Apple just introduced two new iPads. One of them, the fundamental iPad of the 10th generation, was completely rebuilt. On the other hand, the new iPad Pro is a far more straightforward update. The company used the model from the previous year, switched the M1 chip for the M2, made a few other minor adjustments, and called it quits. With prices for the 11-inch model starting at $799 and the 12.9-inch model starting at $1,099, the iPad Pro is still absurdly quick.
But, I can’t really criticize Apple for their strategy. Even though the iPad Pro’s fundamental design was initially unveiled in 2018, it is still an exquisitely constructed piece of technology. It boasts one of the greatest screens Apple has ever produced, and I’m still amazed at how much power Apple can fit into such a little frame.
Although this year’s model is very similar to what Apple was previously selling, it did come at a crucial point in the development of the iPad. The recent release of iPadOS 16 is to blame for that. For the majority of iPads, it’s the anticipated collection of helpful upgrades, but for the iPad Pro, it introduces Stage Manager, a completely new multitasking system. It provides a clear answer to the long-standing query of many iPad Pro customers and tech critics alike: When will we be able to use software that fully utilizes the capabilities of the iPad?
Hardware
Although this year’s model is very similar to what Apple was previously selling, it did come at a crucial point in the development of the iPad. The recent release of iPadOS 16 is to blame for that. For the majority of iPads, it’s the anticipated collection of helpful upgrades, but for the iPad Pro, it introduces Stage Manager, a completely new multitasking system. It provides a clear answer to the long-standing query of many iPad Pro customers and tech critics alike: When will we be able to use software that fully utilizes the capabilities of the iPad?
The iPad Pro, at least, continues to feel like a costly item. (Whether it is or not is another matter.) I’m still astonished by Apple’s ability to pack such performance into a gadget that is so small, even though the 1.5-pound weight makes it slightly more difficult to hold than smaller and lighter iPad models. The fit and quality are still excellent. Although there are other well-designed tablets available, I don’t believe anyone has yet surpassed the iPad Pro in terms of design.
The 12.9-inch model sports the Liquid Retina XDR panel, which was first shown on the M1 iPad Pro in May 2021, while the 11-inch model is still limited to the same Liquid Retina LCD display it has had for a few years. Its screen has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 2,596 local dimming zones thanks to mini-LED illumination, which also provides a large dynamic range. Also, it can play back HDR content with a peak brightness of 1,600 nits and full-screen brightness of up to 1,000 nits, which really brings movies to life.
This year’s screen is nothing new, but it’s still important to note how excellent it is. Both iPad Pro models also feature a screen that is entirely laminated to the front glass, a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, compatibility for the P3 wide color gamut, and an anti-reflective coating.
The iPad Pro sports the same ultrawide 12-megapixel front-facing camera as last year, which supports Face ID security. Center Stage, which cuts and zooms around your face to put you in the center of the frame during a video conversation, is supported by this wide-angle camera. That’s all well and good, but regrettably the iPad Pro still has its front-facing camera on the screen’s portrait edge, which means that if your iPad is in a keyboard dock, you’ll never be looking at the screen directly and will always be somewhat off-center. This has been the case with all iPads for a long time, but now that the entry-level model has a camera that is orientated in the landscape, we’re going to be excitedly awaiting Apple’s implementation of that throughout its whole portfolio.
Both the 12-megapixel wide and 10-megapixel ultra wide back cameras, as well as a flash and a LIDAR scanner, are identical. The iPad Pro can now capture video in Apple’s ProRes codec in 4K resolution at 30 frames per second, a capability originally offered in the iPhone 13 Pro, thanks to the M2 processor. This feature, while arguably somewhat specialized, highlights the M2’s advancements over its predecessor.
Accessories
The iPad Pro utilises the same second-generation Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard that have been accessible since 2018 and 2020, respectively, in terms of accessories. Despite the fact that the entire bundle is somewhat bulky, the Magic Keyboard nevertheless offers the best typing experience on an iPad. As I’ve already indicated, it’s also absurdly pricey. And I really miss those functions now that the new Magic Keyboard Folio for the iPad’s base model has a row of function buttons and a little larger touchpad. But it’s still a necessary tool if, like me, you depend on words for your livelihood.
I still struggle to evaluate tools like the Apple Pencil because I am terribly weak in graphic arts abilities. I really wish I could take the time to sit down and draw, doodle, and create the amazing things I’ve seen others produce, but that’s not going to happen. But if you’re a visual artist, you probably already know how effective the Pencil is.
Another new feature called Hover was made possible by the M2 on the new iPad Pro. Icons and interface components can respond to the Pencil if it is within 12mm of the screen. The simplest illustration is how app icons enlarge when you move the Pencil over them, indicating what you’re about to tap. At least with Apple apps, this is system-wide functional. Although Hover functions must be integrated into third-party apps, it should be a useful addition to the Pencil’s toolbox. I was able to demonstrate it in the Notes app, where you can hover the pencil over the screen when using the new watercolor brush to see how the color will interact with other components you’ve already drawn.
Another interesting Hover implementation can be found in the top-notch photo-editing program Pixelmator Picture. The bottom of the app has a strip of various filters that may be selected by moving and hovering the Pencil over them to apply a preview. It’s a quick and entertaining method to check how your picture will turn out. But you could already do it with the trackpad and pointer; several of the Hover actions I’ve seen so far are exact replicas of what you can do when you hover your cursor over an interface element on the trackpad. But I’m interested to see what future devs will come up with.
M2
But before we do that, shall we examine the M2 processor? We had a solid notion of what to anticipate here thanks to our assessment of the M2 MacBook Air from earlier this summer. And running Geekbench 5 tests proved it. On the single-core and multicore CPU tests, the M2 iPad Pro received scores of 1,888 and 8,419, respectively. These improvements are comparable to the 18% and 38% advantages we observed when comparing the M2 MacBook Air to its M1-powered sibling and are 12% and 42% better than the identical tests on the M1 iPad Pro.
The Geekbench 5 Compute test, which gauges GPU performance, showed me similar improvements. The M2 iPad Pro received a score of 32,834, which is slightly higher than the M2 MacBook Air’s score of 27,083 and 52 percent greater than the M1 model. Naturally, artificial benchmarks like this one aren’t the only way to evaluate performance, but they do offer you a general sense. These enhancements might make it worthwhile to upgrade if you frequently push an M1 iPad Pro to its limits and utilize it in a situation where your time is money, but unless your workflow is highly demanding, you can probably forgo this iteration. Another reason to wait is the fact that the iPad Pro’s basic design hasn’t changed since 2018; it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple unveiled a brand-new Pro in the upcoming year or so. how the color will affect the already-drawn parts.
Another interesting Hover implementation can be found in the top-notch photo-editing program Pixelmator Picture. The bottom of the app has a strip of various filters that may be selected by moving and hovering the Pencil over them to apply a preview. It’s a quick and entertaining method to check how your picture will turn out. But you could already do it with the trackpad and pointer; several of the Hover actions I’ve seen so far are exact replicas of what you can do when you hover your cursor over an interface element on the trackpad. But I’m interested to see what future devs will come up with.
Stage manager
The not-so-small inclusion of iPadOS 16 and, notably, Stage Manager, comes last. Recall that Stage Manager allows you to open up to four apps in a group simultaneously, each with overlapping, resizable windows. Depending on how frequently you’ve used them, four additional groups (each containing up to four apps) appear on the left side of the screen. The M1 or M2-powered iPad Pro, the M1-powered iPad Air that was released earlier this year, or the 2018 and 2020 iPad Pro versions that use the A12X or A12Z chip are the only iPads that can run Stage Manager. Stage Manager can only be used on M1 or M2 devices; the older iPad Pro models won’t be able to do so.
Since Stage Manager first appeared in beta versions of iPadOS 16 earlier this year, there has been a lot of discussion regarding Apple’s implementation among fans of the iPad. Federico Viticci at Macstores.net, who is well known for being an ardent iPad Pro user and writing extensive, exhaustive critiques of every iOS and iPadOS update, is at one extreme of the spectrum. To put it gently, Viticci is not a fan of Stage Manager; he penned over 10,000 pages outlining all of its flaws.
On the other hand, while my struggles haven’t been nearly as severe as Viticci’s, I still agree with his main premise. Stage Manager has perhaps too many options (such adding a new app to a group), window management is more limited than on a Mac (or Windows, or ChromeOS), and the Control Strip’s functionality on the left side of the screen is still unclear. Stage Manager feels like a work-in-progress, but when it does, I’ve organized my apps into groups that make me much more productive and efficient than when I was using the typical two-app Split View multitasking mode with a third app in a tiny “Slide Over” window.
And even if Stage Manager was (and possibly still is) glitchy, the final iPadOS 16.1 version has made things much easier for me on the M2 iPad Pro. Gmail, which isn’t exactly the best iPad software even on its best days, crashed on me once during the whole workday that I spent using this iPad. Stage Manager has some conceptual aspects that I’m still working out, such as the best approach to add or remove apps from a group, but I think it’s worth giving it a day or two to see if you can get a hang of it.
Wrap-up
The new iPad Pro is without a doubt superior to the previous model. It has the same price and a stronger chip in addition to some more functions. Nevertheless, in comparison to the previous iPad Pro, which debuted in early 2021, I don’t think it’s as safe a bet. The iPad Pro’s design, which has practically not altered in the past four years, is mostly to blame for this. In some respects, that’s fantastic news because you could have purchased an Apple Pencil and a Magic Keyboard in 2018 and 2020, respectively, and used them with the M2 iPad Pro.
Yet eventually, probably not too long from now, Apple will improve the form factor once more. Not that it necessarily needs to; the iPad Pro still has a great design and delivers exceptional performance, as it should for the price. Yet, the landscape-edge front camera on the 10th-generation iPad gives me hope that we’ll soon see an iPad Pro that has a more significant makeover and not just a quicker chip inside.
