What To Know
|
You may have heard all the buzz about the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with an M2 chip. I had. But is it really as good as people say it is? I chose to find out.
Our multi-talented artists and I use my iPad Pro to write, draw, edit, and process photos, do graphic design, keep a diary, and get ideas and information when I’m working on physical arts like sculpting and woodworking. I couldn’t wait to try out the new M2 iPad Pro when my 6th Gen iPad Pro (with an A10 chip) finally started displaying its age.
Let me say that I had one small problem, but I’m not upset at all. But let’s look more closely.
Contents
The Anti-Climactic Unboxing Process
You know how it feels. You place an order for a new gadget and can’t wait for it to be delivered. You can’t wait to play with your new toy after opening the box. When the brand-new, 12.9-inch 6th Gen iPad Pro with an M2 chip showed up, I was over the moon. I was excited to take that thing out of the box.
I moved from an iPad Pro with an A10 processor to one with an M2 processor. Did you notice? Both of them are 6th Gen. This means they look the same. The real difference is on the inside. It was the same iPad when I opened the box and pulled that little zip strip. It was newer and shinier than my well-used baby, though. I’ll be honest: I was a little down. It’s a tablet. That and a charging wire are in the box.
We’re still excited about it because it’s brand new, and it charges up and gets ready to use. But that’s when Apple really let me down.
Read More: Apple Releases the Incredible, Terrifyingly Fast M3 Chip for MacBook Pro and iMac
Apple isn’t great at everything.
There are a lot of things Apple does well, but I have found one thing it doesn’t do well: moving info from one iPad to another.
After calmly waiting to sit down and set up my new iPad, I thought the change would be easy. I was so wrong. The process of moving files between iPads seems to be broken. During the process, the new iPad got stuck, and it wasn’t easy to figure out how to fix it. Apple knows this is a problem and has some ideas for how to fix it in community threads. They do not work. Finally, I found a Reddit post that said to make an iCloud backup, set up the iPad without the transfer, and then restore the backup to the new iPad.
That also caused some issues since the old iPad had to be disconnected from iCloud before the backup could be installed. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that, but I got it done in the end.
Whew. That was a hassle.
After That, the Speed Bump
I finally set up my new iPad, and it’s ready to go. The first thing I did was test the M2 chip to see if it could really handle how I work. I then opened Chrome, Procreate, Photoshop, Google Drive, and My Photos. Not a bug. No bumps. There are no lags. No mistakes. Without any problems, I was able to switch between all of those apps right away. I added a YouTube movie just for fun. Still great.
I’ve worked hard on this iPad since then. It’s something I use every day at LifeTechTales. CMS, Google Apps, Photoshop, and several browsers are often open in the background for me. In my free time, I’ve used it to record and edit instructional audio and video, plan and draw in Procreate, and write in Google Docs. And if I had to pick something to worry about, how much does the Magic Keyboard cost to add to this tablet?
I’m sure the Magic Keyboard will make my life better, but man, is it expensive? And that makes me feel bad because I just spent $1100 on an iPad. Don’t worry, though. The Magic Keyboard for Mac I already have and a nice stand are enough for me.
That’s right, I also have the Apple Pencil 2. If you want to use your M2 iPad Pro for artistic work, you need this accessory. It’s even written. (Believe me.) There’s something about being able to use the Apple Pencil, the touch screen, or a keyboard and mouse that makes things more artistic. It’s just easier to get into the flow state that makes great things happen.
Is it worth recommending?
The M2 iPad Pro undoubtedly has me spellbound. However, would I actually recommend it? Is it capable of substituting a laptop? Yes, absolutely.
Indeed, my MacBook Pro has been significantly inferior ever since the advent of the iPad Pro. I cannot bring myself to grasp it. Automatically picking up my iPad, I have never set it down to return to my laptop. Professionally, it is the most worthwhile $1100 I’ve spent in quite some time, and I do intend to upgrade it with the Magic Keyboard, which could mean a swift replacement for my MacBook.