Wait, a new iPad?

The iPad Pro was released this past weekend, and it has come out to much fanfare. Here’s what you need to know. My opinion is at the bottom.

It comes in 3 colors – silver, gold, and space grey. These are the same colors as the iPhone 6s, excluding the Rose Gold finish.

Its pricing varies between $799 and $1079, depending on size and the presence of a cellular data chip. There are two sizes of storage – 32 GB and 128 GB. The cellular data chip only comes in the 128 GB size.

The display is the largest touchscreen Apple has ever produced, measuring 12.9 inches diagonal. It’s a retina display, with a pixel density of 264 pixels per inch. This is the most on an iPad, compared to the iPad Air 2 with a pixel density of 260 PPI.

On the device itself, there are a couple of new features. First, and most notable, is the smart connector. This allows the device to connect to the Apple Smart Keyboard, which is a keyboard similar to the Microsoft Surface tablet’s detachable keyboard. Another notable hardware feature is the presence of 4 speakers, which provide full persona surround sound. All other features expected are present, including TouchID. 3D touch is not present on the device.

The iPad Pro’s footprint is certainly bigger. It weighs 1.57 pounds, and is 6.9 millimeters thick. It is 12 inches long, by 8.68 inches wide.

The camera has gotten an upgrade. The rear camera is an 8 megapixel camera, with a ƒ/2.4 aperture. This is pretty standard, though lower quality than the iPhone 6s. Video is 1080p, at 120 frames per second. The front-facing camera is 1.2 megapixels, with a ƒ/2.2 aperture. This is also standard.

Apple Pay has returned, but I don’t see anyone using basically a Macbook Air to pay for their McDonald’s.

It runs iOS, which some people consider a detriment. I do as well, and think the device would be better served by running OSX.

Ultimately, I think the iPad Pro needs one more iteration before it’s a viable device for normal use. It feels much like a power-user device, rather than a household consumer. If that’s you, do not buy it.

 

Stay tuned for my next articles, on the Apple Pencil and the Apple Smart Keyboard.

 

 

Jordan Bruce

About Jordan Bruce

My name is Jordan Bruce, and I'm a rising junior at Falmouth High School. In the past 6 months, I've received qualifications for troubleshooting and servicing Mac computers, iOS devices, and all Windows computers.