Apple’s latest 13-inch iPad Pro (AAPL) is a technical marvel.
But software still hinders the iPad Pro’s true potential, relegating the device to a sleek, high-end content-consuming package rather than allowing the iPad Pro to realize its productivity potential.
The company has packed its latest M4 processor with up to ten CPU and ten GPU cores, more than you’ll find in the current MacBook Air and at least one version of the MacBook Pro, into a tablet that’s thinner than the iPod Nano. Apple.
At just 5.1 millimeters thick, the iPad Pro feels like if you hold it at one end, the other end drops down like a piece of loose-leaf paper. Of course not. The 11-inch iPad Pro is almost as thin at 5.3 mm.
Oh, and then there’s the new Ultra Retina XDR display. Apple says the screen combines two OLED panels to increase overall brightness while delivering the same exceptional benefits you’d get from a regular OLED screen. That means inky black and brilliant colors.
And it will all cost you. A base 13-inch iPad Pro with Apple’s Magic Keyboard costs $1,648. That’s more than a high-end 13-inch MacBook Air and an entry-level MacBook Pro.
But I could handle that price if the iPad Pro didn’t have one major setback: iPadOS.
Software crashes
Over the years, the iPad has made strides toward offering more Mac-like capabilities.
You can run multiple apps at the same time, connect to an external display for a larger workspace, group apps, and more.
But iPadOS still holds the iPad Pro back from its true potential.
I wrote this entire review on the iPad Pro. And while it has served me well, I am still limited by the way I can arrange windows. The fact that I can only run four apps on the screen at a time without having to take them out of the side panel, and that apps still default to their iPad version instead of a full Mac version, are among the biggest obstacles.
It’s things like this that make it hard to use the iPad Pro as a full-on laptop replacement, even though that’s clearly how Apple wants you to think of the tablet.
To say I’m torn is an understatement. I love how powerful the iPad Pro is, how beautiful the screen is, and how incredibly thin it is. But I also want it to do more with that than it does.
Apple is clearly concerned that if the iPad Pro becomes more of a Mac, it will cannibalize MacBook sales.
And that’s probably true. After all, if you have the money to burn, an iPad Pro running macOS would be easy to recommend over the MacBook Air.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Air loses its value, though: it would still serve as a fantastic entry-level laptop for Apple, while the MacBook Pro would remain the company’s most powerful portable.
A laptop killer by almost any measure
The new iPad Pro destroys most of the super-thin laptops on the market.
The huge touchscreen is fantastic, the Magic Keyboard is as responsive and typing as comfortable as a standard MacBook, and the trackpad is roomy and offers haptic feedback when you click on it.
Plus, it has a new right-side camera that, when using the iPad Pro in landscape mode, acts as a solid front camera that automatically keeps you in view via the Center Stage feature. Stereo speakers also help if you want to use it as a mini TV on the go or for meetings or whatever.
And did I mention that the M4 chip is absurd for how thin this tablet is? I ran the Geekbench benchmark, which tests CPU performance, on the iPad Pro and my wife’s 2023 MacBook Air with an M2 processor, and the iPad practically suplexed the Air right through my coffee table. Speaking figuratively.
It also easily beat my 2021 MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro chip and 32GB of RAM.
There’s no way around it: the 13-inch iPad Pro is an absolute monster, especially for its size.
Apple will host its annual WWDC event on June 10, and there’s a chance the company will announce an update for the iPad Pro that will make it a real laptop killer. At least that’s what I hope for.
And if you’re looking for a powerful iPad that will outperform all other tablets, the Pro is the way to go. If you can get around Apple’s software decisions, you should make one.
But if you’re hoping this Pro is the laptop replacement you’ve been waiting for, you’re out of luck.
Email Daniel Howley at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
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