iPad Pro Is iPad Pro moving in the wrong direction?

[Shanghaichica]

That's my point. Remember, Apple did not put a Mac M1 chip in the iPad, it put the iPad chip in the Mac and relabeled it as M1. M1 is the evolved IOS chip that iPad has been using for years. Soon, all devices will have an M1 chip and then an M2 etc. But they will all be the same. Soon or eventually, all devices or at least all higher end devices will have mini led displays with lower end economy versions having LCD screens. It will be just as easy and pleasurable to watch a movie on a MacBook as on a tablet. At some point, the iPad Pro will become irrelevant.

The thing the iPad has over a laptop for watching content is portability. I’d always choose my iPad over my MacBook Air because it’s more convenient. I can use my iPad anywhere. My MacBook needs to rest on a surface and it’s difficult for me to use it if I’m lounging around or laying down. A MacBook, even my air (2019 or 2014) are much too heavy to hold for any period of time. I can hold my 11 inch iPad or iPad mini 5 for longer periods of time and more comfortably.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I think the iPad Pro is more of a marketing tool, more than anything else. The iPad/tablet has always had to justify its existence in a way that the phone/iPhone and computer/Mac have never had to. Most people can justify buying a phone and a computer but it becomes harder to justify buying a tablet. When the iPad first launched it was a consumption device. Many bought it as a novelty device and even then people said it was just a larger iPhone/iPod touch.

Tablets have declined on android, some of that is due to poor software support. However many android users couldn’t justify buying a tablet when they can use their phones to do the same thing and smartphones got bigger over the years. Even iPad sales were declining for many years. It wasn’t until apple changed their marketing stance and started pushing the iPad Pro as being something more than a basic consumption device that iPads returned to a period of growth. The pro term is needed to market the iPad as viable product.

 

[cupcakes2000]

It hasn’t though. Mac-prices but not Mac-level productivity for this PRO device.

I’m far more productive on my iPad so I suppose this statement of yours depends on what you do, rather than just a given fact as you seem to imply.

 

[jeremiah256]

This may answer many questions or concerns. Well worth a watch.

Reflecting on several of his arguments, I'm actually more disappointed with Rene (and therefore Apple) than when I watched it yesterday.

My almost 4 year old Apple TV 4K, using the A10X chip (the same chip in the 2017 iPad Pro 2nd Gen) can provide external monitor scaling, but the latest and greatest M1 iPad Pro can't?

When they added USB-C to the 2018 iPad Pro (using the A12X) they should have added the capability to iPadOS in 2019. The iPad Air 2020 then should have received external monitor support last year.

 

[MrEcted]

I totally agree. iPad will always exist in some form. My question is, What is the true identity of the iPad Pro? Does the world need a $2000 tablet that advertises itself as a pro device which can not really do what a MacBook does. When it will start doing what a MacBook does, will it still be an iPad? If you must buy a keyboard and mouse and connect it to an external monitor, why not just buy a Mac mini? If you are a developer, do you really want to buy a $300 app that you must drag around a screen with your finger and can not really see all the many sliders and adjustment controls like like you can on a Mac? Do you need to pay over $2000 to watch movies and read emails if that is your primary reason for buying a tablet? iPad Pro is not really pro and it is becoming more than just a consumption device. Where does it stop? I can not really see a place for a tablet that is a MacBook or is it a MacBook that is a tablet?

Why do people always have to reach for the top shelf? Yeah if you max everything out then it’s a $2000 tablet but I highly doubt that people who are just interested in watching movies and reading emails are getting a maxed out Pro. You do realize there are much cheaper iPads and also that the Pro starts at well under half of your stated price, correct?

In any case what’s your actual point in all of this? Bored and nothing better to do? Sad.

 

[Tsepz]

Is it just me or has the iPad Pro moved out of the iPad category and into the MacBook category? Why not just call it the Mac Tablet and stop implying it is an iPad that is a laptop replacement. Is it a laptop, is it a tablet, is it a pro device, is it a consumption device, is it a production device. It seems too expensive to be a MacBook accessory and is just getting to be a Swiss Army knife. Problem with the Swiss Army knife it that no one can carry it around because it got so heavy and thick. At some point, the iPad Pro will have to decide in which camp it will live or be phased out altogether. Because sooner or later, it will not have a reason to exist.

Question, why do any of these devices exist? In theory most people just need a laptop and a decent phone yet here we are.

My feeling is that iPad Pro will continue to be Apple’s “innovation hub”, due to how the iPad Pro slots into their lineup of devices, it sits much like a “tech enthusiasts device“ where they bring new tech that can later trickle down (normal iPad, iPhone etc…) or trickle up (Mac, MacBook etc…) to everything else. The iPad Pro seems to work well as the place for Apple to test new innovations they are working on for iPhone, iPad, MacBook and Macs.

The iPad Pro also seems to be many things to many people, for me it’s mostly a content consumption device although I do plan on making it a content creation tool to and it currently works as my personal laptop next to my work laptop.

 

[The Game 161]

Honestly I think Apple are clearly progressing the iPad just slower than people want. It’s still a tablet that can be used with a keyboard and do multitasking even if it’s weaker than the mac. I don’t see the mac ever going away or ever being not the go to for people who want real computers

 

[loybond]

It's not moving at all. That's the problem.

 

[FiremanMike]

I think most people are using it purely for tablet use. The mouse/keyboard users are somewhat of a minority, unfortunately.

I just got an iPad Pro 11 last night with a Smart Keyboard (not magic). I’m replacing my old iPad 10.5 and my 2015 MacBook 12” with it. I’ll still have a desktop for serious computing stuff, but I think this thing will hit the sweet spot, especially with iPadOS 15

 

[jimmy_uk]

Different tools for different jobs.

That said, a lot of modern tech and their growing list of showroom "features" exists to make us consume more content and more buy things.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Different tools for different jobs.

That said, a lot of modern tech and their growing list of showroom "features" exists to make us consume more content and more buy things.

Nice avatar and sig, I'm right there with ya

 

[slplss]

This may answer many questions or concerns. Well worth a watch.

That thumbnail... I wish Yeti didn't exist, or wasn't a popular clickbait Youtuber.