SME Times News Bureau | 10 Dec, 2018
Three years is enough time for a flagship consumer electronics device to
don a new avatar and the new Apple iPad Pro (2018) has done just that
-- it is far superior to the first iPad Pro that came into existence in
2015. (The first iPad arrived eight years back.)
Smartphones have
begun to rival tablets today and tablets have decided to go the laptop
way -- at a time when fixed office spaces are shrinking and
professionals and frequent travellers are looking to create, work and
enjoy from anywhere, everywhere.
With the all-screen iPad Pro,
Apple has introduced the future of mobile computing that has the
potential to outperform a traditional PC.
The new 11-inch and
12.9-inch iPad Pros are available in silver and space-grey finishes in
64GB, 256GB and 512GB configurations as well as a new 1TB option (which
we reviewed).
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at Rs 89,900 for the
Wi-Fi model and Rs 1,03,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. It is just
5.9 mm thin -- the thinnest iPad design ever.
Let us see what went into making iPad Pro so that it can take on a laptop.
Once
you own an iPad Pro, invest further in buying a Smart Keyboard Folio,
encompassing a full-size keyboard that never needs to be charged or
paired (the space grey Folio will cost Rs 17,900).
Now is the time to get the second-generation Apple Pencil that will cost another Rs 10,900.
Once the ecosystem is complete, sit back and witness new levels of precision and productivity with the iPad Pro.
The
Apple Pencil magnetically attaches to the device for pairing and
wireless charging. It became even more powerful and intuitive as we
began selecting tools or brushes -- with just a simple double tap.
The new touch-sensor built onto the Apple Pencil detects taps, introducing a new way to interact within apps like Notes.
If
you are working in creative streams and love to multi-task, the Smart
Keyboard Folio features a streamlined design that's adjustable for added
versatility.
The device packs creative apps from Adobe, Autodesk
and Procreate (remember that Photoshop CC from Adobe is coming to iPad
Pro next year).
Another noticeable thing for creative
professionals is a high-performance USB-C connector that brings a whole
new set of capabilities.
You can now connect iPad Pro to cameras,
musical instruments, external monitors, even docks, and get data
transfer done in a jiffy. This is important for creative pros whose
workflows require high bandwidth.
The battery is great and gave all-day support during gaming and streaming movies.
For
those familiar with iOS 12 on iPhone X and iPhone XS, the iPad Pro
provides a similar experience, including tap to wake and swiping to go
home, access Control Centre and for multi-tasking.
The new
Shortcuts app will help you link together automated workflows for photo
editing, video editing and file and asset management.
Improvements to Photo Import and support for native RAW image editing give photographers efficient ways to work on the device.
For a day-to-day user at home, iPad Pro is packed with fun features.
Group FaceTime now makes it easy to connect with groups of friends or colleagues at the same time.
Participants
can be added at any time, join later if the conversation is still
active and choose to join using video or audio from an iPhone, iPad or
Mac.
With the new Animoji and customisable Memoji, you can take
advantage of the large screen on iPad to add more personality to photos
and videos in Messages and FaceTime.
iPad Pro features
edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display with rounded corners. The A12X Bionic
chip with next-generation Neural Engine outperforms most devices. The
device offers Gigabit-class LTE and up to 1TB of storage to enable
mobile workflows.
Face ID, the most secure facial authentication
system in any tablet or computer, is now available on the iPad for the
first time.
A seven-core, Apple-designed GPU delivers up to twice
the graphics performance for immersive AR experiences and
console-quality graphics.
What does not work?
Well, there
are some limitations when it comes to a true laptop experience. If Apple
decides to run macOS on iPad Pro in the near future (the hardware is
ready for that), it will become a perfect laptop for sure.
Conclusion:
Those on the iPad Pro ecosystem must go for the device as it has
never-before-seen improvements, at both the hardware and the software
fronts. For working professionals, switching to the iPad Pro will take a
bit training time, but the experience is simply out of the world. For
the rest, it is an iPad Pro anyway!
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