New iPad Pro: 5 reasons not to upgrade
Commentary: Put away your credit card and step away from the Apple Pay.
What's a computer?
Any time a new gadget comes out like the new iPad Pro, it's exciting. But let's take a step back and analyze what we saw beyond the slick hardware and snazzy demos. Here's why you should maybe hold off on getting the new iPad Pro.
(There are plenty of reasons to upgrade, of course, but we'll double back here and revisit those once we've gotten a chance to spend some time with the device. It hits stores Nov. 7.)
Price creep
The iPad Pro starts at $799 (£769, AU$1,229) for the base configuration. If you want to use an iPad Pro more like a traditional laptop, enjoy shelling out up to $199 for the new Smart Keyboard Folio. (There's a smaller, $179 model of the keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro.) If you want more storage than the base 64GB, you'll pay.
If you max out all the specs on the iPad Pro, you're looking at a price tag of $1,899 (£1,869, AU$2,869). With that kind of cash, you could pick up a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro .
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The accessories divide
Did you buy into the dream of a pro-level iPad in the past and get a keyboard and Pencil ? I've got bad news. The Smart Connector placement has changed, meaning you'll need replace your old Smart Connector-compatible keyboard for the latest Smart Folio Keyboard if you want to touch type on your new iPad Pro.
The older Pencil accessory is also not compatible with the new iPad Pro. According to Apple, the original Pencil works only with the older Apple iPad Pro models. What's more is the new, magnetic Apple Pencil is compatible only with the redesigned iPad Pros. (Here's our FAQ on the Apple Pencil 2.)
Photoshop not coming till 2019
Apple had Adobe come on stage and show off what the software maker called "real Photoshop" on an iPad Pro. (In fact, Adobe had already revealed Photoshop for iPad earlier this month, at its own event.) That means lots of control, layers and Adobe's wealth of tools. That could be really great. However, if you pick up an iPad Pro right now, you're not going to get real Photoshop until next year. When next year? That is unclear. Meanwhile, real Photoshop is available for Macs and PCs right now.
What is USB-C for?
Apple made the move to USB-C with the new iPad Pros. This could conjure up dreams of using the port like you would on a computer or an Android phone.
But don't get too excited. Apple did show the ability to charge other devices using the iPad Pro with its USB-C port and connecting to a camera. However, adding external storage may not be as simple as connecting a hard drive. If a developer chooses, it could build an app that could access external storage, like SanDisk did for its iXpand drives. When the iPad Pro launches, though, iOS will not be able to directly access external storage using the USB-C port like a regular computer would.
Courageous omissions: No headphone jack, no Lightning port, no OIS
For whatever reason, Apple ditched its proprietary Lightning port from the new, more powerful iPad Pros. If you've invested in Lightning adapters or Lightning cables to charge your previous iPad, neither are directly usable. USB-C is now the, er, apple of Apple's eye. In the future, USB-C will be all that is left, but it's still the present.
What about the headphone jack? Apple spent a great deal of time at the new iPad Pro's introduction trying to blur the line between its tablet and more traditional PCs. That seems to be an odd choice seeing as how Apple has kept the headphone jack on its Mac line of laptops . If you want to quietly edit your creative masterpieces on the new iPad Pro, enjoy getting a dongle (you'll need the new USB-C to 3.5mm one, since your iPhone's Lightning to 3.5mm won't work here). Or use a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones -- Apple will gladly sell your a pair starting at $120.
Oh, one more thing. The newest iPad Pros no longer feature optical image stabilization (OIS) on the rear camera, according to Apple's spec page. The 10.5-inch version does have OIS. I don't know who's using their tablet as a camera, but stabilization is always welcome.
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