Apple to allegedly launch 9.7 inch iPad Pro at March event

26 February, 2016
Apple will apparently not launch an iPad Air 3, rather, a 9.7 inch variant of the really expensive 12.9 inch iPad Pro.

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  • D
  • AnonD-367917
  • wgf
  • 26 Feb 2016

big g , 26 Feb 2016are you kidding me, you have an oversized/overpriced ios ma... moreAm I kidding you? No, not at all. I share my beliefs based on a lack of emotional connection to these products, and being well researched in this field.

Also, I am not an 'Apple fan boy', but do take note that this is how you see the world. I can only guess you go 'head to head' with as many Apple users as possible.

Having read some of the Apple threads, I have seen that Apple users, mostly, are off happily using their equipment. They do not feel compelled to benchmark and compare features.
They are probably just really content living their lives (with products that generally cause little grief, and function as intended).

So let me respond, in turn, to your statements:

I have an oversized iOS machine.
Yes. I do. I purchased an iPad Pro, the largest and highest quality tablet I could find.

I have an overpriced iOS machine...
(Let's come back to this one, after we qualify what justifies 'value for money')

Pro(fesionals) don't use it...
Yes they do. Many do. Specifically, for the model I have, creative artists, writers, photojournalists etc. (The Pencil is unique to this model, and it is a game changer)

Pros need proper software, not mobile versions...
People use software. Software can be written for any platform. iOS has software for doing many things (what are you saying? Full desktop programs can do more things? OK Mobile software cannot do anything or be used? Ummm, yeah,.. Fundamentally wrong viewpoint)
Sure my PC can run any from hundreds of thousands software choices (so can most tablets). We actually only use the software that does the task we need it to. If that software is on the platform of choice, then, excellent. Job done.
I find that five minutes of photo editing on the iPad is more effective than ten-fifteen minutes on my water cooled overclocked i7 with 16Gb of high speed RAM, 780GTX, multiple SSDs, with a large Wacom. Sure, I might use an extra app on the tablet for a specific tool, but the tools are there...

Consumers can't afford it...
Who is it you argue with then? A real lot of people have bought into an Apple ecosystem. Hence all the app support. In fact, when we take into account the hardware reliability and the reduction of a need to buy extended warranty, Apple hardware is well priced. (Consumers vote with the action of their wallet)

Who is it for?
Professionals, including creative types. Photography enthusiasts. Casuals.

RAM is overkill... (You are quoting me, I agree)( but not for the reason you give)
RAM is overkill for future proofing reasons. RAM is a large amount as it is shared with the graphics card (that now drives nearly six megapixels of screen). Also third level cache is removed from the System on Chip (SoC), this is due to the super fast nature of the RAM used and the BUS to connect it. This RAM speed, as a part of the whole, is a big part to the 'wow factor' when using this tablet.

No true multitasking...
I am not an Apple fan, and I used to say this as well. My understanding is that iOS has evolved more than your thoughts about it have..

YES the SoC did cost Apple a lot, irrelevant of their research and development, the fabrication process is cutting edge, and on these chips they probably took quite a hit, as the yield was not as high as it would have been if they hadn't pushed the envelope.

'the same as iPhone 6s'/not hard to do...
Actually some of the best minds on our planet make the product.
I get that you don't understand it. A whole bunch of 'off chip' processors have been moved on die with custom design. More than just the Motion Coprocessor, the nature of the SoC is listed dual core, but it is dual core with so many custom functions, I wouldn't call it that.
That Apple own their own Operating System (iOS evolved from the worlds best consumer OS, OS X), it still appears to render all graphics to the screen as if they are a PDF file. So fonts can be zoomed into quickly with near infinite resolution. Versus this tablet, my 4Ghz i7 is no better, possibly a little worse.

Cash grab by Apple...
Sure - they are a business, good for them.
Cash grab though is on the perception it is overpriced, and I put to you that productivity in an Apple ecosystem is shown to be higher,.. So value as seen by business owners, who pay high wages, probably ascertain that Apple is excellent value for money.

Only Apple fan boys can't see that..
Actually they CAN see what they will get, hence why they invest.

"I have nothing against Apple" (just cause you say it doesn't make it true - it is the same argument you will use against anything I have said, and clearly your need to write what you wrote suggests you DO in fact have SOMETHING against Apple)

You finish by saying you have nothing against the product except it is a giant cash grab...
I didn't think they had listed a price for the 9.7" Pro
But I do get that you believe it will be high priced, carry low tech, and will not do what people need it to do. Which makes sense for why you need to save people from a costly mistake.

Your message read very strongly; Reductionism, defined the argument(Apple is crap hardware and mobile software, and high priced), dismiss the argument using your opinions, then assert your beliefs as if they are fact).
I may have just done the same thing. I didn't quote articles supporting my statements.
I didn't list a whole slew of software that might meet professionals' need.
But then I kinda cannot..
Not for all the possibilities where this product will shine. I couldn't list them all.

But say, for counter arguments sake, for similar money to the 12.9" iPad Pro, would be the Surface Tablet.
On a spec sheet, it has better numbers.and USB jacks, and everything a full sized computer generally has. It is very capable hardware, could be hooked up to a DVD burner, can flash firmware and setup printers etc. Yes it is technically a more capable tool. Except it runs Windows.

If what a person needs to do can be done from a tablet, then why not use the smaller, lighter, faster option (faster here is based on the total usage time,.. From time pulled out of sleeve to packing it away after the job is done).

Anyhow, much value is found in Apple hardware. And Industry leading reliability. And Security. And Usability.

A lot of software worth using has a iOS version or equivalent.
I was truly surprised by how capable my tablet is.
Sure I still fire up a 13" laptop for torrents and firmware flashing. And my desktop rig is mostly video converting, storage and gaming.
Which I can now stream to my tablet when sitting around on the lounge.

Irrelevant as I seldom need use anything but the available iOS applications.

And, yeah, with the Pencil, desktop publishing has its 'go to place' on my iPad

    • A
    • Alien
    • ndn
    • 26 Feb 2016

    I'm a heavy user of Photoshop, Android SDK, Eclipse Mars and many other serious programs. I'd like to see a tablet render a 4K video in Adobe After Effects..
    The day a tablet will replace a PC and I'll be able to run all of these programs I will buy one. Till then, tablets are just oversized phones designed for the masses.
    Sure, I can even code on my Xperia phone if I really want, but nothing will replace the actual keyboard and mouse for what I do..
    Techonology i advancing day by day, but people are getting dumber and dumber. And this really is a FACT proven by scientists.
    The only tablet I would concider trying would be a Cintiq from Wacom. Designed for proffesional usage, not for playing candy crush or posting a desperate need for attention selfie on fb..

      • D
      • Duel
      • Scq
      • 26 Feb 2016

      big g , 26 Feb 2016are you kidding me, you have an oversized/overpriced ios ma... more"pro's don't use it coz its ios"

      Pro's use it already, does'nt matter if it iOS or not, if it get's job done.

        • D
        • Dovice
        • TkM
        • 26 Feb 2016

        Having owned...

        12.3" Surface Pro 4
        Galaxy Note 10
        Galaxy Note 8
        Galaxy Note 4 (and earlier Note phones)
        Misc 7 and 10" Android tablets
        iPad Mini first gen

        The best form factor for a stylus driven tablet is between 7 and 8" for hand held productivity use. Small enough for one handed operation, large enough to fill in forms and draw pictures easily. Note 8 was the best Note I ever owned. A 10" iPad Pro will be too large.

          • b
          • big g
          • MVg
          • 26 Feb 2016

          AnonD-367917, 26 Feb 2016The 'Pro' isn't nonsense. Seems Apple have created a new... moreare you kidding me, you have an oversized/overpriced ios machine, pro's don't use it coz its ios (IE pro's need proper software not mobile versions) and consumers cant afford it (over priced), so who is it for. the reason why the ram is overkill is because of how limited ios is compared to other os's (IE:no true multi taking). to say the soc cost apple a lot is a joke, its the same as the iphone 6s but with an overclock to gpu and cpu (not hard to do that). this device is a cash grab by apple, only apple fan boys cant see that. I have nothing against apple but these are the facts, I have something against this device coz it a giant cash grab.

            • q
            • qky
            • Tvx
            • 26 Feb 2016

            AnonD-238141, 26 Feb 2016so an ipad, whats with the pro nonsense? No one knows...

              • L
              • Lilian
              • spj
              • 26 Feb 2016

              If they really do this, most probably they would do this to increase the price...
              "You see, monkeys, this is not iPad Air, this is iPad Pro, therefore, more expensive. I know you will buy it anyway".

                • D
                • AnonD-504210
                • 7wn
                • 26 Feb 2016

                Anonymous, 26 Feb 2016Surface pro 4 is an atrocious tablet, heavy , bad apps, ba... moreBullcrap! Lets see u develop apps for ipad using an ipad

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • 0Tw
                  • 26 Feb 2016

                  Jin1234, 26 Feb 2016Not many dare to comments because most of us have no idea h... moreMost tablets sold were ipads. And tablets sell a lot more than laptops. It's the definition of a widespread product. Most people I know own one, it's nothing exotic at this point in time , and everybody admits that it's light years ahead of windows machines for consuming information...

                  I guess if you're a gamer windows is better, but that's about it...

                    Not many dare to comments because most of us have no idea how an ipad works. Because most of is don't even own them or buy them. So, I rest my case. I have no opinion on this one. Just saying that ipad is a niche device.

                      • D
                      • AnonD-367917
                      • v61
                      • 26 Feb 2016

                      AnonD-238141, 26 Feb 2016so an ipad, whats with the pro nonsense? The 'Pro' isn't nonsense.

                      Seems Apple have created a new tier of parts; premium iPads!

                      I am writing this from a Pro (of the twelve inch variety), and it would seem the main differences are in the screen technology, and amount of RAM, though the speakers and clever jack (for powering backlit keyboards etc) are cool too.

                      The screen technology change is with regards to the Apple Pencil. The screen in the 12" Pro is insanely cool, well beyond spec sheet bragging rights. It can drop refresh rate to 30Hz when displaying static screens, and it can ramp the digitiser for the Pen(cil) up to 240Hz (that allows perfectly smooth, aka round, circles drawn at high speed).

                      On the 12" Pro there is no 3D Touch, and Apple might be building the 3D Touch features into some Pen(cil) commands, as the last three iOS betas, Pencil navigation and selection actions have been removed (though they are promised to be returned).

                      The Quad speaker sound is a killer feature.
                      It is rich, and sonically a pleasure to take in.
                      Their ability to be immersive blew me away (and I am an Audio equipment junkie), and presently this is some of the best portable audio ever found with included speakers in a portable player, without going to dedicated speaker sets!

                      The extra RAM is overkill presently, but knowing that more mainstream products(vastly more unit sales) are going to also include it, the future is very bright.

                      iOS is a very RAM (and CPU) efficient OS. 2GB is overkill/plenty. 4GB will allow for some cool future options (a hacked OS X even a viability, though I wouldn't hold my breath).
                      The real point is the RAM is high speed to the custom CPU (they even removed third level cache as the RAM bus and RAM speed is so good), and the Motion Coprocessor is now built into the Apple System On Chip (SoC), allowing battery savings whilst allowing it to be 'always on'.

                      In fact the A9X that powers the current Pro, is a beast of a CPU, costing Apple a lot of money to produce. Whilst it is listed as a dual core, custom built as it has been, it really is something a lot more. As Apple make the OS for their own hardware, the features built into this SoC will be utilised.

                      Presently the Pencil allows for exceptional creativity in a way that has not been available previously.
                      This is not a stylus used to make a small screen device usable (What 'Jobs was talking about NOT producing), but an exceptional analogue input method (something Jobs' would be proud to be made by Apple).

                      Most artists that have had access to the Pencil say it is exemplary, and workflows for those who use it are becoming simpler and faster.
                      It really is the best use of said tech we have ever seen.

                      I love my Note Edge, which has a Wacom digitiser built into the screen, but it is in no way the equivalent of what this Pencil (on the Pros') can do!

                      And what I achieve in a few moments in Photoshop etc using the Pro could not be touched on my desktop machines, from a 'productivity' standpoint.


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                        Can we end this obnoxious debate?

                        I've seen people use their laptops just for doing some useless pieces of stuffs (play minigames, just facebooks, and so on)
                        BUT
                        I've seen people use their laptops to make a great, great things (designers, architects, engineers, programmer, hardcore gamer, etc)

                        AND

                        I've seen people user their tablets (be it Androids, iPads, Windows) to create some awesome things while on the go
                        BUT
                        I've seen people use them just for playing some useless games and doing some useless stuffs

                        Every device is created with a purpose of doing something good better. But when that device falls in the wrong type of person it then become useless, be it a phone, a tablet, a laptop, a desktop, or even a server.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • TKb
                          • 26 Feb 2016

                          AnonD-238141, 26 Feb 2016so an ipad, whats with the pro nonsense? to make used of apple pencil & introduce new price which is might be higher than current ipad air.. that the 'pro' moniker stand for.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • 0Tw
                            • 26 Feb 2016

                            AnonD-500788, 26 Feb 2016It definitely can't replace s laptop, but the surface pro 4... moreSurface pro 4 is an atrocious tablet, heavy , bad apps, bad battery ... Of course it can replace a laptop, it is a laptop (and a really bad tablet), an overpriced midrange laptop with middling battery compared to the heavyweights...

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 0Tw
                              • 26 Feb 2016

                              AnonD-504210, 26 Feb 2016Actually as per news, surface like convertibles are on the ... moreIf you read the news you'd see that convertibles are selling only a fraction of what real tablets do. Also they're projected to taper off late this year, early next. It's fad, it's going to go away. Both laptops and tablets are better in their respective things.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • 0Tw
                                • 26 Feb 2016

                                AnonD-504210, 26 Feb 2016It most certainly not! Ipad are used for surfing and playin... moreOnly nerds do that stuff. Most people don't care about those, they care about Facebook, Twitter, reading the news and seeing videos all of which are done a million times better on an ipad...

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-500788
                                  • Nug
                                  • 26 Feb 2016

                                  Anonymous, 26 Feb 2016Of course it can replace laptops and it actually has. Very ... moreIt definitely can't replace s laptop, but the surface pro 4 sure can replace your laptop and that's true fact. Ipad is a mobile os, just a big expensive metal slab for watching videos and games and believe me that's not productive.

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-504210
                                    • 7wn
                                    • 26 Feb 2016

                                    Anonymous, 26 Feb 2016You do know that they absolutely kill the sales of any othe... moreActually as per news, surface like convertibles are on the rise while ipad like tablets are declining

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-504210
                                      • 7wn
                                      • 26 Feb 2016

                                      Anonymous, 26 Feb 2016Of course it can replace laptops and it actually has. Very ... moreIt most certainly not! Ipad are used for surfing and playing candy crush. Laptop is used for doing REAL work, like adobe photoshop, and AUTOCAD, and real games like Diablo 3, crysis etc.

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-77892
                                        • PSv
                                        • 26 Feb 2016

                                        Techguy, 26 Feb 2016who cares and firsthere comes the bitter fanboys...:))) hahaha

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