Last year I bought a new iPad Pro; specifically, the 12.9-inch version, sans the Smart Keyboard, but with cellular built in, 256GB storage. $1,079. That price does not include carrying case, case, Pencil, or AppleCare.
I love iPad Pro. I want a new iPad Pro.
Why? Apple’s new $329 iPad, sans anything Pro except Apple Pencil, is a bargain and if I’m going pro then I want more professional features.
iPad Pro hasn’t changed much since the launch in late summer 2016. 12.9-inches for the larger model, 10.5-inches now for the smaller model. iPad Pro is fast, but barely faster than the $329 entry-level iPad. Both use Pencil, once considered a professional feature. Apple’s diminishing stature in schools has changed focus. More iPad features. Less money.
iPad Pro models are positioned such that the 10.5-inch version isn’t a good Mac replacement, while the more cumbersome 12.9-inch version isn’t a good iPad if all you do is touch and never need a keyboard. I need the keyboard. The 10.5-inch version is a better traveler but not a good notebook, so I went with the 12.9-inch version.
Without question new iPad Pro models will ditch Touch ID and have Face ID built in. Notch? No need. iPad Pro’s screen and size do not require all the Face ID goodies to take up screen real estate, even when the bezel gets smaller (it will).
The real question I have regarding Face ID is, well, where will it be? At the top in Landscape mode? Or, at the top in Portrait mode. On iPads today the camera is on top in Portrait mode and I expect it to stay there.
What about iPad Pro’s display? Not much has changed in a few years. Resolution is greater on the Pro models than the entry level $329 iPad and the iPad mini, but Apple could easily put a 4K display in iPad Pro. Most of my iTunes movies and TV shows are viewed on the iPad Pro, but 4K content goes to a new 4K HDR television. It would be great to have that content on a 1TB iPad Pro model, right?
Keyboard? Smart Keyboard sucks. The screen angle is fixed and the keyboard– good for short writing stints– is not good for writers who spend the day slaving over a hot keyboard. I would pay extra for a clamshell keyboard-iPad Pro combo.
In essence, I want an iPad Pro with a 4K display, more storage, faster CPU and GPU, continued Pencil support, Face ID, improved cameras (front and back), smaller bezels, longer battery life, and a clamshell case and keyboard but smaller and lighter than a MacBook.
Is that too much to ask?