Frequently Asked Questions
-
On your iPhone open up the Settings
Scroll down until you find Messages
Select Text Message Forwarding
Select the device that you want to receive “Green bubble texts” from
Note: Your iPad and iPhone must be on the same Apple ID
-
Is there a desktop based application that you rely on to get your work done? If you’re like me, the answer is probably no and you mainly work off of web based tools, like Google Drive, Gmail, etc. If that’s the case, I highly recommend using the iPad as your main computer particularly if you’re going to spring for a keyboard, mouse, and Apple Pencil (I’ll get more into that in the next FAQ).
-
For a keyboard and mouse - the short answer is YES; particularly one that takes advantage of the smart connectors that you can find on this device. (Bluetooth is too unreliable and can lead to double key presses way too often.) I picked up the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case, and far prefer it over Apple’s magic keyboard (see the Keyboard Review section below for more details on that!)
The Apple Pencil on the other hand - that’s more complicated; it feels more like a decoration piece for the iPad than anything that fits into my workflow. I enjoy using it, but far too often I find that I accidentally started drawing in a comment box as I scroll through websites and because of this I find myself using it less and less often.
Background
There continues to be 2 size options: the 11 inch and 12.9 inch, with storage variations ranging from 128 GB to 2 TB. Cellular and Wi-Fi configurations are available for all configurations.
The device that this review is on is the base model 128 GB 11 inch Space Grey Wi-Fi configuration.
I also picked up the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case and an Apple Pencil 2nd Gen.
Review
-
The story hasn’t changed much when it comes to battery life on the iPad, standby time is almost unbelievable and all around the iPad continues to be a battery champion. With moderate use I charge the iPad 1-2 times a week!
-
It’s good… It’s really really good, and you won’t be disappointed. I wish Apple would have launched this with OLED, but they continue to produce some of the best LCD panels. While it may be lacking OLED, it delivers a high refresh rate (120 Hz) which makes it feel like you are directly interacting with the content on the screen.
-
Don’t use these to take pictures. Not because they’re bad camera’s, but because you shouldn’t be using an iPad to take pictures!
They are perfectly adequate cameras to scan any documents you have, and the inclusion of the LiDar sensor enables you to do some fun augmented reality when you’re online shopping.
-
There are 4 speakers that provide a deep rich sound that make watching content an incredibly enjoyable experience.
-
As I mentioned above I have been using the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case. I could not recommend it more, especially at ~$50 cheaper than the Apple’s Magic Keyboard. It provides a larger trackpad, an extra row for function keys, backlit keys, better overall protection as a case, and way more positions that the kickstand can open to. All leading to a really enjoyable overall experience.
The only place where this keyboard falls short is opening it. With an Apple Pencil there is no place to grab to separate the magnets holding the keyboard against the front of the iPad.
-
The Apple Pencil is a difficult one. It’s beautifully designed, and the magnets that hold it in place against the side of the iPad (where it also charges wirelessly) is perfect. But… far too often I’ll be scrolling through a website and suddenly realize I’m writing in a comment box. This has to do with the new functionality where you can write directly into a text box and it will translate your handwriting into text.
Verdict
The iPad continues to be the best tablet on the market, and the iPad Pro only continues to broaden that gap. However with the baseline configuration coming in at nearly $1,100 I’d recommend viewing this as a laptop replacement instead of a tablet. It will take some teaching yourself to use the slightly modified keyboard layout, and the small differences in your commonly used apps, but if you can learn how to take advantage of what this device has to offer - it can absolutely take what you throw at it.
If you’re on the market for a new laptop, I’d highly recommend considering the iPad Pro, especially if you’re artistic or work mainly out of cloud based applications.