Since I primarily use the iPad Pro, I was keenly interested in Apple’s improvements in the Mac lineup for what might carry over to my device of choice. If you rank all of Apple’s devices in a pecking order of power, the iPad Air lies immediately below and the MacBook Air above the iPad Pro. Both of these devices have had big upgrades recently, making the iPad Pro look a little left out.
The new iPad Air has inherited most of what makes the iPad Pro such a delightful device, and the entry-level MacBook Air has moved up dramatically in sheer processing power. How will the next iPad Pro bridge these two? Here is what I’d love to see.
First, I’d like to see the Apple M1 in the iPad Pro. This new jump in technology is already running in a fanless device. This would once again put the iPad Pro comfortably ahead of the iPad Air in terms of power and make for a fantastic number-crunching and graphics-processing machine. It could be that the era of the “X” A-Series chip is over. Why bother making an A14X when there is an M1 chip around? If anything, Apple would use the X suffix for future M chips with extra cores.
Second, I’d like to see an Apple keyboard base with auxiliary battery power. I travel quite a bit and use my iPad for work alongside my corporate issued laptop. While my iPad battery life is great for the workday, I’m often left with an iPad that is running out of juice in the evening after dinner. I’d love to run my iPad on auxiliary battery power during parts of my workday so that it’s not close to empty when I get home. It also occurred to me that an iPad base with an auxiliary battery would allow traditional laptop-like qualities. Meaning Apple could design a Brydge-style keyboard base that was less likely to tip over backwards.
First, I’d like to see the Apple M1 in the iPad Pro. This new jump in technology is already running in a fanless device. This would once again put the iPad Pro comfortably ahead of the iPad Air in terms of power and make for a fantastic number-crunching and graphics-processing machine. It could be that the era of the “X” A-Series chip is over. Why bother making an A14X when there is an M1 chip around? If anything, Apple would use the X suffix for future M chips with extra cores.
Second, I’d like to see an Apple keyboard base with auxiliary battery power. I travel quite a bit and use my iPad for work alongside my corporate issued laptop. While my iPad battery life is great for the workday, I’m often left with an iPad that is running out of juice in the evening after dinner. I’d love to run my iPad on auxiliary battery power during parts of my workday so that it’s not close to empty when I get home. It also occurred to me that an iPad base with an auxiliary battery would allow traditional laptop-like qualities. Meaning Apple could design a Brydge-style keyboard base that was less likely to tip over backwards.
The Brydge Keyboard for iPad Pro
Third, and this is a biggie, I’d like to extend my Home Screen to an external monitor. Not mirror but extend. Most of my iPad Pro usage is done away from a desk—that’s why I prefer an iPad over a Mac. But there is that hour or two per week when I want to focus on a special project. Then I’d like the option of extending my screen to a big 27" monitor. What would be even better is this: if Apple made their own monitors that could wirelessly hook up to my iPad or iPhone kind of like an Apple TV. Maybe someday.
Built-in kickstand. I’m addicted to setting up my iPad Pro on my lap using the built-in kickstand of my Logitech case. I don’t like relying on a keyboard to adjust viewing angles because I usually don’t use a keyboard, I detach it when I’m using my iPad for entertainment purposes. But when I’m watching a movie and have IMDB queued up and ready to go, I like to use the kickstand so I don’t have to hold my iPad. Any keyboard solution needs to allow for kickstand usage. Even if it means using a case with a kickstand. But it would be great if iPads came with a built-in kickstand that you didn’t need to remove in order to use the keyboard.
The iPad Air seems to be settling into the default iPad choice for those who want the best consumption device possible. You could even use it for work if you don’t need all the processing power of a laptop. The MacBook Air seems aimed at those who still want a traditional laptop and never think about removing the keyboard. But there seems to be a gap in the middle that Apple is trying to fill with the iPad Pro.
I’d love to see Apple continue to morph the iPad Pro into that twilight region between tablet and laptop. In retrospect you can see that Apple has been laying the groundwork for years. They’ve brought trackpad and mouse support to the iPad. They’re making the MacOS design theme more iPad-like. And now with the M1 chip, you can run iOS apps on either side of the fence. Apple is making the iPad more like the Mac and vice versa. Both sides are moving towards the center, and the iPad Pro is in the nexus.
A MacBook is for someone using it at a desk for 8 hours and maybe an hour or two for evening leisure. An iPad Pro is for someone like me who has to use a corporate-issued Windows laptop all workday but uses his personal iPad Pro for everything else in his life. Usually I desire the pure tablet experience, not a device where the keyboard can’t disconnect. The iPad Pro seems destined to be the hybrid computer in the middle that can be either a pure tablet or a powerful work machine.
Built-in kickstand. I’m addicted to setting up my iPad Pro on my lap using the built-in kickstand of my Logitech case. I don’t like relying on a keyboard to adjust viewing angles because I usually don’t use a keyboard, I detach it when I’m using my iPad for entertainment purposes. But when I’m watching a movie and have IMDB queued up and ready to go, I like to use the kickstand so I don’t have to hold my iPad. Any keyboard solution needs to allow for kickstand usage. Even if it means using a case with a kickstand. But it would be great if iPads came with a built-in kickstand that you didn’t need to remove in order to use the keyboard.
The iPad Air seems to be settling into the default iPad choice for those who want the best consumption device possible. You could even use it for work if you don’t need all the processing power of a laptop. The MacBook Air seems aimed at those who still want a traditional laptop and never think about removing the keyboard. But there seems to be a gap in the middle that Apple is trying to fill with the iPad Pro.
I’d love to see Apple continue to morph the iPad Pro into that twilight region between tablet and laptop. In retrospect you can see that Apple has been laying the groundwork for years. They’ve brought trackpad and mouse support to the iPad. They’re making the MacOS design theme more iPad-like. And now with the M1 chip, you can run iOS apps on either side of the fence. Apple is making the iPad more like the Mac and vice versa. Both sides are moving towards the center, and the iPad Pro is in the nexus.
A MacBook is for someone using it at a desk for 8 hours and maybe an hour or two for evening leisure. An iPad Pro is for someone like me who has to use a corporate-issued Windows laptop all workday but uses his personal iPad Pro for everything else in his life. Usually I desire the pure tablet experience, not a device where the keyboard can’t disconnect. The iPad Pro seems destined to be the hybrid computer in the middle that can be either a pure tablet or a powerful work machine.
RSS Feed