Apple - 11-Inch iPad Pro (Latest Model) with Wi-Fi - 64GB - Space Gray

Simply the best revision of the iPad in history. I'll give a quick summary, then list the pro's and cons. First, this thing is insanely fast, compact, and the new folio keyboard is in my opinion tenfold better than the ladder 10.5 pro keyboard. This is so compact, by the pictures you can see how slim it is with the keyboard over. It now covers the Front AND Back of the iPad, making it completely worth it plus 2 angles. I honestly don't think the iPad Pro 11 is worth it without the folio. Second, this thing is so compact, i'll be taking it everywhere, and while writing the review i'm playing music on it while taking pictures on it. My laptop I would never do that. If you travel a lot, leave your laptop at home and take this! I can remote into my desktop at home for heavy IT reliant jobs. Pros: -Out of this world A12X performance. This 7nm new chip from Apple is honestly evolutionary. It compares to an i7 7700k from Intel! This is a huge watt chip that is in a desktop. Coming from a guy with an MIS (IT) degree, I hate to be dramatic, but it is evolutionary. The claims are true. -New compact factor: Finally apple reworked the chassis and made nearly full screen and more compact. Perfect size. -Great Speakers (playing music while my desktop speakers are in front of me) the speakers are so good. -New Folio keyboard is so much better this iteration. -Slim weight and size (boxed) -USBC was definitely needed for a "laptop replacement" argument Cons: There are a few cons that really should be addressed in the iPad Pro 11 Inch "2?" -USBC port is great, but when I plug directly into my drone, it doesn't read the SD card like cameras are advertised to. Not sure why. Hoping iOS uodates fix this. -It is quite expensive. I'd rather see this lower around $699 starting. $799 for the 128GB instead of $949 for the 256GB -Getting rid of the headphone jack really turns me off personally. It could easily fit it, apple wants you to go wireless in their ecosystem and cave in on it. I understand, but it isn't practical yet to get as good of quality as wired earbuds. Until then, i'll use my old wired pair. Hopefully new developments soon on this area. -Mouse movement would be cool, but would add bulk. Some in between solution would be great of apple to come up with. Perhaps a stylus type deal where you can "draw it" on a counter to move the mouse area. If you are planning to wait, don't! This is the biggest update in the iPad history. Like a review said online, there will not be a major reworking for a while (like the iPhone X and XS). I am extremely picky and return products with the slightest disappointment, and I do not regret it at all. 64GB storage is plenty for me even with 4k drone videos and a lot of pictures. Would rather pay $100 more for 128GB (or should be standard with this price point). You get what you pay for in the Tech Business!

First a little background so you can understand where I’m coming from. My first PC was a PC Junior, souped up to double the ram from 64K to 128K. I read the MS-DOS, 1-2-3 and Word Perfect manuals cover to cover. So, I’ve always been comfortable in a keyboard world. In fact, I still use the 2007 command menu stucture in Excel because its faster and easier for me to remember the old keystrokes rather than having to look at the screen and figure out where the commands are in the latest version. I had a 7 year old iPAD and a 3.5 year old PC. When my PC started crawling, I started thinking what my next computer would be. We have smart TVs at home, so I figured out how to manage e-mails and online news via TV. So, I wanted something very compact that let me use Excel, Word, and possibly PowerPoint on the road. I have used MS Office for many years, but am trying to avoid buying ANOTHER copy of Office. In the iOS world, apps are purchased once and generally updated for free. I’ve been very happy with my Apple iPad, iPhones and Watch. Office 2017 is a single purchase which works on notebooks and MicroSoft’s Surface tablet. Office 365 is a subscription purchase which works on iPads. I decided to go with the iPad Pro because it’s speedy processor is likely to be servicable for much longer than the Surface. When buying a computer, you should view purchase price in relation to useful life. A more expensive computer that lasts twice as long could be the cheaper option. I did get the Apple keyboard and pencil too. Others have complained about the lack of a mouse. I don’t find that a problem, perhaps because I use the keyboard more than most. Moving my hand from the keyboard to grab a pencil isn’t that different than grabbing a mouse. Ditto for tapping the pencil vs. moving the cursor via a mouse. And the pencil is wonderful because it’s so much more accurate than my finger and doesn’t leave smudges on the screen. I don’t find the keyboard very noisy. A particular need for me was the size of the right shift key. I’m used to a double-wide shift key, which the Apple keyboard has. Some newer notebooks and WiFi keyboards use a single-wide right shift key and place the up arrow where the left side of the shift key would be. This would cause the cursor to jump up instead of capitalizing - a non-starter for me. I have been using the free Excel and Word apps on my Apple devices for several months. I find that large Excel files aren’t stable on iCloud. It occasionally crashes leaving an unintelligible file on your device. Fortunately, a recent version can be recovered from iCould.com. So I save key files on iCloud, One Drive and a jump drive. Apple also adds a sequencing number to your file name, which is something MicroSoft manages around. The free versions are scaled down. They do open password protected files, but in read-only mode. And they don’t support more exotic formulas or more sophisticated word processing commands. So far, it’s working fine for me on the road and I can clean up the rest at home on my PC. Not finding the lack of a USB drive option too much of an issue. I am using iCould and OneDrive. I also am using SanDisk’s iXpand drive, which allows me to load files from PCs to my iPhone via a jump drive in cases where I don’t want stuff on the cloud. And I can AirDrop files back and forth between my phone and iPad. That being said, I would like Apple to enable file sharing via the USB-C port since my iPhone 8 has a lightning connector and I’m hoping Apple will move to USB-C ports in the future. Now that Apple’s taking a beating in the market, maybe they’ll try to be a little more customer friendly. Bottom line is that I’m very happy with the iPad Pro, but still learning the various gestures and Apple’s way of doing thins. If I were doing a lot of heavy duty work (I’m not, since I’m retired), I would consider getting the 12.9” model to fully use the split screen option. For example, I was writing an article in Word on the left side of the screen while looking up facts online on the right side of the screen. That’s a little small on the 11” model. But I like the lower cost and more compact size of the smaller model.

First I will answer the big question. No, my iPad Pro was not bent when I took it out of the box. It actually feels quite sturdy and not like the tin foil that online forums make it out to be. I don’t have any concerns with durability at all. If it’s really a worry of yours then put a case on the iPad. You’ll want one anyway to at least help with holding the iPad upright. The speed of the new iPad Pro is incredible. Everything happens nearly instantly and without any stutter or pause. Even when running a graphic design application in split view mode along with safari and YouTube playing in the background there are no slow downs. 4K video editing doesn’t even cause the iPad to get warm, much less slow down. Zero dropped frames in 4K video edits either. The screen is among the best available. The largest available size at 12.9 inches is of most benefit if you edit photos / videos or draw / design a lot with the iPad. It’s also nice when using split screen view since both applications remain large enough to be usable. I think the 11 inch is perfect for most people though. Face ID is accurate and fast. It works no matter what orientation the IPad is in and you don’t have to be directly in front of the iPad for it to work. No worries here. The Apple Pencil 2 is a must if you get an iPad Pro. It’s amazing how accurate it is. I can draw with the same precision with Apple Pencil as I can with a real pencil and paper. The magnet for charging the pencil is strong and easy to use. Battery life is as good as ever. I can use the iPad all day and have no worries about running out of charge. I’d say 8 to 10 hours of moderate to heavy use is accurate. I was going between this iPad Pro and a MacBook Pro 13 inch. Everyone has different needs but I am happy with my choice to get the iPad. I can import photos and videos from an SD card and edit like I do on the computer. With the iPad I get the benefit of Apple Pencil which makes editing more fun for me. I also get to draw in professional level applications which is nicer than drawing on a Wacom tablet or paper. The only thing missing is a keyboard. I’ll be getting an Apple Magic keyboard to use rather than the keyboard cover. It’s cheaper and can be used with anything, not just the iPad. I still have a pro level laptop but thus far I haven’t needed it. The iPad Pro has done everything I need it to do.

Besides the screen going closer to the bezels on all sides, this is permanent form factor of what a tablet should be. This thing is a powerhouse but unfortunately running iOS 12 and not something closer to MacOS. Do most people need this much power in a tablet, no. Is it future proof for at least the next 4-5 years, yes. If you want an iPad that you do a little emailing with, social media, and content consumption, then this is overpowered for what you need and you might want to think of the 9.7 first gen pro or the 6th gen iPad. But if you don't mind the base price of $799 and want to replace your dying iPad Air or older, then this will mean you don't need to shop another iPad for many years. The feel is very different. Akin to the iPhone 5 and 5s with this straight edges and not the curved ones from previous iPads. If you are an iPad photographer, then you will like the rear cam on this as it is the same as the one on the iPhone Xr. Get this because: you want to really push an iPad to make it your new laptop but know you have to hack your way through your workflow to make it work, want the latest and greatest just because, or you want to replace a very old iPad and not have to think about getting a new one for years.

Sure there are other tablets out there, but whether you love or hate Apple, they’re really the only game in town when it comes to tablets. And with this one they’ve taking the bar and buried it! The new iPad, from the build quality, to the fluidity of the software, to its performance is an absolute knockout . If you’re coming from anything other than the last gen iPad pros you’ll notice a huge gain in performance, the new A12x processor handles everything easily. Face ID performs flawlessly and these are the first apple products that work in landscape or portrait mode. The new iPads are the first iOS devices to use usb-c and come with a fast charger in the box. This gives you the ability to plug into digital cameras and import photos and videos, external displays and even charge your iPhone from your iPad. This to me is the first tablet that truly blurs the line between tablets and PCs. For some people that doesn’t hold true, but for a large part of the population it does now with these new iPads. There really is no better tablet on the market.

I upgraded to the 11” iPad Pro from a Gen 2 iPad Mini w/ Retina. The difference is astonishing, as expected since the Mini was 4 years old. I was thinking about getting the 12.9” model. I’m far from a professional user, and only use the iPad occasionally. Not a very good artist, either. I still wanted the bigger screen so my neck wouldn’t have to bend down when the iPad is on my lap and I’m using the keyboard folio. Tried using both models in store, and was immediately turned off by the 12.9” model. The screen is stunning, and it does split view in full size screens as opposed to the iPhone view on the 11” model. Unless you’re planning on editing video, etc or using the iPad as a near computer replacement, this is something I feel comfortable forgoing due to the portability of the 11”. You’re looking at around a 3/4 lb increase in weight with the 12.9” w/ keyboard folio. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but with the increased awkwardness of the size, it is a huge practical difference. I wanted something to travel with and have pretty small hands, so the 11” with keyboard folio is fantastic. You save a couple hundred dollars as well.

I use this device for business and there is nothing that it cannot do. I use the stylus for meeting notes and the keyboard is great. I am running Office 365 daily, along with other industry applications. If the budget allows, I would go with the 12". I went with the 256 model in that I live in the cloud and do not worry about losing things. Additionally, I love the size and the inclusion of faceID. While this is not a traditional computer, it is a computer and is quite a capable machine. It is a part of my daily routine and find it to be indispensable. While I could have gone with a Surface device, the iPad is instant on and never crashes when I need it. Don't listen to the ads or nay sayers out there. The applications are solid and built well on the App Store. The reason I would go with the Apple device is simple: I can run Google, Microsoft and Apple apps all on this device. Google is limited to Google. While cheaper, the Google devices are limited. With the iPad Pro, I use Gsuite and Hangouts Chat, but I also use Facetime and Messages...something you don't have on an android device. My only problem with the device is that it is expensive and I think that Apple is getting a little greedy. While not an issue, my older iPad Pro seems to have a richer sound with deeper bass. Other than that, I highly recommend

I really love this device! So much that I originally purchased one for my wife in Space grey and I tested it out and fell in love. I also got me one (to not confuse devices) in silver! I can't get over this full screen and absolute sleekness of this iPad Pro. I never owned a iPad nor a Pro, so why not get the best on the market for my first go?! This device runs smooth, Face ID is quick and efficient. The resolution is amazing. I watch videos on youtube, movies and remote played PS4 games on this guy. I usually try to protect all my purchases and get a tempered glass screen, but this time I went with a a matte or paper like screen for the better use of the app Procreate. The matte screen does not even effect the picture quality. And the new Apple Pencil is just genius. I love the tap feature to change tools. The way you don't have to charge it separately, and how it is light but very powerful. The pencil feels so natural, like an actual led pencil, no fatigue with everyday use. If you are looking for a new iPad, you should give this one a try!