Does size really matter?
Let’s face it, size is what
most people are judging Apple’s iPod Pro on, or specially, its 12.9-inch
screen. If that’s your only criteria for buying the Pro, remember:
bigger isn’t always better. While there are a few perks to having some
extra real estate on the screen to work with, you’re going to pay for it
with shorter battery life and some unwanted awkwardness. If using the
iPhone 6s is the smartphone equivalent of driving a Porsche, then the
iPad Pro is more like driving a tractor trailer.
Let’s get to the
basics. The Pro’s screen is big, 78 per cent bigger than the iPad 2 Air.
If you’re looking to use your iPad for work, such as simultaneously
moving back and forth between your word processor and a spreadsheet, you
can do that now. You could technically do this with the iPad Air 2, but
the bigger screen means working in two windows is a lot easier.
The
Pro certainly highlights iOS 9’s ability to multitask. The be blunt,
this isn’t real multitasking. While the Pro can have two apps open an
once, the only program actually “running” is the window the users is
working in. If you really want to see an example of this, try running a
game in the second window. It will freeze when you move back to the
first. There are exceptions — video will always continue to run — but
it’s clear there are software issues for developers to sort out.
This
isn’t completely unexpected, for no other reason than apps have to be
customised to run in Apple’s multi-window environment. App developers
always take time to adjust to Apple’s newest technology, but that
doesn’t change the fact that as of now, relatively few apps are ready to
handle the multi-window environment.
Apple
isn’t currently giving out the number of app customised for the Pro,
and that’s not a good sign either. Apple loves telling everyone how many
apps run its latest technology. 10,000 apps could run its 3D user
interface when the iPhone 6s launched in the UAE just a few months ago.
A
search through the Apple Store shows there are more also games apps
being featured for the Pro than business apps. Gamers certainly won’t
complain, but it’s not a good sign for a iPad being marketed for its business applicability.
But
even given the number of apps, the multi-window environment combined
with the larger screen size means that for a certain type of person,
namely anyone who wants to travel light, the iPad Pro works as a pretty
good notebook computer. It isn’t going to replace your Alienware gaming
rig, but with a Bluetooth keyboard, you’ll be able to due basic
computing while still being able to play music, browse the net, and
watch some movies without a sore shoulder.
The obvious question,
or at least the one being asked online, is why would someone use the Pro
as a laptop when you could instead use either a MacBook or, if you’re
not tied into the Apple OS, a much less expensive Android tablet or
Chrome book.
The answer to the later is power. The Pro has a fair
amount of computing power with Apple claiming Pro can edit two streams
of 4K video simultaneously, something a $400 Chrome book isn’t going to
do. The A9X chip Apple has added the Pro gives the tablet a noticeable
amount of power in everything it does.
The answer to the former is
a little tricker. Apple is only asking $300 more for a MacBook and a
high-power PC equivalent can be had for less than $1,000. It’s all going
to come down to how you deal with the Pro’s size.
When it comes
to size, the Pro takes a lot getting used to. The iPad mini is great for
reading and mobile web browsing. The larger iPad Air is also good for
one handed reading, if only slightly less so than the mini. But the Pro
takes two hands, so forget about holding it in one hand and typing with
the other. in fact, unless you have airs like Popeye the Sailor, you can
forget about holding it with one hand at all. When you add its case and
magnetic front cover, the Pro weights in at 2lbs, 4 ounces. A similarly
equipped iPad Air weights in a 1lbs, 5 ounces.
Granted, you won’t
always want or need to hold it. There are times, such when you are
watching movies, when this won’t matter, and the Pro is a great screen
for watching movies. The big screen and the four built-in speakers are
far better than any previous iPad offering.
Those speakers and
extra-large screen take a toll on the battery life, though. While Apple
claims 10 hours battery life — not exactly excellent battery life to
start with — I’ve gotten as little as 7 hours of power during heavy
usage. Even if you can get those promised 10 hours, that is only going
to give you half a day. You may get through a day at work, but you’ll
need a recharge for any after hours use.
There is one other
category of professionals that Apple hopes to cater to with the Pro:
artists. One of the biggest hyped accessories for the iPad Pro is the
Apple Pencil. It’s a Bluetooth connected stylus that gives artists an
experience similar to using a real pencil, such as pressing harder to
get a darker line.
I have no use for the Pencil: I don’t draw, I
don’t need a stylus for navigating iOS9 and the number of things that
require pixel-accurate placement, which the Pencil does provide, in my
life is zero.
There is also a lack of Apple’s usual style in this
stylus. It’s kind if big, closer in size to a one of those novelty size
pencils you had when you were 10 years old then in a standard No. 2.
It’s big enough that my hand cramped after using for about 15 minutes.
Also,
I will lose it. Even back in my Palm Pilot days, a device than actually
integrated a stylus into the body of the device, I lost a lot of
styluses. The Apple pencil, which costs Dh399, is an expensive accessory
to lose.
However, given my lack of artistic experience, I decided
to handle it over to someone who actually knew something about art: my
wife, who is a regular user of Wacoms tablets, the current dominate
drawing pad on the market.
Her response was positive, although the bottom line was that the Pro
isn’t as good as a Wacom when it comes to drawing. But then the Wacom
doesn’t have the ability to stream Apple Music, either.
The bottom
line is that even those options still limit the number of people who
will get the most out of the iPad Pro. If size and power are your only
considerations, then the Pro is the tablet you’ve been looking for. It’s
big. It’s powerful. If your looking for 24 hour battery life and an
ergonomic users experience, than think about sticking with the iPad Air.
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