An entirely new iPad Pro where many of them will find it is their ultimate PC replacement.
Alright, let’s see about that. On the surface the iPad Pro 9.7 inch looks just like the
last few iPad Air models. That’s not exactly a bad thing, this is one of the thinnest tablets
out there which paired with the light weight does a lot for in hand use. The 12.9 inch
iPad Pro always felt a bit too big to me, it’s an absolutely giant tablet where the
9.7 feels more like the right trade off between screen size and portability. The aluminum
build feels familiar if you’ve used pretty much any iPad ever, it might not be exciting
but there’s no denying it’s a solid piece of hardware. It’s one thing to make a nice
iPad but it’s an entirely different story when you want to replace a PC. It does have
a few things going for it. Inside it has reasonably decent specs with the Apple A9X, two gigabytes
of RAM and up to a 256 gigabyte SSD. It compares decently with the Core i5 powered Surface
Pro 4 which is absolutely no slouch, it even narrowly edges it out on on the graphics side.
Apple claims it has more GPU horsepower than an Xbox 360 and I have no problem believing
that, not only does it handle graphically intense titles easily but it’s seriously
quick in day to day use. App switching takes no time and even with several apps open and
multiple browser tabs it doesn’t trip up. It might be clocked a bit lower than the 12.9
inch iPad Pro but it’s also got a much smaller screen to drive which more than evens the
playing field. The hardware might be there but can iOS really replace Windows? My immediate
reaction was of course not and it absolutely has its’ limits. You’re not going to find
most pro oriented apps like Photoshop or a version of Chrome that supports plugins like
Flash. While the App Store has a decent variety of games you certainly aren’t going to find
PC caliber titles like in Steam, it might be a reasonably powerful iPad but this definitely
won’t replace your gaming PC. To be fair it probably can replace a laptop for most
things though, web browsing feels right on par with new machines and there are a lot
of solid iPad optimized apps available for everyday use like Spotify and YouTube. If
you’ve used an iPad in the last couple years none of this will be a surprise but there
are some pro oriented features. With the latest generation of iPads you get essential features
like actual multitasking. While there’s a basic version of this on a few iPad models
the Pro supports two full apps on screen at once which makes this actually usable as a
work machine, simple things like being able to play a video in a pop up player is legitimately
really useful. You can have the browser open on one side and Twitter on the other for example,
not all apps support this just yet and it’s not as straightforward as a normal desktop
with windowed programs but it is a step in the right direction. The biggest thing that
makes the iPad Pro even remotely usable as a laptop replacement is the Smart Keyboard.
While the software keyboard on this size screen actually isn’t bad there’s no competing
with a proper physical solution. That’s where the Smart Keyboard comes in, this is
an accessory that neatly folds up as a cover when you’re not using it. It makes a big
difference, iOS might not be designed from the ground up for keyboard use but this goes
a long way in giving you more of a laptop feel. You’ve got traditional keyboard shortcuts
like Command-Tab to pull up an app switcher and basics like Cut, Copy and Paste. Some
apps also have custom shortcuts like Tweetbot for quickly switching between tabs, it surprised
me at just how much something simple like this immediately makes the iPad feel a lot
more like a laptop. It’s not perfect though, there are small quirks that stem from iOS
expecting a software keyboard but as a 9.7 inch tablet the biggest restriction is just
the size, the keyboard is noticeably smaller than normal which takes some getting used
to. There’s decent spacing and a reasonable amount of key travel but it feels more like
the 12 inch MacBook keyboard than a traditional laptop. There’s also the Apple Pencil. I’ll
be the first one to admit I have zero artistic skill so styluses usually aren’t even on
my radar but I let my friend Matt Pearce give it a try. It’s definitely giving you more
precise controls, this doesn’t really matter that much in some apps but in some apps it
definitely does. Any kind of drawing app, having the pressure sensitivity it also measures
tilt control as well and that’s something that you know, you don’t have sensors in
your hand transmitting to the iPad so you’re never going to get that with just your finger.
So it really comes down to are you a person who consumes a lot of data off your iPad you
probably don’t need it, if you’re a person who inputs a lot of stuff into your iPad then
it’ll definitely come in handy. Not all of the changes are about productivity however.
While the screen is still the same size and resolution it’s been upgraded with an expanded
color gamut and an interesting feature called True Tone. This uses a series of light sensors
to not only adjust brightness depending on your surroundings but also the color temperature.
It warms up the screen when you’re in normal lighting and cools it in other situations,
you’ll probably want to turn this off if you’re working with things that rely on
accurate color but it does a good job of making the screen easier on the eyes. Arguably the
bigger upgrade is on the audio side, we’ve now got a pretty impressive four speaker setup.
Not only does this deliver stereo sound but the volume is significantly louder compared
to previous iPads.
The camera has also seen a major upgrade, it’s the same 12 megapixel unit from the
6S Plus. While this doesn’t do anything to make you less ridiculous looking for using
an iPad to take pictures at least the photos you take will be solid. The video is no joke
either, you’ve got the same video modes from the latest iPhone including up to 4K
recording. It seems crazy but the iPad Pro could actually make a pretty solid all in
one video shooting and editing machine. And that’s one of the things that makes this
such an interesting product. As a tablet it really doesn’t get much better, this is
a killer consumption device like iPads have always been. It’s also made major strides
toward becoming something you can do real work on, I’ve been using it for a few days
now and the only time I’ve had to go to a regular computer is to edit video. Your
mileage will absolutely vary but as ridiculous as using an iPad to replace a PC sounds it’s
actually kind of doable? So would you guys ever replace your laptop with an iPad Pro?
Let me know in the comments below and if you enjoyed this video and you want to see more
like this definitely be sure to subscribe to the channel. Anyway guys thank you so much
for watching and I will catch you in the next one.