Is The New iPad Pro A Laptop-Killer? Here's What The Reviews Say
Usually in these review roundups we try to give you a sense of the entire device and whether it is Good. But there's not really an argument with the new iPad Pro: it is Good. If you can stomach the price tag and don't mind saying goodbye to the headphone jack, it's probably the best tablet you can buy.
But Apple has promised something more with the new Pro: a tablet that can replace your computer, so this roundup will focus on that claim and how reviewers grade it:
The Verge's Nilay Patel was impressed by the (powerful! expensive!) hardware, but repeatedly left frustrated by the limitations of iOS:
But one extremely important category of devices will definitely not work: iOS does not support external storage. You can plug as many flash drives or hard drives as you want into the iPad Pro's USB-C port, and nothing will happen. Apple says third parties can write apps to talk to external storage, but out of the box, this $1899 tablet simply won't talk to a flash drive… I can see any number of ways for me to get rid of my laptop and use the iPad Pro as my main computer — using an iPad is extremely pleasant, and it's nice to use a computer with a touchscreen. But over and over again, some annoying iOS limitation stopped me from making the switch. I don't think I'm just stuck in some old way of thinking, or that I need to to spend more time inventing a new workflow out of Siri Shortcuts and glue. It's just basic stuff, like plugging in a flash drive to grab a file, or quickly changing the name of a document before emailing it off.
Wired's Jeffrey Van Camp was also highly impressed by the iPad as a tablet and as a creative tool but found doing non-creative work could be a huge pain:
As a more traditional work PC, it sometimes struggles. In a pinch, the iPad Pro and its Smart Keyboard are usable. For example, I wrote this review on the Pro in Google Docs while also opening webpages on the right side of my screen, but it took me longer than normal to do research and collect links—and a good long while to figure out how to do other tasks. I wanted to use the normal web version of Docs, but I had to use the app. My office also uses a collaboration tool called Airtable that wouldn't work in an iPad browser. It also tossed me to the app, which lacked key features. Attaching specific files was kind of a nightmare in the Gmail app, too. Some apps, like Spotify, don't allow Split View multitasking (side-by-side viewing) at all yet. You have to use them full screen. Spreadsheets are also tougher (slower) to manipulate in the apps I've used.
[Wired]
CNET's Scott Stein also found himself going back to his laptops when push came to shove:
But would I have liked some more new moves to make the iPad Pro feel even more PC-like? Yes, I would have. Multitasking keeps getting better year after year, but it's still not as fluid as I'd like for my workflow… For comparison, I quickly hopped on an old Chromebook to save some file attachments, fill out a form, write back to someone and attach the files. Just some quick everyday work. Simple on a Chromebook, but it feels harder to do the same thing on an iPad Pro….
Then again: I wrote my whole review on this iPad Pro, used Slack, pulled together photos, did benchmarks, wrote emails and used Twitter — and it all was fine… but when it came to making edits, the Pencil's in-beta markups didn't help me enough in Pages, and in Google Docs I couldn't see group edits properly. Back to the MacBook I went.
[CNET]
Engadget's Chris Velazco also ran into issues, but he's impressed and thinks for some people, the iPad Pro could be a daily laptop:
In the process of putting together our review, I've been trying to do everything — writing, image editing, formatting the layout — right from the iPad. The experience has been mixed, to say the least. This version of the iPad has come the closest to actually replacing my work computer, but it's still not there yet. As always, your mileage will vary; I can imagine a few scenarios where this iPad Pro could all but replace a standard laptop for daily use.
[Engadget]
Laptop Mag's Mark Spoonauer loves the iPad Pro, but says to go with the Microsoft Surface Pro if you want a 2-in-1:
If you're looking for a true laptop replacement, the Surface Pro 6 is a better option. It's not as speedy, but Microsoft's 2-in-1 offers a more comfortable keyboard with a touchpad and a true desktop environment.
Mashable's Raymond Wong was blown away by the Pro's speed and was left wishing he could do more with it:
[F]undamental 2-in-1 laptop things like cursor support, or keyboard shortcuts, or real windowed-apps are either nonexistent or still not yet available in many apps.
I'm aware that iOS is an entirely different way of doing things compared to macOS and Windows 10 and I don't know what's the best solution to make it more like these desktop operating systems without compromising its lightness. All I know is the more Apple keeps cramming in so much power into the iPad Pro, the more I wish it could do more macOS things.
[Mashable]
And TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino agrees:
I still don't think Apple is doing enough in software to support the speed and versatility that is provided by the hardware in the iPad Pro. While split screening apps and creating 'spaces' that remain in place to bounce between has been a nice evolution of the iPad OS, it's really only a fraction of what is possible.
And I think even more than hardware, Apple's iPad users are being underestimated here…
Apple needs to unleash itself from the shackles of a unified iOS. They don't have to feel exactly the same now, because the user base is not an infantile one. They've been weaned on it — now give them solid food.
The Washington Post's Geoffrey Fowler also isn't convinced yet, but he's willing to be — one day:
There's also a posture challenge. Since you need to touch the screen to swipe through apps or select things, I couldn't quite figure out how to sit with the iPad. Hunched over? What about while writing, where the screen is propped up in that case but you still need to reach up to do things? Apple has in the past criticized other tech for causing "gorilla arm syndrome" with vertical touch screens, but it's done little new to address the problem here…. When Apple first popularized the mouse in the 80s, people complained it required so much wrist motion. When the iPhone first arrived, people complained it lacked a physical keyboard. I'm sure we'll look back on the iPad Pro in the same way, but it still has some evolving to do. Until then, bring back my mouse.
TL;DR
The Verge's Nilay Patel summed it up best: "I don't think people should adapt to their computers. Computers should adapt to people."
