Apple’s latest iPad Pro is thin to the point of absurdity. The USB-C plug that powers it looks downright portly in comparison.
This is the closest Apple has come to realizing its obsession with thinness and lightness, a true feat of engineering that begs the question, “How much thinner can we go before we’re just waving our hands in the air?”
However, that thinness does come with drawbacks. While the iPad has always been a symbol of hardware excellence, it remains bound by an iOS that’s as stifling as a stage magician’s straight jacket, keeping this powerful device from achieving its full potential as a computer replacement.
Despite this, Apple markets the iPad Pro’s versatility as its main attraction. It’s supposed to be your go-to for everything from browsing in bed to pro-level gaming. And it’s future-proof, ready to tackle the next decade of use with its cutting-edge hardware geared for the impending AI revolution.
The Pro I tested boasts a 13-inch display, a 2 TB of storage, and 16GB of RAM, ringing in at at almost AED8,000 with accessories. Pricey, yes, but according to Apple, necessary for the technological challenges of tomorrow.
But all that cash buys you a heck of a lot of power under the hood. The M4 chip it houses is designed to be a workhorse, boosting processing speeds by about 50% compared to the older previous M2 model, a claim that my tests confirm. It’s a performance bump that will likely be appreciated more by those who push their devices to the limits with tasks like video editing or intense gaming sessions.
The new ‘Tandem OLED’ screen, which Apple has crowned Ultra Retina XDR, offers visuals so vibrant they nearly leap off the glass. This display brings photos and videos to life with a brilliance that almost makes the price tag worth it. Almost. Because, as with any good show, there’s a catch, the OLED’s penchant for picking up glare is a minor annoyance.
On the design front, this iteration of the iPad Pro refines rather than redefines. It’s thinner and lighter, making it feel almost too delicate to handle. A glass feather that could float away at any moment. Yet, in practical terms, it’s a marvel of durability.
This year’s design revolution also includes a much-needed practical tweak: the relocation of the front-facing camera to better suit our video-calling world. It’s a small change with a big impact, finally aligning the iPad’s design with its use.
Apple’s narrative of the iPad as a device that’s all things to all people continues with the introduction of new features like the Pencil Pro, which adds a squeeze gesture for quick access, a clever trick that streamlines interaction. The redesigned Magic Keyboard is lighter and more functional, enhancing the iPad’s laptop-like qualities without reinventing the wheel.
So, here we are: the iPad Pro is the best it’s ever been, yet it’s still haunted by the specter of its software. It’s a device that promises the universe but, constrained by iOS, delivers just a single galaxy.
Whether it’s worth diving into depends on your belief in Apple’s vision, or perhaps more aptly, your patience for waiting on software that finally matches the hardware’s potential.
For now, the iPad Pro remains a beautiful, if somewhat incomplete, magic act.