2021 iPad Pro: A Product Ahead of Its Time

This is not a review. I have already written one of those and refused to publish it. I had some harsh things to say and I didn’t like the tone. I also found that I had very little to add to the growing chorus of reviewers who were all saying the same thing. The hardware is impressive but is held back by the software. This is exactly what people expected it to be so that is the only way in which it doesn’t disappoint.

A more positive spin would be that the iPad hardware is ahead of its time. It, and we are waiting on a software update that would make sense of the hardware. Apple has been working hard to convince us that no such software is coming because the iPad Pro is already great as it is. No one finds this convincing or satisfying. Apple should hope that no one believes them Because if they really buy the garbage they have been saying about the 2021 iPad Pro in its current state, they have completely lost the plot.

Perhaps you are starting to see why I dumped the original review.

Instead of rehashing all that, I thought I would focus on the positives. I will just say that I don’t recommend this iPad for anyone who owns a 2018 or later. There is not enough difference in actual use. There is plenty of difference on paper. But as of now, it doesn’t translate to the real world. That’s said, there are a few things that are good about the product, even if it is not worth most people buying it at the moment. All that could change a a couple of weeks at WWDC if Apple announces software updates that take advantage of all this new hardware.

The Screen really Does Look Great

In normal use, the screen does not get any brighter than the previous iPads Pro. It tops out at 600 nits. It only gets to the 1,000 and 1,600 nits level of brightness when there is high-resolution HDR video to take advantage of it. In day to day use, you are just never going to see it. But what you will appreciate , especially if you use dark mode, is the high contrast black levels. That makes everything pop a little more than it did on prior screens. It is one of the few differences in the screen performance that you can actually see without calibration tools.

If you want to see how dramatic it can be, go into the Wallpaper setting and select a solid, black background. You will be hard pressed to distinguish it from OLED. For many people, high contrast is an accessibility feature because it makes text stand out better. You will get some benefit. Just temper your expectations. It offers some benefit. But it won’t change the world.

5G

Don’t expect miracles that 5G can’t deliver. That said, if you live in just the right place and have the right carrier for that place, 5G is faster than LTE. Even so, the real boost is not in having 5G, but in having a ubiquitous cellular connection. If you like to use your iPad while out and about, you are going to want to go cellular. It is so much better than tethering. I intend to write a piece on that. For now, I will just say that the best upgrade you can make to an iPad Pro is not storage space, but cellular.

M1

People are wondering what to make of Apple’s inclusion of the M1 processor in the new iPad Pro. That is one of those improvements that will have to wait on a software update to see its full potential. I can report that the iPad does feel marginally zippier. The interface is just a tiny bit smoother. The difference is small enough that it could be a placebo effect. I am not immune to such things. But I do have access to a 2020 iPad Pro. And to my mind, the newer one is ever so slightly faster overall. I don’t really perform any tasks where the speed would be truly noticeable.

White Magic Keyboard

I am a big fan of the white Magic Keyboard. It has a slightly different typing feel than the previous one. And the previous one offered my favorite typing experience. I don’t know if this one is better or just different. But I do know it remains my favorite typing experience. I also love the look of it. I suspect I will continue to love it even when it gets too dirty for me to clean it. I have always preferred white accessories and white cases. I have yet to run into one that I didn’t like after having it for a long time. The concern over it getting too dirty is not one that anyone has to deal with in real life.

Conclusion

I like this iPad Pro for all the reasons I liked last year’s iPad Pro. It has a few new tricks, but very few. They might become truly useful after iPadOS 15. I hope so. Until there is a feature you feel like you can use on the new iPad, my advice is that you hold off. That might not be a very long wait. But you would probably be a little disappointed in your purchase as is. Give Apple a chance to finish telling the story of this device before diving in.

David Johnson