iPad Pro iPad Pro 12.9 2021 problems summarized

[DRDR]

It would be awesome if you could add other problems using the same format, so that we can find them easily.

Screen: Shadow around the edges

Around all of the edges drop shadows are visible. They are giving the impression, that the screen and the bezel is separated by some distance. This is not the case, as you can see by looking at the screen from the side. The shadows are therefore no real shadows but areas with limited brightness. This limited brightness probably results from the fact that there are no more LED under the edge. The Pro Display XDR is apparently having the same problem.

Are mitigations possible?

Apple might try to increase the brightness of the outermost LED. Maybe they are already doing this, maybe not. If they are already doing this. things will not be getting better with software updates.

Screen: Blooming

Bright elements on a black screen are surrounded by an aura more or less visible to your eyes. This is called blooming and results from the total blackness of the screen due to switched of LED.

Are mitigations possible?

No mitigations are possible, if you want all the other LED to be off and the rest of the screen to be black. The light has to come from some of the LED and the corresponding LED zone will be visible as "blooming". Apple could decide to change the algorithm and not to switch off the other LED but then your contrast will be bad and the screen will look like a non XDR screen.

Thunderbolt 4: Speed issues

Apparently (at least in my test with a 10 GbE adapter) the TB4 connection does not run with full speed. A probable explanation might be power limitations as high speed devices like NVMe and 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapters draw a lot of energy from the iPad which of course as a battery powered device does have its limitations. There might also be software issues, as iOS-input/output-routines might not be optimized for Thunderbolt yet.

Are mitigations possible?

Apple might improve the software responsible for I/O and you can provide more power to the devices by using a Thunderbolt dock.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Thunderbolt 4: Speed issues

Apparently (at least in my test with a 10 GbE adapter) the TB4 connection does not run with full speed. A probable explanation might be power limitations as high speed devices like NVMe and 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapters draw a lot of energy from the iPad which of course as a battery powered device does have its limitations. There might also be software issues, as iOS-input/output-routines might not be optimized for Thunderbolt yet.

Are mitigations possible?

Apple might improve the software responsible for I/O and you can provide more power to the devices by using a Thunderbolt dock.

Honestly, I can see them removing that limitation once iPadOS 15 rolls out with Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro X for the iPad Pro.

 

[Carlanga]

The border shadow annoys me but I forget about it while doing stuff. What grinded my gears is the slow charger and the super short length of the usb c cable. The cable needs to be at least 2x-3x as long; this is a pro version so accessories included should be pro as well. If I didn’t have a longer usb c cable already I would have been mad that I would have to go out to get a longer cable on day 1. The one that comes w it is so short that you cannot plug it into a wall and reach your desk area to keep working, ridiculous For an item that costs $1k min

 

[sparksd]

The border shadow annoys me but I forget about it while doing stuff. What grinded my gears is the slow charger and the super short length of the usb c cable. The cable needs to be at least 2x-3x as long; this is a pro version so accessories included should be pro as well. If I didn’t have a longer usb c cable already I would have been mad that I would have to go out to get a longer cable on day 1. The one that comes w it is so short that you cannot plug it into a wall and reach your desk area to keep working, ridiculous For an item that costs $1k min

Yeah, I have many 3rd party cables to replace what comes with most devices these days. And chargers.

 

[gusping]

Honestly, I can see them removing that limitation once iPadOS 15 rolls out with Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro X for the iPad Pro.

Alongside other pro features, such was useless widgets....

 

[iBighouse]

I saw the shadow when I first started using it, well before I started reading about it. Honestly, it annoys me about the same amount as round corners do. It feels like the device is interfering with me being able to enjoy a pure image. I’m losing the square corners traditionally a looooooooooong part of any publishing/photography/artwork discipline- and the shadow makes me feel like I’m looking at objects inside a shadowbox, the shadow of which renders a less-than-perfect image of the contents within.

What actually annoys me more, is the Face ID login because 9/10 times I hold it in landscape orientation…and Face ID shows me the arrow on the screen reminding me I’m blocking the camera. I feel like that’s a poor solution and very inelegant and reminds me of antennagate: “You’re holding it wrong!”

 

[gusping]

I saw the shadow when I first started using it, well before I started reading about it. Honestly, it annoys me about the same amount as round corners do. It feels like the device is interfering with me being able to enjoy a pure image. I’m losing the square corners traditionally a looooooooooong part of any publishing/photography/artwork discipline- and the shadow makes me feel like I’m looking at objects inside a shadowbox, the shadow of which renders a less-than-perfect image of the contents within.

What actually annoys me more, is the Face ID login because 9/10 times I hold it in landscape orientation…and Face ID shows me the arrow on the screen reminding me I’m blocking the camera. I feel like that’s a poor solution and very inelegant and reminds me of antennagate: “You’re holding it wrong!”

The cameras really need to be on the top of the ipad in landscape mode. Classic Apple oversight.

 

[Royksöpp]

The cameras really need to be on the top of the ipad in landscape mode. Classic Apple oversight.

The entire chassis would have to be redesigned. The pencil charger would have to be off centered to accommodate a camera in its place. I can see why Apple decided to go with the camera on the top. Compromises have to be made.