A little over a year ago I bought an iPad Pro. I got the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil too. My goal was to see if an iPad could really be a work machine. I did the research, watched the videos and while my brain told me it’s probably too good to be true, my heart told me I have to have it. To be fair, I had a MacBook Pro as my main work computer so it wasn’t that big of a risk.
Over the last year and change, the iPad was a joy to use. The hardware – as in most cases with Apple products – cuts no corners. It’s well designed and feels nice to use. The software is snappy and intuitive enough for my 2 year-old to figure out.
That was then, but my situation has changed. Now, self-employed, working on my start-up, I’m not sure that the iPad Pro is enough.
The Good
- Design – Since the iPhone 4, I’ve been a sucker for the squared off metallic edges and this came back with the Gen 3 iPad Pro – Apple has returned to this for several products.
- Accessories – The Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil (Gen 2) are in a class of their own and just a joy to use (though I don’t use the Pencil all that often)
- Safari – Apple has smartly made Safari perform like a Desktop browser giving you near-complete access to web-apps like Google Docs.
Ergonomics – Fold it up and carry it anywhere, it’s ultra-portable for around the house and barely noticeable in a backpack.
The Bad
- Software Limitations – iOS is intuitive, Stage Manager had some early promise, but Files is unreliable, and other Pro apps are not as good as their web or Desktop versions.
- Connections – Connecting to drives and monitors with a dongle is iffy. Some dongles work, some don’t. Some monitors work, some don’t. It feels way too unreliable.
- Chrome – Is just a tablet browser and has not been given the same power as Safari
- Front Camera – For Zoom calls, the camera is on the left side of the screen rather than in the center which can be awkward – “I’m totally paying attention to what you’re saying.”
So as much as I wanted it to work out, I think I’m going to make the switch back to the safe option, the laptop. The iPad Pro may work for some people, but I don’t think it’s the answer for me. Not anymore at least.
Apple runs a masterclass at tiering their product lines – upselling from product to product, and I think that’s the case here too. Make the iPad Pro desirable, but not a true laptop beater – after all that would be bad for business. That said – it’s fun to imagine what this product could be if let off the leash.
Do you use an iPad as your daily driver? Let me know if you think I should give it another shot.