As I read in this forum mixed reviews and questions about the new iPad Pro, I thought I’d put in my 2 cents and write a quick positive review based on my experience with it for the last two weeks of apprehensively buying this amazing piece of machinery.
I’ve been a long time iPad user, and upgraded to the iPad Pro 10.5 last year, and was probably my most used iPad I’ve owned. I mainly used it for day to day business tasks during work. Taking it to meetings, writing emails, surfing the internet and consuming media while traveling on long train rides or trips on planes. For all of which I described the device was perfect. The keyboard case worked great and although the keyboard was slightly tight, I got used to it, and was pretty efficient typing for long periods of time.
However, for creative work, I tended to shy away from it. At first it was software related, where tools weren’t quite as good as their desktop equivelant. Being a photographer, I bought the Apple Pencil to use for editing photos, but because of the limitation in software and access to the files system and other workflow limitations, I did not use the iPad Pro as my photography editing device very often.
Although I enjoyed the portability and handling of the 10.5, I think in the end I found the screen to be limiting when doing creative work on it. Sure it was possible, and there are people doing it all of the time, but I didn’t flock to it, and it wasn’t in my comfort zone.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago; Apple announces the new iPad Pros. I deliberated on purchasing this new device, but really hesitated based on price and lack of major software changes and upgrades. So I dismissed it.
Then I was at a client site one day, and one of my colleagues, had his new 12.9 inch iPad Pros, and so I picked it up and that was it. I was hooked. It felt so nice in the hands and didn’t feel as ginormous as the older 12.9. It was like a nice happy medium between the old 12.9 and the 10.5. But most importantly it was nice and thin. The weight was also a lot better. I really liked how it fit in the hands, and I could really see myself using this device for creative work, so I went down to the Apple Store that day and picked myself up a 12.9” iPad Pro in Space Gray with 256GB, the Smart Keyboard Case and the new Pencil.
It is true. This is the best iPad that Apple has released. The hardware design is unmatched and if you pick it up, you want it. It’s so thin!!
I immediately incorporated it as my main machine, and began doing as much as I could with it.
First thing I noticed is how much nicer it was having the screen real estate! But still retaining a compact footprint, and ergonomic. So balanced and thin!
So I tested out Lightroom CC, Affinity Photo, and even explored video editing with LunaFusion and I’m happy to report that working in those apps was really refreshing. I really enjoyed the more tactile approach to content creation it ran on the iPad Pro with no issue. And this thing is FAST!
I also started writing my notes instead of typing them, and I’ve really enjoyed it. The new pencil has a precision, that really makes using it a satisfying experience.
The Smart Keyboard is great when you’re typing for long periods of time, and it even makes the iPad Pro a lap friendly device. My only complaint is that it adds a significant amount of added weight and sort of kills the experience of when you hold it bare and without any accessories. But I usually just snap the keyboard off when I’m not using it and hold the iPad Pro bareback.
It is true that iOS is the one thing holding the device back, however I have a feeling that this is a precursor to a major release of iOS next year or even a iOS MacOS hybrid, allowing you to run the iPad like a desktop system and actually gaining access to the file system and being able to organize it. But until then, this is not a replacement for your laptop. Although for some it maybe for very specific tasks.
I think if you are a creative, this IS the machine to get. The screen is superb, the pencil is awesome and the software platform and apps platform is sound. It’s really amazing how you can make music, edit audio, ingest and edit video, edit photos, as well, as illustrate, draw, and all this other stuff you can do in the creative world.
And for those worried about if the iPad Pro bends, I’m sure the answer is yes. But who wants to intentially bend their iPad Pro. That’s crazy to me.
So my final thought is WOW. This is an amazing machine, and every day I work with it, I like it more and more, which is really rare for me.
So if you are remotely interested in the new iPad Pro 2018, just get it. I got the 12.9 and certainly recommend that to creative professionals, however I really like the 11 inch as well and is also more than capable.
Hope this helps any users on the fence. I say get it. Yes it’s expensive, but I think it’s worth it.
I’ve been a long time iPad user, and upgraded to the iPad Pro 10.5 last year, and was probably my most used iPad I’ve owned. I mainly used it for day to day business tasks during work. Taking it to meetings, writing emails, surfing the internet and consuming media while traveling on long train rides or trips on planes. For all of which I described the device was perfect. The keyboard case worked great and although the keyboard was slightly tight, I got used to it, and was pretty efficient typing for long periods of time.
However, for creative work, I tended to shy away from it. At first it was software related, where tools weren’t quite as good as their desktop equivelant. Being a photographer, I bought the Apple Pencil to use for editing photos, but because of the limitation in software and access to the files system and other workflow limitations, I did not use the iPad Pro as my photography editing device very often.
Although I enjoyed the portability and handling of the 10.5, I think in the end I found the screen to be limiting when doing creative work on it. Sure it was possible, and there are people doing it all of the time, but I didn’t flock to it, and it wasn’t in my comfort zone.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago; Apple announces the new iPad Pros. I deliberated on purchasing this new device, but really hesitated based on price and lack of major software changes and upgrades. So I dismissed it.
Then I was at a client site one day, and one of my colleagues, had his new 12.9 inch iPad Pros, and so I picked it up and that was it. I was hooked. It felt so nice in the hands and didn’t feel as ginormous as the older 12.9. It was like a nice happy medium between the old 12.9 and the 10.5. But most importantly it was nice and thin. The weight was also a lot better. I really liked how it fit in the hands, and I could really see myself using this device for creative work, so I went down to the Apple Store that day and picked myself up a 12.9” iPad Pro in Space Gray with 256GB, the Smart Keyboard Case and the new Pencil.
It is true. This is the best iPad that Apple has released. The hardware design is unmatched and if you pick it up, you want it. It’s so thin!!
I immediately incorporated it as my main machine, and began doing as much as I could with it.
First thing I noticed is how much nicer it was having the screen real estate! But still retaining a compact footprint, and ergonomic. So balanced and thin!
So I tested out Lightroom CC, Affinity Photo, and even explored video editing with LunaFusion and I’m happy to report that working in those apps was really refreshing. I really enjoyed the more tactile approach to content creation it ran on the iPad Pro with no issue. And this thing is FAST!
I also started writing my notes instead of typing them, and I’ve really enjoyed it. The new pencil has a precision, that really makes using it a satisfying experience.
The Smart Keyboard is great when you’re typing for long periods of time, and it even makes the iPad Pro a lap friendly device. My only complaint is that it adds a significant amount of added weight and sort of kills the experience of when you hold it bare and without any accessories. But I usually just snap the keyboard off when I’m not using it and hold the iPad Pro bareback.
It is true that iOS is the one thing holding the device back, however I have a feeling that this is a precursor to a major release of iOS next year or even a iOS MacOS hybrid, allowing you to run the iPad like a desktop system and actually gaining access to the file system and being able to organize it. But until then, this is not a replacement for your laptop. Although for some it maybe for very specific tasks.
I think if you are a creative, this IS the machine to get. The screen is superb, the pencil is awesome and the software platform and apps platform is sound. It’s really amazing how you can make music, edit audio, ingest and edit video, edit photos, as well, as illustrate, draw, and all this other stuff you can do in the creative world.
And for those worried about if the iPad Pro bends, I’m sure the answer is yes. But who wants to intentially bend their iPad Pro. That’s crazy to me.
So my final thought is WOW. This is an amazing machine, and every day I work with it, I like it more and more, which is really rare for me.
So if you are remotely interested in the new iPad Pro 2018, just get it. I got the 12.9 and certainly recommend that to creative professionals, however I really like the 11 inch as well and is also more than capable.
Hope this helps any users on the fence. I say get it. Yes it’s expensive, but I think it’s worth it.
