On the iPad Pro


I never really fit the iPad into my workflow. The iPad just doesn't fit between the iPhone and Mac and it doesn't replace the Mac. Even more so now with the iPhone 6 Plus the bulk of my work not related to video or graphics is done on an iPhone and MacBook Air. I think I'm just too entrenched in the desktop world to give up my Mac, but still, the iPad Pro seems compelling.

The keyboard seems an obvious nod to the popular Microsoft Surface. The Surface keyboard stirred a lot of buzz when announced and for good reason. Most people I know who use iPads for work and not consumption use a Bluetooth keyboard. I suspect the keyboard case to be very popular and may itself drive some upgrades.

The Pencil is also curious. Famously Steve Jobs scorned stylus devices, but that, like many proclamations, I think was more about marketing than anything else. Apple had a product that didn't require a stylus (or keyboard) so trashing those inputs with the original iPhone helped sell the iPhone's disruptive design. The Pencil, however, isn't a conventional stylus. It seems pretty compelling for graphics and handwriting. I don't draw and I'm way more efficient (and comprehendible) typing, so it seems more of a toy to me. Doing document mark up is interesting and Microsoft's demo where, for example, they drew an arrow and it rendered an arrow, was cool. There could be something there, but really, I could do it just as easy I feel using a Mac.

iOS 9's multitasking could be a game changer with the iPad Pro. 3D touch would be really cool, but maybe in the next version.

An iPad Pro, even with modest storage, and the keyboard case and Pencil cost about as much as a MacBook Air. I don't see myself switching, but it all seem a whole lot more attractive to me than before the announcements.