). I use a BlackBerry Priv Android phone, as well as a BlackBerry Passport.
I have been in the market to replace my aging Samsung Tablet, and the launch of the iPad Pro coincided with my search. Though my Galaxy Tab has the cellular configuration, I chose not to replicate that in the new Tablet regardless of brand as I rarely used it and could easily accommodate it via hotspot on any of the above phones. It simply is not necessary. I chose to spend that money instead on storage. I looked at Samsung offerings and knowing how they operate, I decided to try an iPad, out of sheer counter-intuitiveness. I want to see if the walled-garden approach still foils me as it had years ago when an iPhone 4S was new. I received a 128Gb iPP on Friday.
The hardware is amazing. The screen, as everyone comments, is quite good. It has aspects of the Kindle that I can appreciate especially relating to bright ambient light. It is almost matte in it's implementation, but is certainly shiny in reality. It is lighter and thinner than my previous Tab, and the dimensions are almost the same. I did notice that the outside metal edges are a bit sharper on the iPP. Sound is very good, and the feel of the controls is solid and the typical Apple quality. The Home button is well engineered and has a good feel, and the sensor works well. I have no complaints about the quality of the build, it is what would be expected for the price, and from Apple.
The software is iOS. This cripples an amazing piece of hardware, in that iOS is one of the strongest implementations of Apple's approach to the walled-garden, has the most pragmatic import / export policy, and fails, in my opinion, to bridge the needs gap between Mac (or PC) users, and tablets. iOS, in it's 9th version incarnation, continues to stifle the creativity of it's users, forcing to them to think in nuanced, multi-step ways to carry out tasks that on a Mac or PC are basic and... we could argue, necessary. Case in point is the missing comprehensive File Manager. NFC. Bluetooth sharing. Instead we get AirPlay and AirDrop, both requiring all of your friends to be in the Cult of Mac. I can't SMS them, and they can't receive iMessages.
Along come apps like Evernote, or even BBM, that can bridge the gaps between the different hardware. Email as well. It is my largest complaint - it is hard to get information on and off the iPP without using some other system...
And this is where Microsoft Surface Book starts to become an interesting competitor. If I compare the detached tablet portion, of course it's a 13" footprint, but clearly it is a Windows PC. I can do pretty much everything one would expect, and I can quickly move information around in the typical ways that a Mac or PC would need. I can reattach the keyboard and have even more access to new ports and devices. It also has a very good pen. I have not tried the Apple Pencil.
I want my overall review to concentrate on the iPP and not the Surface, yet it is my workhorse daily laptop. It is a strong piece of equipment. And the convergence of Windows, including Metro, from now Phone to Laptop to Tablet to PC is now complete and can begin it's evolution.
I like the iPP, it's a fun device. It's expensive. I keep thinking what it would be like with Mac OS on it.