iPad Pro: Big and Powerful

iPad Pro: Big and Powerful

When I first saw the iPad Pro, I was astonished. It is big with a 12.9 inch screen.

It is beautifully made, weighing in at over 700 gm and with a dazzling retina screen which boasts 5.6 million pixels. It is a good entertainment hub with the four speakers providing good sound to any video you play on the iPad Pro. I dare say it would be a good boombox for a picnic.

But to get the most out of the iPad Pro, you would also want to pick up the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard or maybe both.

Here are a few facts to consider before making a purchase decision.

1.Screen: The retina screen is dazzling. The 12.9-inch, 2,732 x 2,048 screen has 5.6 million pixels, which translates to a pixel density of 264 ppi. Not only do my holiday photos in Tuscany looked brighter and more dazzling, they look so much better bigger.

2.  iOS 9: The best feature is the Split View mode which is like having two full-sized iPad Minis side by side. It means you can comfortably read emails and look up information without having to zoom in on details.

I like this feature very much: when you press the Home button while you're watching a movie or FaceTiming, the video shrinks down to activate Picture in Picture mode. This is useful for firing off a quick message or browsing the Twitter feed.

3. Speed: Powered by a new 64-bit A9X chip, it is very quick. It can simultaneously render up to three streams of 4K video footage in iMovie, or rotate a 3D model of the anatomy of a body. Although I didn't do any speed test, web pages and complex infographics open faster than on my iPad.

4. Sound: Play the latest hit Hello by British sensation Adele and you will be astounded by the sound quality. Four speakers compared to only two for the iPad provide a lot of oomph.

No matter whether the iPad is horizontal or vertical, it will automatically channel the highs and mids to the top two speakers. Because each speaker grille is near a corner, chances are you're unlikely to obscure them with your fingers.

5. Smart keyboard: This is one of two new accessories from Apple to go with the iPad Pro. The other is the Pencil which is covered below.

It is easy and quick to set up. The Smart Keyboard has a triangular fold at the back. If it is set on your lap while riding the bus or train, it would not wobble. You can type silently with it. But keyboard bashers may not like the shallow travel of the keys.

The Keyboard comes in a smooth mesh-like fabric that is water and stain-resistant so you can clean it quite easily. To connect, line the keyboard up with the iPad Pro. It quickly clicks into place and you can start typing right away. I like the fact that there is no need for a power button or even Bluetooth connectivity.

6. Pencil: I was at one of the Apple product launches when Steve Jobs said that Apple will not make a stylus for the iPad. Never say never. The Pencil is a very good-looking white stylus that works via Bluetooth. I have used a stylus before and one of my major grumbles is that if you rest your hand on the screen, you leave a mark on the digital paper as though you've written on it.

The Pencil is an excellent stylus. I can draw or write on the screen like a I am using a physical pencil or pen. I can rest my hand on the screen and there will be no marks left on the digital paper. It is pressure-sensitive. The thickness of the lines depends on how hard you bear down. You can even hold it almost parallel to the screen like a real pencil, for creating shading. It will also not roll off the table because it is perfectly weighted.

However, I am disappointed that there is no place on the iPad Pro to store the Pencil. I've had to be careful to keep it whenever I finish using the iPad for fear of losing it.

7. Battery life: It is about 10 hours. During the test period, I used it throughout the day for writing, emailing, reading and listening to music. At the end of each day, I would watch a couple of TV episodes or watch a two-hour movie. There's always a bit more juice left at the end of the day.

8. Apps: Big the iPad Pro maybe, but it is a poor cousin to its smaller sibling when it comes to the number of apps specially made for it. A quick count of productivity, creativity and other apps for the iPad Pro showed just over 90 apps compared to the more than 800,000 apps for the iPad. The killer app is however, graphics which will make the creative types very happy.

Conclusion I am amazed at the iPad Pro. It has the real estate of a laptop with the big screen. It is fast and has powerful sound. The speed and smooth pen input could attract the creative sorts and professionals like doctors and engineers who may find writing more useful than a comfortable keyboard.

Apple is certainly targeting business with the iPad Pro where executives will find the bigger screen more valuable and useful for showing presentations or spreadsheets.

However, it is a tad expensive when you include all the accessories. There is no 64GB model. It is either 32GB or 128GB in space grey, gold or silver and available as wireless or wireless and cellular. The 128GB wireless and cellular retails for $1648. Add the Apple Pencil for $148 and Smart Keyboard for $268 and you will be $2064 poorer. You can buy an entry level Macbook for $1788 or the souped up version for $2288.

Price aside, I also found the iPad Pro too big and bulky to use comfortably for long periods. I like to use it to play Sudoku or read before I sleep. It is not comfortable to use when one is lying down.

I admire the iPad Pro but I am not buying one. I am not ready to chuck my Macbook out (Yes I am quite attached to it). I use my iPad for surfing, reading, checking email, online shopping and many more things. But I turn to my laptop for writing because I can also have several windows open at the same time and I can type comfortably on the keyboard.

If you like portability and have no need to write long essays, then you can consider the iPad Pro. Artists and creative professionals who sketch and draw will find this version useful too. But it is not a device for the average user.

Grace Chng is a senior correspondent with The Straits Times. She has been an Apple user and observer for more than 20 years.

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