That’s an announcement: The new version of the iPad Pro, says the manufacturer Apple, is faster than 92 percent of all mobile computers sold last year. Before you rashly throw your laptop in the bin, this warning: Apple makes the professional iPads pay dearly, and there are also one or two catches.
There is hardly anything wrong with the design of the iPads. They are available in two sizes, their screens measure eleven inches (28 centimeters) or 12.9 inches (almost 33 centimeters) diagonally, and they are just under six millimeters thick. With the smaller device, Apple has retained the external dimensions and made the screen a little larger; with the larger one, the case has shrunk, but not the screen. Both displays are LCD panels and have a high resolution, the screens can be set very brightly and adjust the color display to the ambient light if desired.
In order to create more space for the screen, Apple does without a fingerprint sensor, as with the new iPhones. Instead, cameras and depth sensors now also ensure convenient unlocking via face recognition on the iPads. However, the engineers were able to avoid the unsightly indentation at the top edge of the screen.
The new pen is good, old models are not compatible
For the first time, Apple is using USB-C as the connection for the new iPads in the professional series. On the one hand, this could be the beginning of the end of Apple’s special path with its Lightning connector. It also allows the iPad to be connected to a monitor, but most apps are only mirrored. On the other hand, it will annoy customers who have bought accessories with a Lightning connector.
For example the pen. Apple has revised and improved it for the new series, but unfortunately the old one doesn’t work with the new iPads because it needs a Lightning connector to connect it. The new one, which costs 135 euros, connects wirelessly and is held by a magnet on the side of the iPad. Programmable actions can be started (within limits) by double-tapping the lower part of the pen. The range of accessories also includes keyboards that also hold magnetically (219 or 199 euros).
If you choose the best-equipped variant with a keyboard and pen, you will end up with a good 2500 euros. Even if the iPad is faster than some laptops, it is still less flexible – perhaps the best argument for this thesis is provided by Apple itself: At the same time, the group is also releasing new versions of its particularly portable Macbook Airs. The choice between an iPad and a Macbook (or another laptop) is becoming increasingly difficult.
