Can Apple's iPad Pro Replace My Laptop?

CNBC's Todd Haselton reviews the new 11-inch iPad Pro. Apple's new iPad Pro is the best tablet you can buy, with fantastic speakers, a great screen and fast performance, but it still isn't a laptop replacement for most people largely because iOS doesn't feel like it offers as much power as macOS.

When Apple announced the new iPad Pro last month, it tried yet again to drive one point home: the iPad can replace your computer. The company even said that iPads are outselling laptops from all the top traditional computer makers.

Here's the problem: I've never seen the iPad as much more than a machine that's good for watching movies on airplanes and getting light work done here and there.

Does the new iPad Pro change that? No, it doesn't.

I've been testing the iPad for the past several days, and while it's a very nice tablet, it's still not capable of replacing my regular laptop. In fact, most people should probably just buy a Mac, or Apple's cheaper $329 regular iPad.

There's a lot to like about the iPad Pro. (There are 11-inch and 12.9-inch models. I tested the former.)

Both models ditch the home button and use Face ID. That means, like Apple's newest iPhones, it'll unlock in a split second right when you look at it. The home button is gone and there's more screen in its place. I love how easy it is, and it meant I could just pick up the iPad and start doing things quicker.

Apple also switched to a USB-C port on the bottom of the iPad, instead of the Lightning port found on iPhones and other iPads. The switch to USB-C has its ups and downs. It means you can finally attach a monitor or a camera to offload pictures.

I tried this with a phone to see if I could move pictures off of an Android device, but it didn't work. Maybe it works better with regular digital cameras. I liked that the iPad was also able to charge one of my Android phones, which uses USB-C, however. Sadly, it didn't charge my iPhone, which still uses a Lightning cable. You need to buy a separate Lighting-to-USB-C cable from Apple if you want to charge your iPhone with the iPad Pro.

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Can Apple's iPad Pro Replace My Laptop?

[Jetlifeual]

Am I the only one who noticed a difference in color warmth when he said "I didn't notice a difference...." when the movies came on side by side....

[emiliofernandez]

Answer: no matter how many terabytes of super fast ssds or better technology’s apple puts into there iPad, it all comes down to the operating system. I can just do soo much more on a MacBook or pc

[ryansmithc]

I find so many more people have iPads pros than laptops in university. Can pretty much use it for everything and it has the perfect speakers when in a group. Excel and word work great. Haven’t used my MacBook except for logic in the last few months. I can see iPads replacing for 75% of ppl, considering they don’t do much anyways.

[Enyonam]

Apple out there nickel-and-diming their customers. Ahaha

[marcfahim]

I was standing in a crowded subway train when the woman sitting in front of me took an iPad from her purse and started typing on the keyboard. I saw her opening a word document and started editing the document. When i get off at my stop, she was still typing. Amazing that people don’t need to carry a heavy laptop to do work while commuting.

[jayrollo]

Hey people reading the comments. You can skip watching this video because I can answer the question.
So can Apple's iPad Pro replace my laptop?

No. No it cannot.

[viswanandg]

This is the most perfect review, I came across....

[benschipunov]

No! Microsoft PowerPoint on Mobile cannot insert equations.

[captaincrunchamerica]

It did for me. People who say it cant are either power users or cant adapt to change. Ipads and surface pros are few gens away from being the next portable main computers. Apple needs to revamp their ios to a more mac os like system and surface pros need to have a cheaper option.

[nattapaspranishautra]

it is similar to compare between pen and pencil.

[mohameduwaismohamedmirza]

I’m hungry to use Apple iPad Pro or latest device but no money at all...😢

[ASTEVER]

It has ZERO STRENGTH, JERRY just broke it into TWO halves just like a BANANA 🍌....

[khaitran]

they’re better release a mini version of this, make it just like a laptop lost the entire purpose of tablet

[nirmalkumar]

Wise men don’t spend again and again on brother sister products

[virtuosek]

Just get apple this, just get apple that, yea thanks for the "alternative"

[NewRepublicMapper]

No
Ditch iPad And Get The Surface Pro
THAT KEYBOARD DETACHED FROM SCREEEN

[UltraDoug]

Jeez, regardless of what you think, could you possibly give a more canned presentation? 🙄

[badimpulses]

New hardware other than that the software is still an iPad.

[codifrancisco]

Oh wow my 3 year old surfacepro can everything that Ipad can do but can do real work come on apple bring out a real surfacepro fighter!!!

[random]

Lookup Louis Rossmann on YouTube and you'll never buy Apple again!