2018 iPad iPad Review: "What's a Computer?"

Earlier this year, Apple showed an ad shown by a young girl who uses the iPad as its main computer device. An older woman asked the girl about her computer, and she answered: "What is a computer?"

The ad smiled greatly. For starters, iPad It is Computer. But even a hypothetical future, when children do not even know what a desktop or notebook is, it seems very distant. Yes, tablets and smartphones are among people, such as social media, web browsing and games, switching laptops and desktops among a large number of young people. But despite some high school students who are sometimes to write a college of documents on their smartphones, mobile devices are still not where the actual work is done. The actual work is done on a laptop or desktop.

But now Apple has released the iPad Pro, which is very explicitly installed as, uh, a computer for this real work. Real. Apple's "Why iPad Pro" page says: "Here are some reasons why your next computer might be the iPad Pro."

After using the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro for a week, I almost wondered what the computer was like. This device breaks many rules and provokes some prejudices about what a true production machine looks like – especially for creative work.

But the iPad Pro 2018 was so frustrating and deeply disappointing. It delivers performance, unlike everything we've seen on a mobile device. Her pencil's accessories are truly a powerful artistic tool. And choosing some robust applications, such as Photoshop and AutoCAD, run to the platform, disputing prejudices in order for the tablet to have experience with hit rates.

But in one day it became apparent that iOS, otherwise a great operating system for phones, is still not designed with this kind of real work in mind. Restrictions on how to use the new USB-C port can ultimately undermine the inclination that this table is the right chain.

The new iPad Pro is trying to redefine computing, but in many ways it feels like a tech demo for this redefinition, not the ultimate product. Despite the exceptional progress in performance, the software seems to lag behind.

Index

Specifications

Specifications at a glance: 2018 Apple iPad Pro
Display	2.388 x 1.668 11-inch or 2,732 x 2,048 (264 PPI) touch screen
OS	iOS 12.1
CPU	Apple A12X CPU
Oven	4 GB or 6 GB
GPU	Apple A12X GPU
Storing	64GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Networking	802.11a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS, LTE
Camera	Rear camera 12MP, 7MP front camera
Ports	USB-C
Size	9.74 "x 7.02" x 0.23 "(280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9 mm) for 11-inch; 11.04" x 8.46 " 39; x 0.23 "(280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9 mm) for 12.9
Weight	1.03 lbs (469 g) Wi-Fi, 1.05 kilograms (477 g) with cell
Battery	29.37 WHr for 11-inch; 36.71 for 12.9
Starting price	$ 799, plus $ 179 for Smart Keyboard Folio and $ 129 for Apple Pencil
Price as viewed	1,899 $
Other perks	Charger, USB-C cable

On silicone (which may be the most interesting thing about this device) we embark on the moment. First, let's go with some other glasses.

Starting at $ 799, but ranging up to $ 1,899, the new iPad Pro comes in two sizes: 11 inches and 12.9 inches. The 11-inch unit measures 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inches (247.6 x 178.5 x 59 mm) and a 12.9-inch unit of 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.23 inches (280 , 6 x 214.9 x 5.9 mm). In addition to the screen size and resolution, the technical specifications are the same. Both are in configurations with or without LTE support. The smaller weighs 1.03 lbs (468 g) and weighs more than 1.4 kg (633 g) for the LTE model or 1.39 lbs (631 g) for the Wi-Fi model itself.

You can configure them with 64GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB flash memory. Strange, developers using devices have found that there are two different RAM configurations and that they are not being advertised. The 1TB configuration seems to have 6GB of RAM, the other 4GB-the same as last year's iPad Pro and this year's iPhone XS or XS Max. Our 1TB scanner unit has 6 GB of RAM. Apple has probably dropped RAM to the 1TB configuration because users who need 1TB flash memory need, for example, opening large Adobe Photoshop files. More RAM would help to run smoothly. (Full-featured Photoshop comes to iPad Pro next year.)

Both units have many sensors for various functions: accelerometer, barometer, light sensor and trios gyroscope.

The 11-inch model has a 29.37-hour battery, while the 12.9-inch battery has a 36.71-hour battery. Apple promises the same battery life in these models as last year: 10 hours of web browsing via Wi-Fi or the use of music or video content.

A12X

The star of the show is Apple's chip system, A12X. Followed by A12 in iPhones 2018 and A10X in iPads Prosperih 2017, which were already the best in their product categories.

A12X is the first SoC tablet, manufactured in a 7nm process. This means that it offers better performance while consuming less energy and taking up less space. It contains a central processing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit (GPU), an image processor (ISP), a neural processing unit (NPU) Apple calls Neural Engine, a storage controller, an integrated memory controller, and more.

The CPU has eight cores, four high performance and four high performance. Unlike the previous iPad Pros, all cores can be switched on simultaneously when needed. Apple says the A12X's single-core performance is up to 35 percent faster than the A10X in the previous iPad Pro and that the multi-core CPU capacity is up to 90 percent faster. The company was not prepared with many technical details of architecture, but the recent deep dive on Anandtech with its protagonist, the iPhone, A12, suggested that increased cache sizes could be part of the equation.

Apple also claims that almost twice the graphics performance of last year's iPad Pro, thanks to improvements to the graphics processor in A12X. Thanks to the 7-nanometer process, Apple managed to compress another core in the GPU, with a total of seven.

We met performance benchmarks to verify these claims and found that they are largely true, making the iPad Pro lick away from some of the most powerful laptops, including the latest MacBook Pro models.

The second development of the note here is that Neural Engine came to iPad for the first time. The first repetition of Apple's machine learning silicon was introduced into the A11 SoC in the iPhone X, and the second generation came to the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. While a dangerous engine A11 could handle 600 billion operations per second, A12 and A12X could handle 5 trillion. Neural Engine helps with photo-sharing features, Syria, search, palm rejection with Apple Pencil, Face ID, increased reality and more.

A12X is the most interesting thing about the iPad Pro, which is why we've read more closely in related articles. This part also includes our discussion with Apple representatives about the company's own silicon strategies.

USB-C

There is only one port on the iPad Pro, but it is in a big shift with Apple's previous iOS device strategy, i.e. USB-C, not the proprietary Lightning link. This is a very welcome change and brings many benefits. At first glance, it seems that we are going to dongle-free (or at least dongle-lite) drown, which we have long dreamed of. USB-C means external support for the 5K display, support for more headphones, USB-C charger support and more support for accessories, at least in theory. It even means that you can charge devices such as your iPhone, an Android phone, or even a Nintendo switch from your iPad Pro.

There is no doubt that the port situation of the iPad Pro is now all around better than it was with Lightning. But there are exciting warnings and limitations.

In particular, iOS does not provide access to the file system for external drives via USB-C. Honestly, that's ridiculous. Yes, applications can access files on external drives under certain conditions, if they have been specifically built to do so, but this is not enough. No device that itself calls "Pro" can not carry this basic capability. For a while, Apple has offered the Files app for browsing through file systems but does not work for it.

The situation with the outer screens is similar. Yes, it supports OS-wide for mirroring the native resolution of the iPad Pro on the external displays. However, instead of mirroring, the extension to the screen requires that application developers specifically support this. I do not doubt that very popular and high-quality pro applications will do just that, but this should be built directly into the operating system, such as, for example, the MacBook Pro.

Oh, and (weird short) USB-C cable that's in the box? This is USB 2.0, so you need to buy an extra cable to do a lot of this.

The paper looks very exciting to see iPad Pro now using USB-C, and that's it. As I said, it's better than the previous situation. But this does not bring all the promise of pro users who are envisaged when they first read rumors that it came. I'm sure these are all restrictions in iOS, not hardware. Apple could fix this and maybe a bigger release of iOS next year. But by then, USB-C feels half-implemented – at least when it comes to pro and energy needs of users.

This is a great disappointment. USB-C applications are enough for a consumer device like the iPhone, but the iPad Pro is pretending to be for professionals who need these capabilities. If Apple found out this way in the way that the target users of this product wanted, it would be delightful to share this overview with all the wonderful, powerful new things you can now do with iPads. Unfortunately, these restrictions mean that there is no longer anymore to say.

Ad picture Samuel Axon