iPad Pro The M2 iPad Pro is the worst update Apple has ever released

[John981]

You're right in that it's not an exciting update, but where's the issue exactly?

For someone who wanted to buy a new one, they're now getting a more recent chip. And if you don't care about the slight performance advantage, you can now get the M1 iPad Pro on discount instead. Win-Win for everyone.

I don't really see what kind of innovation you could reasonably expect at this point, anyway. Do you honestly need any more performance? Probably not. Where the iPad needs to improve is the software side.

 

[Onimusha370]

I agree with a lot of the points you make - but fundamentally, I’d rather they released a spec bump than release nothing. If you’re due to upgrade from a pre-2018 iPad Pro, it’s a fantastic upgrade, made even better with M2.

 

[Dented]

I get the argument that it’s a bit of a lazy update, certainly they considered it minor hence the launch by press release - but I don’t see any reason to get angry about it.

Is it a bad product in itself? Of course not. It’s Apple’s best iPad, augmented with their best new chip. What’s not to like about it?

Is it expensive, might some people get better value out of a cheaper M1 model, yeah sure. But if money‘s not a problem and you just want to buy a great ipad that’s going to be current for a very long time, I can’t see what the problem is with the M2.

 

[Retskrad]

Most people should not buy top of the line iPad and Mac’s. The 16” MacBook Pro is for professionals who do work in apps like Photoshop and Davinci Resolve. The 12.9” iPad Pro is for people who work in industrues like film and TV production and graphic artists. Most people aren’t doing these tasks and instead should buy iPad Air and MacBook Air. Otherwise these products are way overpriced for your needs.

 

[DMG35]

I apologize if my post offended anyone. My point wasn’t to degrade anyone who purchased this device as in and by itself I’m sure it’s a fantastic iPad. I was just really hoping this would solve a lot of the issues I have with the current iPad Pro, as I would love to make it my business only device but can’t due to a number of limitations. Mainly the idiotic camera placement and less than stellar battery life. If Apple would have resolved those two things I would happily buy the new one even with just a spec bump.

Anyway, no offense to anyone who purchased the new one.

 

[JamesTheMac]

It wasn't announced with a great fan fair. It's just an update to what already works well, but with the M2 giving it a bit more grunt going forward, which will ultimately extend the usable life of a device someone buying now. Of course, if you've bought one in the past couple of years, unless you have a specific use for the extra power offered now, there is little point in replacing at this point in time.

So no need to rant that Apple have given you a disservice. The lack of a great leap ahead in the hardware has effectively extended the usable life of existing devices. So just go and spend the money on something else that will enrich your life and make you happy.

I think some people seem to forget that with the pandemic effectively shutting the world economy down for a year, the world is in many respects still recovering from having been on a war footing economic wise. So it's going to take a bit longer for supply chains etc. to return to pre-pandemic times.

 

[Miha_v]

Updating processors on a certain device while keeping price the same is hygienic practice. Devices are getting faster all the time and you want to deliver fresh power to potential buyers.

But what Apple has been doing for a while now is selling older devices for practically the same price, while ramping up the price of newer models with each new hardware update (at least here in Europe, not sure about US). Where I live, newest 12.9 iPad pro with 256 storage and pencil now cost around 1860Euros!

 

[Andres Cantu]

I would argue the infamous “The New iPad” aka iPad 3rd generation was the worst update ever, considering how badly it performed since day 1 due to the A5X chip not having enough graphics horsepower to drive the Retina display, AND then Apple pouring salt on the wound 7 months later with the 4th gen release.

 

[MauiPa]

faster chips at the same price, such a letdown

 

[Bobbuilds69]

Oh gawd…. Here we go again….

 

[GMShadow]

I’m so sorry this is happening to you.


To the others: a reminder that the iPad Mini 3 exists. It added Touch ID and a gold color option over the Mini 2. Nothing else changed.

 

[Onimusha370]

I apologize if my post offended anyone. My point wasn’t to degrade anyone who purchased this device as in and by itself I’m sure it’s a fantastic iPad. I was just really hoping this would solve a lot of the issues I have with the current iPad Pro, as I would love to make it my business only device but can’t due to a number of limitations. Mainly the idiotic camera placement and less than stellar battery life. If Apple would have resolved those two things I would happily buy the new one even with just a spec bump.

Anyway, no offense to anyone who purchased the new one.

No offence taken dude good to get different opinions

 

[tekchic]

I mean - you aren't really supposed to buy a new one every year. I upgraded from a 2018 11" to a 2022 12.9" and love the upgrade. I can see a speed difference, and I missed having the larger screen (although I'm still keeping the 11" for travel).

Every 4 or so years for me is the sweet spot for iPads, although in the early days I was upgrading nearly every year because the updates were significant. As a product matures, the spec bumps in processor, etc are smaller. If something crazy unique shows up next year, ok -- maybe I'll sell mine and upgrade, but I'm also just as happy to keep this 2022 M2 for another 4-6 years because it does what i need it to do now.

 

[QCassidy352]

It’s not even the worst update Apple has released since Labor Day 2022, which would be the Apple Watch Series 8. Literally nothing new but a temp sensor that half the population can’t use and crash detection.

 

[BhaveshUK]

I apologize if my post offended anyone. My point wasn’t to degrade anyone who purchased this device as in and by itself I’m sure it’s a fantastic iPad. I was just really hoping this would solve a lot of the issues I have with the current iPad Pro, as I would love to make it my business only device but can’t due to a number of limitations. Mainly the idiotic camera placement and less than stellar battery life. If Apple would have resolved those two things I would happily buy the new one even with just a spec bump.

Anyway, no offense to anyone who purchased the new one.

I would say your wording comes across hyperbolic in certain sections but never offensive. Clearly you’re very passionate about iPad if you are looking to make it your main business device, and bringing that passion into the community is wonderful for creating discourse.

I understand a lot of your pain points. The camera placement makes it hard to take seriously as a video conferencing device and the battery has been surpassed by MacBook Air. It used to be clear why someone would choose an iPad over a MacBook; however, these days I’m recommending most people just go for the MacBook Air. It’s the safer option for the majority of people who are looking for a reliable computing device to work on.

As I mentioned before, vote with your wallet. This update hasn’t resolved your biggest pain points and so no reason you should give Apple your money. Apple isn’t entitled to our money just as we’re not entitled to major updates every year 😊

 

[DMG35]

faster chips at the same price, such a letdown

Yeah that .05 seconds is a sure fire reason for this device to exist! A faster chip means ZERO when you are using iPadOS.

 

[Isengardtom]

Honestly, I think the 2018 -> 2020 iPP was an even smaller upgrade (particularly at the 1TB capacity). Mind, it’s more a 15-18 month release gap for iPad Pros.

Brand new M1 iPad Pros will go out of stock eventually and refurb stock isn’t guaranteed.

For customers who don’t like buying used, they now get a faster chipset with extra features like ProRes at the same price as the M1 model (in the US at least).

Who knows, maybe Apple will finally allow Final Cut Pro on iPads but limit certain features/capabilities to M2.

true

We basically got 1 graphics core and some camera’s nobody ever uses

 

[rkuo]

Yep 2020 was by far the worst. This year is at least 10% faster single core and a bit more GPU and multi core. The CPU is also more power efficient. That's not too bad year over year.

 

[ANDJOE]

Aren’t they going to do the same with the MacBook Pros? Just a new processor. Why the rage?

 

[dukebound85]

It’s really not that deep.

Get it or don’t.

Why discuss anything with this logic

 

[Zdigital2015]

I believe this is what’s called forum clickbait.

 

[LogicalApex]

I said it when the M1 dropped and Apple didn’t bring anything to the table to make that chip sing inside the iPad Pro. They’ll struggle to deliver valuable improvements to the iPad Pro and this is just the continuation of that reality.

I don’t think the iPad Pro exists as a product they intend to sell at high volume and it may not even be a product they intend to sell at much of a profit (Apple margins are so large I doubt they’re losing money). Obviously, I’m just a consumer like the rest of us here so I have no idea how Apple is actually positioning the iPad Pro. But I feel it is either to make the rest of the iPad line feel less expensive or to drive value into the MacBook lineup.

As the iPad Pro is so comically overpowered and overspecced for the software it is running. With only a few very niche markets that can make full use of it… That even future updates are going to be meh for foreseeable future...

What can they add?

Landscape Camera? Would be nice, but is it buy a new iPad Pro worthy? Likely not.
Better screen? I guess one that has less blooming? The 12.9” iPad Pro screen is already ridiculous.
Faster CPU? They added that this year and will next, but what software on the iPad Pro can tax it enough to matter?


I genuinely struggle to find the feature they can add that would make upgrading from my M1 12.9” iPad Pro worth it…

Is it better for Apple to sell me 1 iPad in a decade+ or a cheaper model they can entice me to upgrade 2 or 3 times in that timespan? 🤷🏾‍♂️

 

[martint235]

Well I like mine and it even fits the old case

 

[kevcube]

That holds true for all walks of life. Doesn't mean you can't express your opinion on something.

yeah but your opinion can also be plain wrong.

"the worst update Apple has ever released"​

doubt it. and I won't even waste my time finding counterexamples. this is just hyperbole and you're looking to commiserate with other forum-dwellers.

 

[usagora]

"Not improved enough for my liking" != "bad product" . . . unless you think the M1 iPad Pro was also a bad product