Obscene iPad Pro pricing

[secretk]

Apple designed the Pro series for Profesional application. Why does everyone think they need a profesional device for mundane tasks? If you have to ask why you need a Pro series, you probably are not the demographic Apple designed the series for. I purchased 3 gen 1 IPad Pro models for my comapany when first released. After purchasing a new 12.9 IPP and using it, I will be purchasing 3 more for my company. Bottom line, if $1500.00 per unit seems steep, you probably are not using it for profesional use. I factored in what a new IPP saves my company in time, and its entry cost of $1500+ is trivial.

If you don't mind me asking would you share how you use the iPad Pros in your company for professional goals? I find this interesting. Don't get me wrong I know that I can't use it for doing my work, but there are definitely people that can and I just want to see their point of view.

 

[JBGoode]

No, only the pro

There are keyboard covers available for the regular iPads too.....not sure why you think there isn't.

 

[jinnyman]

Apple designed the Pro series for Profesional application. Why does everyone think they need a profesional device for mundane tasks? If you have to ask why you need a Pro series, you probably are not the demographic Apple designed the series for. I purchased 3 gen 1 IPad Pro models for my comapany when first released. After purchasing a new 12.9 IPP and using it, I will be purchasing 3 more for my company. Bottom line, if $1500.00 per unit seems steep, you probably are not using it for profesional use. I factored in what a new IPP saves my company in time, and its entry cost of $1500+ is trivial.

Please define what “Professional” field you believe Apple is aiming at.
For me, a tablet with this much price tag that do not have a cursor and mouse for Word and Excel is not a professional tool. If iPad Pro is marketed for a graphic designer only, then ok I’d understand.

 

[magicschoolbus]

No, only the pro

Third party keyboard cases for th 9.7 exist.

 

[Dave-Z]

I had downloaded app to access git, but I can't make it work with our company bitbucket server.

I used Working Copy for a period of time, it seemed to work really well. I only used it with Git but I think it supports BitBucket and others. I'm not sure if that's what you tried, but it might be worth it. I think they have a free version and you do an in-app purchase to unlock features (pushing commits, etc.) but that may have changed recently.

 

[ahostmadsen]

There are keyboard covers available for the regular iPads too.....not sure why you think there isn't.

Sure, but every iPad keyboard cover except Apple's is clunky. Apple does not have a keyboard cover for the 9.7"
[doublepost=1543695254][/doublepost]

Third party keyboard cases for th 9.7 exist.

I admit I haven't checked KB covers for the regular iPad. Is there one like Apple's, that is
1. Lightweight
2. Folds up on the backside
3. Super easy to take off and put on

 

[martyhimself]

I find these posts so confusing. This is like me complaining that Intel’s pricing of the i9-7900X is obscene. I just need to use Microsoft Word! Why is this processor $1000?

Do you need the 6-core performance of the new iPad Pro? Do you need the new pencil support?

If the price is too much, you don’t need the power. I can do one job with the pencil and have the payment mostly covered. Full photoshop coming and utilizing the 6-cores made the price definitely worth it.

No one will get the i9-7900X for Microsoft Word. If you are buying that processor you know exactly what you buy it for.

Lots of people will get the iPad Pro wanting to use it as a real computer on the premise of Apple's marketing message but will find that it doesn't do what they want to use a real computer for.

Except, of course, if you're an artist. Then it is capable of doing 'real computer' things.

 

[sracer]

Sure, but every iPad keyboard cover except Apple's is clunky. Apple does not have a keyboard cover for the 9.7"
[doublepost=1543695254][/doublepost]
I admit I haven't checked KB covers for the regular iPad. Is there one like Apple's, that is
1. Lightweight
2. Folds up on the backside
3. Super easy to take off and put on

I have the Belkin Qode Ultra-thin keyboard for the 2018 iPad. It is NOT clunky, auto-activates when it is put into one of the two angle positions, and unlike every Apple keyboard cover, the Qode can "Z-fold" when using the iPad as a tablet so that you aren't touching the keys on the back.

Because it is so thin and light, I rarely find the need to remove it... but when I do, it is easy to take off... but clearly not as easy as the magnetically attached Apple keyboard folio.

 

[zhenya]

I have the Belkin Qode Ultra-thin keyboard for the 2018 iPad. It is NOT clunky, auto-activates when it is put into one of the two angle positions, and unlike every Apple keyboard cover, the Qode can "Z-fold" when using the iPad as a tablet so that you aren't touching the keys on the back.

Because it is so thin and light, I rarely find the need to remove it... but when I do, it is easy to take off... but clearly not as easy as the magnetically attached Apple keyboard folio.

I’m sure it’s a decent keyboard, but that kind of keyboard illustrates exactly what makes Apple’s Smart Keyboards so good. That Belkin model weighs nearly 1lb (3x as much as the Apple model), and is thicker than the entire iPad on its own, and encased in a solid backing case in a way that makes it difficult to remove if you just want to hold the iPad bare for easy handling while reading.

 

[sracer]

I’m sure it’s a decent keyboard, but that kind of keyboard illustrates exactly what makes Apple’s Smart Keyboards so good. That Belkin model weighs nearly 1lb (3x as much as the Apple model), and is thicker than the entire iPad on its own, and encased in a solid backing case in a way that makes it difficult to remove if you just want to hold the iPad bare for easy handling while reading.

Fair enough. But in the context of why we're even discussing keyboards in this thread, I don't think the exclusivity of the keyboard folio justifies the attached expenses of going to the 11" iPad Pro over the 2018 iPad.

magicschoolbus: "It’s obscene. Regardless of how you feel about the iPad.. what can you honestly do on the Pro over the regular iPad at this point? I even purchased a pro.. and I am struggling to find what I can do on the iPad Pro over just the regular 9.7."

ahostmadsen: "It has the keyboard cover"

One would have to pay $470 over the 2018 iPad for the privilege of spending another $180 for the keyboard folio. (of course there are other things that go with it, but the keyboard alone doesn't justify it)

 

[ajguckian]

Meh, price is relative to each person. I'm getting the 11, and I'm only going to use it for Zwift, Movies, and letting my kids draw with it. Overkill? Yup. Worth it? Yup.

 

[ahostmadsen]

Fair enough. But in the context of why we're even discussing keyboards in this thread, I don't think the exclusivity of the keyboard folio justifies the attached expenses of going to the 11" iPad Pro over the 2018 iPad.

magicschoolbus: "It’s obscene. Regardless of how you feel about the iPad.. what can you honestly do on the Pro over the regular iPad at this point? I even purchased a pro.. and I am struggling to find what I can do on the iPad Pro over just the regular 9.7."

ahostmadsen: "It has the keyboard cover"

One would have to pay $470 over the 2018 iPad for the privilege of spending another $180 for the keyboard folio. (of course there are other things that go with it, but the keyboard alone doesn't justify it)

I kind of agree. Having the Apple Keyboard Folio, the better pencil, and the larger (and better) screen is definitely worth a premium. But with the price increases, perhaps it’s too much. Yes, you also get an insanely fast iPad, but as opposed to a regular computer, I don’t know how to use that (professionally, not for playing games).

 

[Fthree]

You laugh, but there are therapists who use iPads to work with clients suffering from anxiety and depression...

Definitely not trying to throw shade at depression.
[doublepost=1543704688][/doublepost]All joking aside... picked up and 11 today with folio and pencil. Here comes the time to rationalize why it’s better than my 10.5 and worth the extra $$$

 

[d5aqoëp]

I think there are just too many compromises to adding touch to macOS, that it will never come. I would expect Apple to continue to add productivity features and differentiate the iPad even further from the iPhone in the next 3-5 years. I am lucky enough to be able to use mine as my main computer and it has been such a freeing experience, but I get that it's not for everyone. I expect iPad to continue to cannibalize the Mac though.

Freeing experience in a walled garden? Freeing experience where you dont have access to file system?

I laughed out loud.

 

[Mystro]

If you don't mind me asking would you share how you use the iPad Pros in your company for professional goals? I find this interesting. Don't get me wrong I know that I can't use it for doing my work, but there are definitely people that can and I just want to see their point of view.

Sure, we use them for presentations to clients on location as well as a number of clerical work like invoices, photo and video editing. We also use FaceTime for conferences from remote locations and share real time technical specs, sign contracts and revisions in real time on location. The list goes on and on. We found with the first gen 1 Pro that the 12.9 is a ideal size as its big enough for a boardroom to see but small enough to be portable. We also found the devise and software very stable and has not let us down in critical operations where the iPad Pro was our main source of information. We have used other specific designed laptops years ago and always had issues with stability and their robustness was always questionable. The iPad Pro always works and never goes down. Reliability is paramount when trusting a device this much. $2k per unit is practically disposable for what it does for us and it’s flexability per job. We have set up iPads with the clients information and let them keep the devise for the duration of the projects. The advantage to this is most everyone knows how to use it.

 

[5x10]

Always wanted a 12.9 for lounging
Didn’t mind paying a couple hundred more than the 2nd version considering the upgrades hardware
But yeah, I still overpaid
No regrats

 

[DNichter]

Freeing experience in a walled garden? Freeing experience where you dont have access to file system?

I laughed out loud.

Oh yea, it’s been very freeing. The flexibility of tasks you can accomplish due to easy app availability, extreme portability to work anywhere, better desk level collaboration with my team, and completely issue free/zero upkeep system makes for a much better experience than a traditional PC. I haven’t thought about a file system in years and I definitely don’t think that makes or breaks a system. Cloud services and my NAS allow me to do anything I need to do.

 

[tromboneaholic]

Freeing experience in a walled garden? Freeing experience where you dont have access to file system?

I laughed out loud.

Worrying about the file system is your prison.

 

[silver_mtb]

Oh yea, it’s been very freeing. The flexibility of tasks you can accomplish due to easy app availability, extreme portability to work anywhere, better desk level collaboration with my team, and completely issue free/zero upkeep system makes for a much better experience than a traditional PC. I haven’t thought about a file system in years and I definitely don’t think that makes or breaks a system. Cloud services and my NAS allow me to do anything I need to do.

Seriously, some of the ideas expressed seem like someone may be an uber-pro-Apple AI as oppose to a human expessing the truth.

Apple has had nearly a decade to differentiate the ipad from a phone, and now we speak of the next 3-5 years...?

We could have had a true hybrid OS 5 years ago, if Timmy was not driving the boat, If Mr Cook cared about users as opposed to shareholders...catering to shareholders over actual users will not be successful in the long term.

If Apple does not turn the ship NOW they may not be relevant in 3-5 years.
[doublepost=1543726959][/doublepost]

Worrying about the file system is your prison.

No, just no.
[doublepost=1543727076][/doublepost]

Meh, price is relative to each person. I'm getting the 11, and I'm only going to use it for Zwift, Movies, and letting my kids draw with it. Overkill? Yup. Worth it? Yup.

Neo-Apple always caters to those with money to burn and leisure time to waste.

 

[secretk]

I used Working Copy for a period of time, it seemed to work really well. I only used it with Git but I think it supports BitBucket and others. I'm not sure if that's what you tried, but it might be worth it. I think they have a free version and you do an in-app purchase to unlock features (pushing commits, etc.) but that may have changed recently.

Thanks! I tried Working Copy but I could not make it work. There is an option to connect to Bitbucket but I could not find a way how to specify our company Bitbucket server host.

[doublepost=1543734579][/doublepost]

Sure, we use them for presentations to clients on location as well as a number of clerical work like invoices, photo and video editing. We also use FaceTime for conferences from remote locations and share real time technical specs, sign contracts and revisions in real time on location. The list goes on and on. We found with the first gen 1 Pro that the 12.9 is a ideal size as its big enough for a boardroom to see but small enough to be portable. We also found the devise and software very stable and has not let us down in critical operations where the iPad Pro was our main source of information. We have used other specific designed laptops years ago and always had issues with stability and their robustness was always questionable. The iPad Pro always works and never goes down. Reliability is paramount when trusting a device this much. $2k per unit is practically disposable for what it does for us and it’s flexability per job. We have set up iPads with the clients information and let them keep the devise for the duration of the projects. The advantage to this is most everyone knows how to use it.

I assume if you use Facetime for conferences then most of the devices in your company are Apple. If you have over 10000 employees would you be willing to equip all of them with Apple devices? They will need at least some sort of Macbook or iPad to participate in those conferences.

I work in not super big international company, but big enough to have 15,000 employees all over the world and they are not willing to get Macbook/Mac for anyone in the company. Now have in mind this is a software company so we (the Developers) need a lot more powerful machine than the Macbook Air. Only the people that do iOS Development get Apple machines and that's because you can code iOS only on MacOS machine.

On top of it Apple as a company does not offer good deals for business companies. They might do it maybe in USA, they definitely not do it outside. Dell on the other hand offers pretty good deals when it comes to stuff like that. For 3 or 4 more devices, this does not matter that much. When we are talking about 15 000 though it matters.

iPad Pro is professional device for artists and those will buy it because either way they have to pay that money - Wacom is not cheaper. Regular iPad can handle digital signatures and invoices handling quite well with pencil.

 

[44267547]

Meh, price is relative to each person. I'm getting the 11, and I'm only going to use it for Zwift, Movies, and letting my kids draw with it. Overkill? Yup. Worth it? Yup.

That’s exactly it. It depends on your usage and what you want from the iPad. If you find enjoyment for just a few capabilities that you are able to achieve out of it, then it’s worth the price. But for those who don’t know what to use the iPad for, then maybe they didn’t need the most expensive iPad in the first place, Where the entry level iPad would have been sufficient.

 

[jumpingjackflash]

Please define what “Professional” field you believe Apple is aiming at.
For me, a tablet with this much price tag that do not have a cursor and mouse for Word and Excel is not a professional tool. If iPad Pro is marketed for a graphic designer only, then ok I’d understand.

I think that vast majority of ”Real Pros” don’t even consider Pad Pro a ”Pro” device. Im a ”non pro-consumer” and I haven’t still realized why iPad pro even exists. There is simply no need for it IMHO.

 

[tromboneaholic]

I think that vast majority of ”Real Pros” don’t even consider Pad Pro a ”Pro” device. Im a ”non pro-consumer” and I haven’t still realized why iPad pro even exists. There is simply no need for it IMHO.

What is a "non pro-consumer"?

 

[jumpingjackflash]

What is a "non pro-consumer"?

In my opinion a non pro consumer is someone who doesn’t use iPad mainly for creating, or handling, storing and organizing information the same way you would do with Mac, pc or laptop.

 

[tromboneaholic]

In my opinion a non pro consumer is someone who doesn’t use iPad mainly for creating, or handling, storing and organizing information the same way you would do with Mac, pc or laptop.

So what do you call a person who uses an iPad for creating, storing and organizing information the way it's done on an iPad?