I just received my new iPad Pro (3rd generation). I have a couple of older iPads and have enjoyed using them for many years. But, this iPad Pro is something that I have wanted for a very long time. I wanted the first generation, the second generation and so on. But for some reason, I never brought myself to pull the trigger and buy one. It became a joke in my family because I talked about wanting this device endlessly. I visited the Apple Store and looked at them all lined up. I even had the whole configuration that I wanted all worked out. Still, I just knew that the next iteration would be something really great. Finally, it was announced. The third generation of iPad Pro would be released in November 2018. The day they went on sale, I ordered my new tool/toy.
I got the keyboard folio last week. I think Apple was trying to tease me by sending it out almost a week before I would get the iPad itself. I was so excited about it that I decided to have a peek at it before I went to bed. I cut a gash in the palm of my left hand with the box cutter and ended up in the emergency room getting it “glued” closed. This was at 1 o’clock in the morning and nobody was happy about that. But, the keyboard folio is really nice.
Today, I was waiting for the UPS guy to show up. This was the day that I had anticipated for at least three years and I was very excited. He delivered both the iPad and the Apple Pencil, got my signature and was on his way. I was left holding the two little packages. Of course, my husband cautioned me not to slash my hand open again, as if I needed that reminder. I set about the delicate task of opening a new Apple device.
Anyone who has ever used an Apple device of any kind knows that the devices are well made and not flimsy or insubstantial. But they are so well packaged that removing them from their boxes makes me feel like I’m breaking into a bank. Considering what I had to pay for this thing, that’s not too far off the mark. Once I get the tightly fitted lid off the perfectly made box, I carefully try to extract the new device without doing anything to damage it. There all kinds of little transparent, plastic tabs meant to facilitate this operation but it is still a tense situation.
At last the iPad Pro is free and I can have a good look at it. It’s a beauty! I notice that it was shipped with 85% charge so I just go ahead and start the setup. I really give Apple credit for trying to make things as easy as possible for their users. The company knows that I have an iPhone and uses that to transfer much of my information directly to the iPad. Then, it offers to use a recent backup from one of my older iPads to get me up and running quickly. This is very good for me since I spend hours setting up groupings for my apps. I had the new device in usable shape in less than an hour. Good job, Apple!
The new iPad Pro has a 12.9 inch display and only a very narrow black strip around the edges. It’s ALL SCREEN. The display is beautiful and from what I can tell, the video refresh rate is very fast. The Apple Pencil is a nice tool for creating drawings and hand written notes. It attaches to the iPad by a very strong magnet and seems secure. The keyboard folio also attaches by magnets and they are pretty strong but it is easy to remove the iPad from it if I don’t want the keyboard. The cover does hold the iPad up securely in two positions and I am very happy about this. The only thing that I can see that I DON’T like is the charger and cable. I have numerous Powerstation batteries for all of my electronic devices. They’re made for Apple products but the included charging cable is strictly usb-C connectors on both ends. All previous Apple devices that I have had (other than the computers) had a usb-A connector going into the charger. Now, I need to find an adapter to take care of this problem or find a charging cable with a usb-A and usb-C connector. I know they exist but I don’t have one. If this is the only drawback I find, the iPad Pro will meet all of my expectations.
That’s my big day. It has been full of fun. My hope is that I will be able to use the new iPad Pro to edit my photographs and watch a few videos. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to master the Apple Pencil to make some tiny edits to unwanted elements in photos. I can see that this will take time. For today, I’m really satisfied with my new tool. Or is it a toy…
In Vizzpat's World 