Rene Ritchie’s Apple Pencil review

[MBAir2010]

i wonder if his ipencil sings: "Hello......is it me your looking for?" every time mr Ritchie plugs in his stylus to the ipad.

 

[6749974]

There are many aspects to this and there are benefits and downsides to each approach. But one mistake that Nilay - and you - are making is that you are drawing the wrong conclusions from Apple PR. When Apple says "iPad is a computer", they want to say: it is a computer for some. It is even a better computer for some people, than a "regular" computer. For others - there is Mac. Mac profits were actually larger than iPad profits in the last quarter. Apple wants to sell the Mac, they are investing in the Mac, they understand that today, based on the current way people work - "open" computing is required and they are making a great computer for that: the Mac. They are investing a lot in the Mac and this is what allows them to start creating something different, possibly for a different time. Nilay wants an iPad to replace his computer for his work. It's not going to, it's not intended to. For Nilay, Apple makes the Mac.

For my mom, who needs a "computer" to check email and surf the web - iPad is replacing a laptop. On the other side of this are professionals who need a companion device to complement their laptops. Apple invested a lot into handoff, shared clipboard, Airdrop, etc. - clearly because the also see iPad as a companion to Mac. This is how I use it. It can't replace my MBP either! However, it is an amazing device for me to create illustrations and sketches on - and in this way, it complements my MBP. For my needs - this combination works much, much better than a Surface or any othe hybrid laptop/tablet trying to run a desktop OS on a tablet device.

This is where Nilay is wrong. An iPad is not Nilay's laptop replacement nor is it meant to be. The iPad is a computer replacement for some, a companion device for some, a media consumption device for others. It is a modern computing platform that is evolving side by side the Mac, as an alternative or as an addition - depending on your needs.

Turning iPad into a Mac equivalent in terms of the OS would make something that has to make too many compromises.

With that said, I hope iOS13 opens certain abilities and expands iPad's potential. It is clearly the limiting factor and I expect Apple to improve iOS in advanced ways. But that doesn't change the fact that Nilay completely missed the point. Apple already has a computer for him, and it's called the Mac, and nothing can or should replace that.


Also, I am completely ignoring the fact that some people just love to talk how Apple messed up and how he's riding on that to turn out objective and caring about the "regular user". And, as I said, he was annoying with the headphone jack the first time he was talking about it, at this point it's just sad. And I like Nilay, so, this is not me just being negative because I have some gripes with him otherwise.

I think the fundamental disagreement between what I wrote and what you wrote (which I don't disagree with) is that you think we're misunderstanding what Apple PR is saying. Here you wrote this:

"But one mistake that Nilay - and you - are making is that you are drawing the wrong conclusions from Apple PR. When Apple says "iPad is a computer", they want to say: it is a computer for some. It is even a better computer for some people, than a "regular" computer."​

And to you I want to say, "Yeah, we know that. Nothing you say disproves anyone's point because that's a separate point entirely."

Our point—let's just say my point from now on—is that no matter how Apple is selling this, it's the reviewers job to know their target viewer/reader, and tell them a story of how this product will help them, or hurt them, depending on both their goal, and desired experience. They need to separate Apple's story, from the story. Otherwise it's just propaganda.

So it's Nilay's job to show his The Verge viewers, that this is still an Apple product by reputation, whereby Apple won't even let you VIEW the contents of your external SSD, so if a customer thought that,

"Finally, I can create my videos and work off external storage, which means I can work on 2TB of video if I wanted, and I don't have to first import the video onto my iPad, just like I just work off the SSD on my Mac."
​

They need to be told,

"You're wrong, Apple doesn't want you, for now, working of an external SSD! The greater story here is that Apple very much still controls every aspect of the detriment of even the basics of how "real pros" work. Apple still doesn't get it that this is a frustrating machine, and you'll just continue to use this as your secondary or tertiary device. Is that worth the $1,600 with included pencil and keyboard folio? Because at the end of the day, with the exception of the USB-C port, it does the exact same thing as the $329 iPad that doesn't have a "pro" as a moniker. In fact at this point "pro" just means "pay me because it's nicer.""
​

We all know that Apple PR isn't saying this replaces the Mac 100% of the time, for 100% of the people. It's the journalists job to show, not just tell, and especially not just repeat and echo, what Apple PR wants them to say.

It's also the journalists job to describe the greater story, the bigger idea. It's not just about this iPad in 2018. It's about the iPad starting in April 2010, and giving us a sense of how fast or slow progress has been made, and what our near future will look like.

An aside but I suspect iOS 13 will bring the iPad Pro closer to a laptop replacement for significantly more people. Until then we can't be upset with journalists making the story, "iOS 12 still is locking down the otherwise capable hardware, such as USB-C."

Thoughts?

 

[ericwn]

Im sorry but Rene does not review Apple products....he markets them. Apple can do nothing wrong in Rene's eyes which makes his so called reviews biased.

Very well said. He’s nothing but a marketing channel for them.