When the iPad was introduced back in 2009, it was promised to be a magical device. Though throughout its generations, it’s always been viewed as a media consumption device rather than a workhorse. But now, Apple’s bringing out a version called the iPad Pro, maybe the answer to finally killing off the notebook. But is it really? Let’s take a look at the new iPad Pro and find out.
The box the new iPad Pro comes in is very similar to the previous iPad boxes. Though its size is more like the box of the brand new MacBook than the iPad. But truth be told, it’s slightly bigger. Inside the box, you’ll find the new iPad Pro sitting on top and beneath that lies the wall wart, lightning cable, and some literature for the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro comes in at a massive, bigger than MacBook size 12 inches long, 8.7 inches wide and 6.9mm thick.
Fun fact: the iPad Pro is as wide as the iPad Air is tall. That’s crazy to think about. And while you may think that a 12.9-inch display is small in laptop terms, when you pack that thing in something you hold like an iPad, you almost underestimate how large this thing is. And you also quickly realize that this thing is just ridiculously big. Hardware-wise, Apple had to step up their game for their Pro model. Internally, it’s running a 2.3GHz dual-core A9X processor, 4GB of RAM, and the M9 motion co-processor. When you compare it with the iPad Air, you see how much more powerful the new iPad Pro is. The iPad Air 2 runs an A8X processor at 2GHz and only 2GB of RAM.
Although that is not all that is changed about this new iPad. If you take a look around the iPad Pro, you’ll find some extra speakers. Actually, two more. It now boasts 4 speakers on the top and the bottom that finally give the iPad a true stereo speaker. But you also notice this weird looking port on the left side. That’s Apple’s Smart Connector meant for the Smart Keyboard that’s on back order, although that’s a move taken right off of the Microsoft Surface handbook.
The last thing I want to talk about in terms of hardware is the new display. Yes, it’s larger. But more importantly, it’s packed with more pixels. It now has a resolution of 2732x2048—that dials in its PPI right to 264, kind of the standard for mid-size and large-sized iPads. Though its display technology is completely new from the iPad Air 2 with deeper colors and a new touch sensor that lies beneath of the display for a faster response than before.
The big downside is the software with the iPad Pro. It’s running your standard typical iOS 9.1. And while the multitasking features for iPad are very useful on this screen real estate, I’m pretty sure you’ll quickly run into the problem of not running a proper full-blown operating system like Mac or Windows 10. That’s something the Surface had figured out a long time ago. And with a price tag of $800 and when paired up with a Smart Keyboard and yes, if you buy the Apple Pencil, you’re definitely in the MacBook Air and even the MacBook territory in terms of price range. So we’ll definitely have to see if this product deserves your hard-earned cash.