iPad Pro, 9.7 inch

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I picked up a new iPad Pro 9.7 inch a couple of weeks ago. I got the gold cellular model with 128 GB of storage, along with the Apple Pencil. Last night, I picked up the Smart Keyboard and silicone case to go with it. This post is literally the first thing I’ve used the keyboard for.

To be honest, I got it more because I wanted to upgrade my existing third generation iPad than because of the “pro” features. The old iPad had gotten very slow, and I’d been disappointed when Apple introduced the big iPad Pro rather than an iPad Air 3. I like the original iPad screen size.

So far, I’m liking it a lot. Here’s what I like about it:

  • It’s very much faster than the old iPad
  • It’s much lighter than the old iPad.
  • Because of its lightness and size, (and newness) I’ve been taking it on the train a lot with me. On those days when I can get a seat and am not jammed in like a sardine, it’s great for reading on the train.
  • Because I’ve been taking it on the train with me, I’ve been looking at the work site more on the iPad, which is to the good.
  • The screen is gorgeous.
  • The Apple Pencil is fun to play with. I picked up Procreate, and have been noodling around in that.I haven’t produced anything worth a damn, but it’s fun doodling with it.
  • I’d been concerned about the reduced bezel around the long edges, but Apple was right; it’s a non-issue.

Here’s what I don’t like:

  • The protruding camera at the back. It’s really a nuisance. Strangely enough, the iPad does lay flat on a surface, but I keep putting my finger on it. I worry about the cleanliness of the lens.
  • Apple’s packaging. I know people go into rhapsodies about it, but teeny-weeny grey type on white for the instructions is very very hard for me to read.

Too soon to tell:

  • The Smart Keyboard. The one I have feels more slippery than the one I tried in the store, which I don’t care for. It is faster than the onscreen keyboard, but so far I’m making lots of typos. I don’t know whether I’ll end up using it much; it could end up being a very expensive cover, or I could end up typing more on the iPad.
  • The case. I got the Apple silicone case. So far, it feels more slippery-slimy than I’d expected; I thought it would be more grippy. This may improve with time. It does offset the camera bump; we’ll see if it prevents me from getting my greasy paws all over the camera lens.
  • I tend not to take pictures with my iPad, but I know the camera in this one is really good. We’ll see if the increased handiness of this unit will encourage me to take more pictures with it.

This was the first time I did the whole pre-ordering a product before it’s released thing. Generally, I like to go to the Apple Store and pick it up, but I did it online this time, partly out of curiosity, to see what the whole pre-order things was like, and partly because I was very sure I wanted to replace the old iPad. I ordered it with the Pencil and SD card reader; strangely enough, those shipped separately, and arrived two days before. The shipping was free, so I didn’t really care, but I would have shipped them all together.

Altogether, I’m pretty pleased with it.

(Note: this post was written entirely on the iPad, using the Smart Keyboard. It’s the first post I’ve written entirely on iOS.)