Apple's huge iPad Pro squeezes a lot into a comfy 'little' device

For starters, we have a 12.9" Retina display with its 5.6 million pixels - the highest resolution on any iOS device - and the A9X chip - almost double the CPU and double the graphics performance of the iPad Air 2.

Make no mistake. Apple didn't mince words - or parts - with what is arguably its best creation yet. A lot of observers - including myself - have anticipated that it was only a matter of time before the $700-billion company would give in and make a bigger version of its iconic tablet. Behold, the iPad Pro - a beast in which Apple have slapped in a lot of their best tricks to date. We'll try our best to run them down as precisely as possible.
For starters, we have a 12.9" Retina display with its 5.6 million pixels - the highest resolution on any iOS device - and the A9X chip - almost double the CPU and double the graphics performance of the iPad Air 2. Try editing a 4K video or doodle around professional designs using AutoCAD; it's almost effortless. (I am particularly impressed with the latter.) This latest iteration of the iPad has "business machine" written all over it.
Which is exactly what Apple is trying to do - carve a niche in the enterprise space. Hey, who wouldn't want to use a notebook-esque Apple iPad for real work, especially with that neat split-screen feature that allows you to work with two apps simultaneously with no hitches?
The iPad Pro features four speakers (compared to its predecessor's two), tech that is smart enough to detect which ones are on top, depending on the orientation of the device; these two are then dedicated to higher frequencies, which balance out everything. At a good distance, it even feels like surround sound.
As far as the camera is concerned, the main 8MP iSight camera does a pretty decent job; well-lit surroundings yield good results, but expect some graininess, especially in low-light conditions. Ditto for its 1.2MP front snapper. Here's the issue for cameras on tablets: they're too big to hold - even with two hands - which compromises a shot's clarity.
By now, you must've also heard about the iPad Pro's sidekicks - the Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil. Apple described the Smart Keyboard's surface as "formed from a single sheet of custom-woven fabric that has been laser-ablated to precisely form each key". Whew. In short, they're all about accurate performance. Try holding down keys like Control, Option or Command and watch on-screen shortcuts pop out in any app you're on.
As for the Apple Pencil, while it's not the first stylus on an iPad device, it's the first one created by Apple dedicated for an iPad. And it works like its name, offering pinpoint accuracy, depending on how hard you press it on the screen or how you tilt it - just like a pencil. It won't replace your trusty ol' pens and paintbrushes, but it will result in some pretty decent work. There are no buttons that you can press for additional functions. To pair it, just connect it via the lightning connector found at the "eraser" part (though it doesn't actually erase things). It lasts 10 hours, and should you run out of gas, connect it for 15 seconds and you'll get an extra 30 minutes of life. Funny how once upon a time Apple declared to the world that there was no way they'd use a stylus on their tablets.
Battery life is still at 10 hours, same as the iPad Air 2. I was expecting the iPad Pro to go up to at least a dozen. Depending on how heavily you use it, expect to charge it either every day or every two days. Touch ID is another welcome addition, but there's no 3D Touch or Force Touch (for now, I guess). Siri is present to inform and entertain you. It's also Apple SIM-compatible, but unfortunately, not yet available here in the UAE.
The question of whether it can replace a laptop yet is the most telling: remember, this is iOS, not even Mac OS, so it doesn't give you the full strength of an actual Apple laptop. And with that comes the pricing - the starting cost of a MacBook Air sits comfortably between the iPad Pro's models. Consider this: the most expensive MacBook Air goes for Dh4,799, but a complete iPad Pro set will set you back from Dh4,147 to a whopping Dh5,247 - that's more expensive than the starting prices of both the MacBook and MacBook Pro of Dh5,199.
THE LOWDOWN
Display  12.9" Retina display, LED-backlit, 5.6 million pixels
Chip   64-bit Apple A9X chip with M9 motion coprocessor
OS   iOS 9
Camera  Main - 8MP iSight; front - 1.2MP
Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2; up to LTE; Apple SIM-compatible
Battery  38.5-watt-hour Li-polymer, up to 10 hours
Price   Wi-Fi - Dh3,099 (32GB), Dh3,699 (128GB); Wi-Fi + cellular - Dh4,199 (128GB); Smart Keyboard - Dh649; Apple Pencil - Dh399
Pros   Extra-large crisp display, great sound, fast and highly responsive
Cons  Battery life still the same, no NFC, expensive
Editor's Rating 9.0/10

AND SO.

The Apple iPad Pro sets itself apart from the competition, bringing more complex functions into a comfy "little" device. It would have merited a perfect score, were it not for the battery life, camera and, most of all, the pricing.
alvin@khaleejtimes.com

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