Apple's iPad Pro is getting faster with each iteration, but not necessarily improved.
When will Apple stop throwing performance at the software problem?
The latest iPad Pro features Apple's new M5 chip, offering significant CPU and GPU performance improvements over the previous M4. Despite these hardware upgrades, the iPadOS software remains a limitation. While window management and multitasking have been improved, iPadOS still fails to fully utilize the iPad's potential.
This issue is long-standing, and many have pointed it out.
iPadOS is acceptable on its own, but when the iPad Pro is paired with a Magic Keyboard and Mouse, it becomes a costly attempt to replicate the MacBook Pro experience, lacking the software capabilities.
The base 13-inch iPad Pro (M5) with 256GB of storage costs $1,300, and the Magic Keyboard is an additional $349, totaling $1,649.
Comparatively, a 14-inch MacBook Pro with the same M5 chip (plus an extra efficiency core), double the storage (512GB), and an included keyboard costs $1,599. The more expensive iPad Pro setup is actually a worse value.
While the MacBook Pro lacks drawing capabilities, the iPad Air or base iPad are suitable alternatives.
The iPad Pro seems unnecessarily excessive.
Instead of improving iPadOS to be more like macOS, Apple has been increasing the processing power, hoping that more cores or faster clock speeds will justify the iPad Pro's high cost.
It is unlikely that future iPad Pro models will address this core problem.
For professionals who found the iPad Pro with M4 lacking and are satisfied with iPadOS, there are some use cases.
However, for Apple enthusiasts and average consumers, the iPad Pro may feel like it offers too much and too little simultaneously, at a high price.
Consider an iPad Air, an older iPad Pro, or a Galaxy Tab S11 if you prefer Android. The latter is a capable and affordable tablet with a suitable aspect ratio.
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