Earlier this week Xcite hooked me up with the brand new iPad Pro 12.9-inch that was recently released by Apple. I hadn’t really considered getting the 12.9-inch iPad Pro until I realized it would be a great way to edit my photos using Adobe Lightroom. I’ve had the iPad now for less than a week and still need to pick up the Apple pencil and keyboard, but I wanted to post my initial impression first until I get the rest of the stuff.
My current Mac setup at home is composed of a 27-inch iMac which I use mostly for my design work, a 13-inch MacBook Pro which I use as my daily computer, and a 9.7-inch iPad Pro I use for random things like watching YouTube videos in bed or when I want to chill and browse the web at a coffee shop. Most of the reviews online have been discussing if the new iPad Pro’s can replace your computer, I wasn’t looking to do that instead, I wanted it as a supplementary device to my current setup. My first impression so far? I’m loving it.
The thing that surprised me the most is the thickness and size of the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It’s thinner than my iPhone XS and even though I had read that in the reviews, I didn’t believe it until I put the iPad next to my phone. I compared the size of the iPad to various mac devices and you can see some of those comparisons below with more on my instagram acccount @mark248am. It’s clearly a much more manageable size compared to the older larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
So far I’ve mostly been using the iPad to edit the photos I took of the Ferrari Portofino I test drove a few days ago. I’ve been using Adobe Lightroom and the process has been super smooth. Because the new iPad Pro uses USB-C, I was able to connect my Sony A7 III camera to the iPad and copy all the photos easily and I’m loving the experience so far.
Really my only gripe with the new iPad so far is that it’s a fingerprint magnet (more than usual). Both my older 9.7-inch iPad Pro and my iPhone don’t capture as many fingerprints and it really shows on the screen both when turned on and off. I guess things will improve once I get the Apple Pencil but still, this is pretty annoying.
Once I get the pencil and keyboard I’ll post a more thorough review but for now, if you’re interested in picking up a new iPad Pro I think Xcite still have a few left [Link]
16 replies on “First Impression: iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2018)”
This is such a beast piece of gadget
Just use a screen protector and a case if you want it to be less of a fingerprint magnet.
Screen protector? Gross
What’s so gross about a screen protector?
https://i.imgur.com/ZDcliHL.jpg
Same same
You could consider Clear Coat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daK_wqSO-bk
Nah I’m good
Hi,
Do we have to purchase the pencil separately ?
Best regards
Yup and it’s not cheap!
I have very little knowledge about IOS, can it be used as a replacement for the MacBook Air 13″? (I want to buy it as a gift)
Depends what that person uses their MacBook Air for
Schooling and lictures
it does not support mouse and besides the new mac book air will be released soon better get that also ios apps are different from macbook apps or programs.ios apps are limited to ios only and cannot be used from mac.
it doesn’t support a mouse but does support the apple pencil so depending on what you want to do, it can be a pro or a con. For example, if the person he’s gifting the device to is an illustrator, they’re going to want the pencil over the mouse.
I have the previous generation ipad pro with the pencil and I tried to use it as a laptop replacement, here are some issues with it and if they apply to the new version:
Pros 👍:
✔ you have to use the keyboard case to get most use for it as a laptop replacement, and the keyboard case doesn’t protect the back of the ipad. In the new version, they fixed it and now the keyboard case covers the entire back of the ipad.
✔ not having to dock the pencil! finally this annoyance has been fixed and this may be reason enough for me to switch the the new version because the Pencil experience on the old one is just stupid. You have to physically charge the pencil by sticking it into the charging port on the iPad, where it sticks out like a sore thumb while it charges.
✔ thanks to removal of the home key, the same sized ipad now has a bigger screen; or to put it another way, the larger ipads are now “smaller”.
Not cons, but 🤔 :
❌ to use it with the pencil and the keyboard case is not that practical, as the case will collapse once you rest your palm on the tablet. This applies to both old and new ipad pros. So you must remove it from the case, to take full advantage of the pencil.
❔ multi-tasking on the ipad is very simple – if you have the keyboard attached as you can use the CMD+tab key to cycle between open apps – but the split-view setup on ipad pro is still confusing to me; especially as some apps refuse to dock and just float around taking up space. This may be because I don’t use an iphone as a daily device so I may not be that used to the interface, but its very annoying when trying to get work done.
❔ many apps are available on the app store, but if you use “office” keep in mind that the apps on the app store are very limited versions of the full blown apps you would get on a Windows device like a Surface Go or Surface Pro. This will depend what you need to use the device for. Note taking, sketching, illustrating, photo touch ups, reading books – all excellent on the ipad pro and definitely my go-to device for these functions.
For serious work on the go and maximum compatibility with everything, I recommend the Surface Go or Surface Pro.
For the rest of us, the ipad pro (even the old generation) is a great purchase. You’ll find more uses for it the more time you spend with it.
Mark you should make video reviews of gadgets and cars like bloggers on YouTube. You got the gear to shoot and everything.