iPad Pro 9.7 - Who's getting one?

[Eug]

The CPU or RAM wasn't the issue, the problem was the GPU. The 4s was a massive leap in GPU, maybe the largest ever in iPhone history:

The iPhone 4 was a huge step back in power-per-pixel compared to the 3GS due to having the same GPU. I was big into iPhone gaming at the time on my 3GS and the 4 was a huge step back if you cared about that.

That weaker GPU caught up with the iPhone 4 later in its life when iOS7 had to have many of its effects disabled to get the phone to run the OS. The real upgrade the 4S provided was its massive GPU, which is why it is still a viable device today and the 4 isn't despite both having the same amount of RAM.

Oh, in that case maybe for that specific situation. I didn't play many games on my phone, so 3D performance didn't really matter. CPU performance was more important to me, and of course RAM.

I do wonder if the bigger reason iPhone 4 doesn't run iOS 8 is because of the CPU. But the iPhone 4 actually runs iOS 7 about the same as the iPhone 4S runs iOS 9.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Google crippled it by slow-walking multi-window (N is implementing basically the same system Samsung had working in 2012). I really suspect an under-the-table deal with Microsoft.

I bet there's a patent somewhere from Windows 8.

 

[s44]

I think it was more a "stay off each other's turf" deal. Remember Google helped MS kill laptops-running/dual-booting-Android.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I think the big problem is the $100 premium over the old Air 2 price. Air 2s were already going for cheap because it's well over 1+ year. There were multiple deals for 64gb Air 2s for $499. Now you want $599 for a 32gb Pro? Bleh. Hard to justify.

But at the same time there's nothing compelling on the Android side.

 

[poofyhairguy]

N is implementing basically the same system Samsung had working in 2012

Samsung's implementation never had window manager support like Android N does:

 

[s44]

Huh? Floating windows have been around for a while. We're derailing the Apple thread though.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Where were floating windows? In Paranoid Android? Xposed? Those aren't available for the mainstream user.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Huh? Floating windows have been around for a while. We're derailing the Apple thread though.

Fair enough.

 

[Commodus]

Me, I'm just happy that there's finally a proper, significant upgrade to the iPad Air 2 (even if Apple isn't calling it an upgrade as such). Wish it didn't entail a price hike, but compared to my original iPad Air, it's huge.

 

[Skel]

Outside of being able to use the Apple ecosystem, is there any bonus to this over the Surface Pro 4?

 

[Oyeve]

Outside of being able to use the Apple ecosystem, is there any bonus to this over the Surface Pro 4?

only if you are entrenched in the apple ecosystem.

 

[quikah]

Wow, I just realized there is a camera bump on this. So you cannot lay it flat, have fun writing/drawing on this thing. Guess a case is mandatory. This thing is a complete fail IMO.

 

[Oyeve]

Wow, I just realized there is a camera bump on this. So you cannot lay it flat, have fun writing/drawing on this thing. Guess a case is mandatory. This thing is a complete fail IMO.

Apple will gladly sell you a case. KACHING$$$$

 

[Commodus]

Outside of being able to use the Apple ecosystem, is there any bonus to this over the Surface Pro 4?

More tablet-native apps, longer battery life, more portable, better cameras.

Think of it this way: the Surface Pro 4 is a PC with tablet-like properties, while the iPad Pro is a mobile tablet with PC-like properties. There's some overlap, but their starting points determine what they're best at. I'd get the Surface Pro if I needed a convertible tablet that ran desktop software, and spent most of its time in laptop mode; I'd get the iPad if I spent most of my time in tablet mode and didn't want to worry about running out of battery or straining my hands. They're both good, just different.

 

[Eug]

Me, I'm just happy that there's finally a proper, significant upgrade to the iPad Air 2 (even if Apple isn't calling it an upgrade as such). Wish it didn't entail a price hike, but compared to my original iPad Air, it's huge.

Well, if you believe Apple, this isn't an upgrade to the Apple Air 2. It's a whole new product line.

And in a way, it is. It adds a bunch of features... that most of the mainstream doesn't care about... but then misses out on other upgrades like 4 GB which would probably be more relevant to most buyers, despite its uber high price.

I'm not convinced the 9.7" Pro will be an awesome seller, although it will sell.

 

[Commodus]

Wow, I just realized there is a camera bump on this. So you cannot lay it flat, have fun writing/drawing on this thing. Guess a case is mandatory. This thing is a complete fail IMO.

Apparently, it doesn't have an issue with wobbling... probably just big enough that a small protrusion doesn't make that much of a difference.

 

[quikah]

Apparently, it doesn't have an issue with wobbling... probably just big enough that a small protrusion doesn't make that much of a difference.

That seems physically impossible... If you press down on the opposite side what is magically holding it up?

 

[dawheat]

Surprised to see regular sales of the iPad Pro - I remember seeing them pop up a month or two ago. Right now Staples as $100-150 off.

As great as these all are, I don't see any change in the constant sales decline of tablets y/o/y.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I caved and pre-ordered an the Pro 9.7. But then I started looking at the accessories... Oh geez, what have I gotten myself into....

$70 case. I'll need a case to deal with that camera hump.
$50 smart cover or $150 smart keyboard. I may just go with the cover and my Logitech K810.
$100 pencil. Why buy a Pro if you aren't getting the pencil?

$220 for basically the front and back side of a case and a stylus. Haha, I suck.

 

[MongGrel]

I'm not.

 

[Arachnotronic]

It's probably nothing more than CABC (Content Adaptive Backlight Control) at work. AT has been hammering on its undesirableness on Android phones for years, and to do a 180° now would be.. eh, expected.

That's not the same thing at all.

CABC is a scheme in which the backlight is dimmed but the content itself is "brightened" to try to give the appearance of similar brightness at lower power draw, since the backlight is the biggest power draw.

What Apple is doing here is literally sensing the color temperature of the environment and adjusting the display's color temperature to match. It's essentially on-the-fly display color calibration.

 

[Lyfer]

I caved and pre-ordered an the Pro 9.7. But then I started looking at the accessories... Oh geez, what have I gotten myself into....

$70 case. I'll need a case to deal with that camera hump.
$50 smart cover or $150 smart keyboard. I may just go with the cover and my Logitech K810.
$100 pencil. Why buy a Pro if you aren't getting the pencil?

$220 for basically the front and back side of a case and a stylus. Haha, I suck.

My wife just ordered her's. Rose 128gb with the pen. $36 on edge plan with VZW, not bad. Anyone looking for a used nexus 2013?

I might wait until she gets her before ordering mines. Worst case iPads have good resale value if I don't like it.

 

[Eug]

Surprised to see regular sales of the iPad Pro - I remember seeing them pop up a month or two ago. Right now Staples as $100-150 off.

As great as these all are, I don't see any change in the constant sales decline of tablets y/o/y.

Well, I got $100 CAD (US$75) off the much cheaper Air 2 last September, which is why I bought my second Air 2 then.

The Pro has a small market and is insanely expensive in comparison, so US$100+ off makes sense. Think of it as getting your stylus included for "free".

 

[TheStu]

That seems physically impossible... If you press down on the opposite side what is magically holding it up?

It's probably because if this line below is the iPad:

_______________________
^

The carat is the camera, except it's even less pronounced out from the rest of the surface than this clearly NOT TO SCALE example. There isn't a lot of 'opposite side' to press down upon, and given the weight, probably not enough to get leverage unless you really worked at it (I mean, it's probably not that much force in the broad scheme of things, but more than you'd casually apply).

All that said, and to address the OP question. Not I. I have the rMB (which I'll probably flip if rMB v2 has TB3), my portable computing needs are covered.

 

[quikah]

It's probably because if this line below is the iPad:

_______________________
^

The carat is the camera, except it's even less pronounced out from the rest of the surface than this clearly NOT TO SCALE example. There isn't a lot of 'opposite side' to press down upon, and given the weight, probably not enough to get leverage unless you really worked at it (I mean, it's probably not that much force in the broad scheme of things, but more than you'd casually apply).

All that said, and to address the OP question. Not I. I have the rMB (which I'll probably flip if rMB v2 has TB3), my portable computing needs are covered.

It is BS, I put 7 small sheets of paper under the camera of my iPad air (approximate thickness of the camera bump). it wobbles. Unless they bent the case it will wobble, there are only 3 points of contact. It doesn't wobble a lot (just mm of movement), but it is noticeable (tapping sound as you shift back and forth) and would get annoying after a while IMO. This was a DUMB decision by Apple, a tablet doesn't need a great camera.