Testing the "professional" claim of Apple

Is the iPad Pro really a professional device? Apple seems to think so, but that's the question we decided to answer while watching the new iPad Pro 12.9-inch by placing the largest and most expensive tablet of Apple at this day at the center of our professional process.

The latest and best iPad Pro was released less than two weeks ago. Countless critics followed with others to come, many taking bribes to iOS flaws. These are just criticisms, because iOS has some work to do (which we'll talk about later) but that's not all.

Apple has been clear between setting up the iPad Pro during the summer. The latest announcements and marketing messages for the iPad Pro have confirmed that it was time for users to consider the iPad Pro as a computer, and not just as a tool for consuming metal content and in glass.

This does not necessarily mean that the iPad Pro is meant to be a complete replacement for the computer, for every living soul, but it is nevertheless intended to be a professional device.

We already exceeded the specifications and gross performance when we talked about the iPad Pro 11 inch. We will not get much ground here.

We took Apple at the word and started this review on the premise that the iPad is really a "pro" device and cast the big 12.9-inch model in our own day-to-day workflow here at AppleInsider to see how it happened. And we wanted to see if there was a functional difference between its predecessor and the new 11 inch (review).

Of course, there are different definitions of what a "pro" device is, and what a "professional" does or needs in this regard. "Pro" is above all a marketing term, which means nothing in itself, apart from a more powerful version of another material. And, there are countless different groups of "professionals", some of whom may find the iPad Pro suitable.

In these circumstances, I will frame the use of the iPad Pro in my own professional life. My workflow consists of about 10,000 words per day of writing, photo shoots for replay material, video shoots for the same subject and frequent moves. As a person working with massive amounts of media, I should be a primary target for professional use.

To date, I've been using the second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro for a year and I was excited to see how the new Pro could take advantage of that. . I like using my iPad very much and it is found in many areas of my professional and professional life.

This does not mean that I do not like my 15-inch MacBook Pro by the end of 2016, it seems to me often that the iron is bigger than what I need for most of my tasks. The macOS interface remains excellent after years of refinement and I love the dark mode and Finder enhancements provided by macOS Mojave. But, when I examine both devices on what I actually enjoy using, I always come back on iPad.

Powerful hardware

Just on the specs, we were very excited about the new iPad Pro from the start. My personal opinion was that the new design, which is apparently a mix of the flat sides of the original iPad and the flat back of the newer models, seems a little dated. The outfit and the use of this iPad are totally different.

Thin frames place the screen in the center of the screen and cause no unexpected tactile action when you hold or manipulate the iPad, as we were worried about the pre-release. It is also the first time that Apple's authentication method is completely hidden on the device, allowing it to run in the background without the user thinking about it longer than watching his iPad. . And, there is no nick to bicker.

Apple has dubbed the new Liquid Retina screen, the same nickname attributed to the glass of the iPhone XR. This is certainly the most advanced LCD ever designed by Apple, bringing together some tips still unknown to all iPhone.

This designation of Liquid Retina is made by rounded corners, which allows the glasses to be smaller and the display to reproduce the curves of the body. This effect is subtle, but contributes greatly to making the display more immersive.

The disadvantage is that, due to the new image format, developers have to update their applications again to rid them of the dreaded black bars that have repeatedly manifested themselves over the course of their lives. # 39; iOS. Many key players here have already submitted updates, but it may take some time before your entire app catalog is adopted.

On the 12.9-inch model, this is not so noticeable, but our 11-inch siblings have firmer views on the subject as they have less real estate to give up.

Tap to Wake is also appearing on iPad with the new Liquid Retina screen, even more essential in the absence of physical home button. Among all the changes made to the new iPad Pro, consider this as one of our favorites. It's easy to turn the display back on to check the time or notifications while we're spinning, rather than striving to find the power button all around, and we're looking forward to to see the button migrate further into the iPad line – this should open interesting use cases around the house.

Face ID and the TrueDepth camera system never make us return to Touch ID. We liked Face ID on the iPhone, but it's sort of a game changer on iPad.

As we work in many native and web applications, we frequently capture the credentials. In the past, our workflow was overwhelming when we had to move our hands off the keyboard to authenticate with Touch ID. Face ID, on the other hand, authenticates in the background, which allows you to continue to move and quickly enter your credentials, whether from iCloud or applications like 1Password.

In our office, we often have two people who have to work on the iPad during one shot, checking the images while someone else is behind the camera, browsing the list of shots or other similar tasks. Touch ID allows the entry of five fingerprints for verification, but the facial identity is limited to two.

For us, it worked. This may not be in a larger shared environment. We set up the secondary appearance and continued our way, but in the larger shared environments, we can see more people relegated to the old six-digit secret code.

Internally, the iPad Pro is performance-oriented. It presents significant gains in all categories, surpassing many traditional PCs. Thanks to the A12X processor, we have seen this iPad do some remarkable things.

In our 11-inch iPad Pro review, which has the same internal specs as the 12.9-inch, we saw exported videos much faster than the latest generation models, and we obviously saw the same things with the big brother.

Our professional workflow

No one really disputes the raw power of the iPad Pro, it's obvious. However, workflows vary and may be excessive for some. In my workflow, there were specific instances where power was helpful, but many where it did not matter.

I deal a lot with photo editing, usually between the excellent Affinity Photo and Pixelmator. When we deposit a massive RAW photo, add multiple effects and layers, and combine multiple photos, our latest-generation iPad Pro has begun to struggle. To be honest, we have also seen our high-end MacBook Pro, by the end of 2016, struggle to not be an easy task.

The new iPad Pro 12.9 inch however has excelled. Loading times are always visible when you paint a large area, but much less than the last.

This beautiful 12.9-inch screen is just perfect for viewing and editing photos. There are items that we would like to be able to use on the iPad, such as an external tuning button or even additional gestures on the Apple Pencil, but this remains an excellent experience. It's a pleasure to sit on a chair with the iPad and browse these huge pictures for editing.

At the same time, the processing of the files is another matter. For much of my work, I use cloud storage lockers such as Amazon Drive to back up and store files, as well as locally. It's pretty easy to transfer photos from my camera – without an adapter to USB-C, when I can not wait to start editing, but managing huge amounts of files remains a task left to my Mac.

The workflow usually involves duplicating photos in multiple places, a discouraging aspect that no one particularly wants to face. This was also the case of the previous model. The problem lies therefore in iOS rather than in the physical hardware of the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro hardware makes it possible, in theory, to process files more easily, thanks to the USB-C port.

The USB-C is an incredible asset for the iPad Pro, because it allows us to connect our aforementioned camera directly to the tablet, with the same cable that used to charge the iPad or the camera, in order to upload photos and videos.

It already has a huge impact, but we want it to go further. We have just too many media to handle and with the launch of Photoshop CC soon, Apple must find a better way to manage it on iPad. Requiring that all photos and videos be run through the Photos application is no longer acceptable in a professional workflow. Some personal photos are enough, and it is fantastic to be able to import them directly into iCloud. But, when shooting a client, I want to separate them and import them directly into the Files application.

And we would like to do it without relying on FAT formatting or a DCIM file.

Multitasking is designed for this big screen, which makes it easy to open AppleInsider.com and Bear in split mode, with a slider for quick access to my Twitter feed or email. Doing all this on the 11-inch iPad Pro is feasible, but would pose a problem with a smaller screen.

This larger screen also came into play when used as a second monitor for our MacBook. Using Luna Display, the 11 inch is too narrow to be entirely useful, but the 12.9 is perfect. Smaller frames also allowed us to keep screens close together and take up less space on our desk.

Of all the situations for which we used the iPad Pro, writing and editing were by far the most common at the time of work. When writing, we put our finger on the updated smart keyboard folio. We argue with the new design as a whole – check our comprehensive review for these – but it's always the best choice. It retains the same keys of reinforced fabric that allow us to type as quickly and as accurately as possible on our Mac.

This complete review was created using this iPad without the above video-driven Final Cut Pro X – this poses a total migration problem given our workflow.

I've created an overview of the points to cover and a rough draft of the video script. I compose a list of shots and point to the film and photography. I then imported the photos on my iPad for editing and processing, which meant going first in the Photos application, then importing into Affinity Photo, then export with the correct size and name in the Files application, and then write the final draft of the revision and work it out. in the AppleInsider publication platform for publication. The whole process was simple and streamlined, with the exception of the obstacles related to photos – and video editing, of course.

For the pros? Or not?

It's already been a week and a half and we certainly have some opinions on the device, but let's go back to our fundamental question of Is the iPad Pro a true professional device? -We must say yes for the hardware, with caveats for the limitations of iOS.

When Apple launches the iPhones in the fall, they arrive at the same time as the release of the latest operating system this year. The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max this year were launched almost simultaneously with iOS 12 and Apple has been filled with many bonuses just for these new phones.

With the iPad, this is not necessarily the case. Instead, iOS 12 was launched two months ago and when the new iPad Pro came out, there was no software-specific feature for the new tablets, except maybe Animoji or Smart HDR.

We will inevitably have to wait almost a whole year before the release of iOS 13 before starting to see the full potential of this material. It is likely that Apple could include solutions to many of our problems in this version with better uses for USB-C or external displays. That's why it's difficult to fully judge the iPad Pro because it uses the same software as the previous generation, which makes the devices feel older than they are.

Apple has designed the new iPad Pro for the future, it's clear. But today, it greatly simplifies our workflow. No, this does not replace our computer, but at least for the moment, this is not supposed to be it. Professionals do not always have one machine. If we spent today at the iPad Pro and give up our MacBook Pro, we would end up with a Mac mini running in the background, playing the role of multimedia server.

Whether to replace a PC or not is a different question, but that does not mean that iOS and the iPad Pro can not tap the potential they already have. The iPad Pro has room to grow, and it will do so without a doubt. This iPad Pro looks to be the most polished iPad to date and was worth upgrading, but we are still looking forward to third-party applications leveraging this Unbridled power and that Apple is finally focusing on the new features of iOS 13 rather than perfecting them. and focused on iOS 12 performance.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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