[ad_1]
NB: The test of the iPad Pro 2018 is still in progress. This article will be updated later, with our final score.
The new iPad Pro marks significant progress over its predecessor: it's incredibly fast, adopts USB-C, a much better stylus, easy connection to Face ID, and a more spacious display surface in one. more compact design. From a purely material point of view, it's a real gem.
But he is not yet versatile enough. The browser is not the same as a desktop computer, which can make it difficult to use Web tools. The absence of a touchpad on the optional keyboard and the impossibility of using a mouse make the word processor tedious. In addition, iOS has not evolved enough. It is still too close to the iPhone and not enough of a desktop.
In addition, this new iPad Pro is expensive: from 899 euros for the 11-inch version and 1119 euros for the 12.9-inch model. Added to this is the price of the Smart Keyboard Folio case (219 euros for the iPad Pro 12.9 inches and 199 euros for the iPad Pro 11 inches) and the new pen Apple Pencil (135 euros) . The final addition will therefore be salty with a minimum spend of € 1,233 if you opt for the basic 11-inch model with these two options and 1,473 for the 12.9-inch model … more than a 2018 MacBook Air.
An "iPad X"
The new iPad Pro looks in many ways like a big, super powerful iPhone X or Xs.
It incorporates Face ID and the same TrueDepth front camera. All we can do with itiPhone Xs, Xs Max or xr and their front camera can be done here. The portrait photos are as beautiful as those of the iPhone and we can use the Animoji and Memoji effects. Face ID almost invisible. The camera now fits perfectly into the finer border, so much so that it is sometimes difficult to remember its location.
The design is really beautiful. The 11-inch iPad Pro fits a larger screen in a case that is similar in size to the 10.5-inch version of last year. The 12.9 inches meanwhile reduced the size of the frame of the 2017 model while maintaining the same diagonal screen. The difference is spectacular.
The LCD screen of the iPad Pro is beautiful. The display can reach 120 Hz, it is bright and the colors are superb. The sound is also excellent, powerful and sharp, even better than that of the iPad Pro 2017 which was already very powerful.
iOS on the iPad Pro
The scanning gestures of the iPhone X are now on the iPad, mostly as is. An upward scan leads to the home screen, down from a corner brings up the Control Center.
We would have liked to see new gestures specific to the iPad Pro to bring its use to that of a computer. Multitasking has made good progress, but it is not yet fluid enough from our point of view.
The Apple Pencil 2
The first Apple Pencil was very nice to use, but it had a host of drawbacks, especially its charging system that required plugging it into the iPad's Lightning port. The new Apple Pencil offers a much more elegant solution, with a magnetic inductive charging system that triggers when you tap the stylus on the edge of the tablet. There is also a new double-press control that allows you to change brush or erase.
For us, the new design and charging system make the Apple Pencil more convenient to use. It is now an integral part of the iPad Pro. These changes are welcome, but we regret even that Apple pushes us to buy a new stylus at 135 euros. You should also know that the new Pencil does not work with the old iPad Pro.
The Smart Keyboard Folio: where is the touchpad?
The new Apple Keyboard Case is much better designed, closer to our favorite models from Logitech. We could write these lines in the train with the keyboard placed on the knees. The touch is not very different from last year's model but the keyboard base is much stronger and the keys are firmer.
But it lacks a touchpad. Apple allows the use of a virtual trackpad in iOS 12 using the on-screen software keyboard, but it's not ideal for intensive word processing. We do not understand why we still can not add a physical touchpad. Microsoft Surface offers it, as well as the new Pixel Slate. So why not the iPad Pro? Of course, you can type text, but not like on a computer.
Performances
The A12X processor that equips the new iPad Pro has earned him a score of 5,019 Geekbench 4 single-core, 28% better than last year's iPad Pro, and 18,149 multicore. Regarding this last result, it's 95% faster than the iPad Pro last year; faster than a 2018 Razer Blade with a 2.2 GHz Core i7 processor; a little bit faster than a 2017 MacBook Pro with a 2.9 GHz Core i7. The iPad Pro is clearly a powerhouse for graphics. There are not many pro video editing tools. Apple offers only iMovie for iOS and not Final Cut Pro X. However, there are many tools for artistic creation. Adobe has announced plans to release a full version of Photoshop and other Creative Cloud applications running in 2019.
USB-C: frustrating today, promising for tomorrow
The USB-C replaces the Lightning port as a single port on the new iPad Pro. The prospect is enticing. Finally compatibility with more accessories and things that were previously difficult to plug into an iOS device!
That's true, but only in part. USB-C chargers and battery packs can now be used and the iPad Pro can also charge other devices.
In theory, you can connect to cameras, thumb drives and SD cards (via adapters or appropriate cables). But the iPad Pro 2017 could do it with adapters too.
On the other hand, do not expect plug and play for storage devices and other accessories like a Mac or a Windows PC.
the USB-C could work with docking stations, which would allow the iPad to become a complete computer and daily in the blink of an eye. But for that, it would change iOS to allow plug-and-play devices. Can not say when or even if this is planned.
Autonomy
Apple claims 10 hours of autonomy, which corresponds to the autonomy that offers the iPad for years. We were able to work half a day using about half of the battery. It should be a full day, but it is better to have the charger with you.
Conclusion (tentative)
The iPad Pro is a product that each year becomes more expensive, more refined and more focused on professional creatives. This tablet is elegant, beautiful and terribly effective. But it's still – deliberately – not a Mac. Its operating system and its interactions may be limited. It is not so easy to do many things at once. Its raw power seems difficult to exploit since multitasking is always limited to two applications at a time. No, this is not the Apple version of the Surface Pro.
The iPad Pro needs accessories, keypads with touchpad and perhaps a more versatile OS. It really has the power of a very good computer now. But it could be much more if iOS was not so limited.
NB: The test of the iPad Pro 2018 is still in progress. This article will be updated later, with a final note.
Source link
