The iPad Pro has always had a problem that goes much deeper than nomenclature. There is little to distinguish it from the entry level iPad that costs hundreds less. There is little you can do with an iPad Pro that you can’t do just as well with an iPad amateur. Apple has been granted the benefit of the doubt since the pro-level iPad was launched. Sure, it’s bigger. Sure, the hardware is better. Sure, the experience is nicer. But at the end of the day, it has the same functionality as the cheapest iPad. Consider what they both share:

• All the same apps
• Apple Pencil support
• Bespoke keyboards
• Trackpad and mouse compatibility
• LTE option

Here are a few of the pro differences:

• Larger sizes
• Larger storage options
• Faster processor
• More ram
• Much better display
• Better speakers
• Compatible with Magic Keyboard Case
• Compatible with the latest Apple Pencil

That long list of differences looks good on paper but does not add up to the price difference. You will see a lot of those differences diminish when you factor the iPad Air into the equation. My point is not to suggest that the iPad Pro is a bad machine. On the contrary, it is a great machine. Very few complaints can be leveled at the hardware. But that doesn’t make it pro. That just makes it premium.

What’s lacking is any software experience that demands the premium hardware. Apple does not offer any of their pro software for the iPad. The closest they come is a cut down version of GarageBand. That is far from a pro app even on the Mac. There is no Logic Pro or FCP. There is no Xcode. You can’t point to any pro app from Apple on the iPad. As a writer and podcaster, I would love to see Apple produce a premium blogging tool. Don’t get me started on Pages. While you can cobble a lot of things together, there is no native podcast creation tool. When it comes to PRO, Apple is MIA.

The Next iPad Pro

On April 20, Apple will be announcing the next version of the iPad Pro. The more interesting question is what could Apple possibly announce to make the tablet remotely interesting for someone currently holding a 2018 model. I have the 2020 that I purchased a couple months ago with the understanding that I would give it to my wife and get the new one when it came out this Spring. At this point, there is nothing that excites me about the prospects of the new machine.

Let me just say up front I could care less about the camera unless they are going to really take it seriously. There should be an even better camera on the device than what ships with the latest and greatest iPhone. It is a bigger machine and should be able to handle more camera. But it is always artificially behind. Neither the front camera nor the back camera is good enough for even semipro work. If they are not willing to at least have parity with the best iPhone, I have no idea what they are doing. And I am convinced they have no idea what they are doing, either. If they want us to care about the camera, they need to give us one worth caring about.

It is almost certain they will give us an even better display. But how many people with the latest iPad Pro are looking at it and wishing for a significantly better display? Have you seen the iPad Pro display? It’s frigging awesome! I have no doubt that a mini LED will look frigging awesomer.

That is not going to make the iPad Pro more pro. And I doubt it will be the thing that makes people want to upgrade. Yes, it will look great when watching movies or playing games. But who buys a $1,000 iPad to watch movies and play games? That seems like an extravagance for a precious few. And neither activity makes sense of the naming scheme. That would be more like an iPad Play rather than an iPad Pro.

The iPad Pro could use a change in design. It is a cold slab of metal and glass with rounded corners. The edges are hard and unforgiving. I have no complaint about the bezels. But the big one could definitely use a kickstand. Face it: the large iPad Pro is big and comberson to hold. It needs an expensive case or stand to prop it up. Apple will never make this change. But it is beginning to feel like they are unwilling to make any change to the industrial design. It is time for the iPad Pro to get a design refresh.

Finally, I believe the tablet could stand to have new peripherals. I’m not a Pencil user although I have one. It is really good for artists. That is really about it. Handwriting, while decent, is not a great experience I could not leave my keyboard behind and only take the Apple Pencil for writing. A lot more work needs to be done. Some of that might be hardware. But I suspect most of it is software.

The Magic Keyboard for iPad is a mixed bag of disappointment and more disappointment. The keys are great but everything else needs a lot of work. The peripheral is too expensive, too heavy, the trackpad is too small. The special function keys that are on every other iPad keyboard are too non-existent. The backlight is too hard to adjust. The tilt is too shallow and the bottom of the iPad is too in the way. The unit is tolerable on the large iPad and embarrassing on the smaller one. Those were not even all the problems with the Magic Keyboard. It needs a total redesign which it won’t get.

Conclusion: Another S Year

Anyone expecting any big breakthrough for the iPad Pro is setting themselves up for disappointment. Based on all rumors and leaks, this is setting up to be another S year for the device. That means a year with internal upgrades that will not move the needle and little else. Apple is not competing with anyone. They have no pressure to push harder. We might get a chip equivalent to the M1 in the Mac. But it won’t matter because there is nothing on the platform that can take advantage of it. A person with a 2018 model will not be able to tell the difference in performance. On the iPad Pro right now, speed is a meaningless spec.

They will give the most expensive one a new display. Things will look better because of it. But that quality of life enhancement will not change the user experience enough to matter. At bottom, it will be the same iPad Pro since the last redesign. Without even seeing the announcement, my recommendation is to skip it. That said, I really want to be wrong, and will be the first to admit it if I am.

David Johnson