iPad Pro (M4) - One Month Later... Still worth it?

The 13-inch iPad Pro M4 is the most overpowered Apple device that I’ve ever used. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this for a while now and it’s sort of like getting a sports car only to drive it in a parking lot. Here's my thoughts on the iPad Pro and whether it's worth it to buy in 2024.

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YouTube Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:44 - How It's Better
4:08 - What it can do
5:28 - Did iPadOS 18 make it better?
6:12 - Is that enough?
7:47 - Overall Thoughts...

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[gene]

I only use IPAD PRO M4 over a month now. I haven’t own a Laptop since 2012. I grew out of console gaming 10 years ago. So, the M4 IPAD PRO is perfect for my case. I don’t miss cables, wires, virus’s constant updates, Start ups and Shut downs. Not to mention the extra electricity they take. I use to be a monitor size king and same with TV. Again, haven’t watched TV in over 12 years. I don’t want commercials and pay Cable $280 a month.

[No-One-Important-Here]

Most people miss the point of the iPad:

- Cost cannot be used as a comparison to a computer for its “usefulness”. By this logic, most CEO are useless when compared to their employees. What about diamond rings vs any other rock ring?

- Multitasking is NOT what iPad was designed to be. One screen, one app. It really is hard to train old monkeys. Considering all these “productivity gurus” on YouTube, you would think by now someone would point out that multitasking is NOT productive. It drives away “focus” and “flow”, and scientifically proven to drag tasks out since our attention are scattered everywhere.

- iPad was designed without a keyboard attached. The Magic Keyboard is not a requirement, it’s an accessory. There is nothing you cannot do without a keyboard on the iPad. And apps that needs the keyboard like DaVinci Resolve? its a poorly designed app for old school computers ported to the iPad with keyboard and mouse in mind. The iPad is hands first. Look at Final Cut or Logic, they are made for fingers.

- iPad OS 18: real time dictation. Why type your document out when you can just speak it out? Are we all dying for corporal tunnel? 😊

[jebaker]

Overpowered is exactly why this machine, like its predecessors, will still work flawlessly in 5… 8… 10 years. And let’s not forget all the on-machine AI Apple is going to do.

Any shortcomings of iPadOS are more in the shoulders of third party developers… not Apple. I can’t think of much that the OS itself limits.

[pneuma]

I agree that iPads are meant to be a different experience compared to the Mac. But I’d really love to have a fully fledged desktop experience when I connect it to an external monitor.

[javiermartinez]

Awesome video, proudly own the 13 inch iPad Pro 16gigs cellular version, but I already have a m1, ps5, pc basically this completes me.

[maasai-]

they made that way for a reason which is never to replace mac at any cost, so get this straight once for all .

[jimtipton]

I own a 14" MBP and the M4 11" IPP. I have a corporate sales job. I use the 11" IPP to run my business. Can't agree with the "you will never use". I use it much more than my MBP.

[kaischmidt]

For me, the biggest gripe is the files app. It doesn’t consistently work with the different cloud storage providers, and I never know whether my files are fully synched or not. Which is not just not ideal, but makes it actually useless.

[RM-qiok]

MacBooks don’t come with a cellular option. Only reason I’m shopping for an iPad. Great for on the go with a cellular plan

[vernearase]

_The best powered Apple product that you'll never use._

A bit disingenuous, don't you think?

I use my 11" iPad Pro as what it was sold as … the best Apple tablet out there.

I _didn't_ buy it expecting to replace my Mac … I bought it as a lightweight tablet which with a Magic Keyboard and Pencil Pro is a lightweight beautiful machine which I can take into the kitchen and share the Numbers remodel worksheet with my wife.

I can throw the whole kit and caboodle into a sleeve and take it with me wherever I want to do some lightweight computing with built-in cellular connectivity, and the sucker is _fast_ achieving 35.4 on Speedometer 3.0 which means Safari runs faster here than on any of my other devices.

It's practically got a reference level display so it's color accurate and bright and fast with an LTPO display handling refresh rates from 10 to 120 fps.

It's small enough that I can use it on any flat surface with enough room to do work, and I can pull it out of the Magic Keyboard and use it as a tablet in landscape or portrait orientations and can take notes (though to be honest I find myself more productive using it with the Magic Keyboard using the keyboard and gestures to navigate the device).


Oh … and by the way the biggest change coming to Apple Devices - Apple Intelligence - should run brilliantly on this device. Sorry that that change wasn't _exclusive_ to the iPad, but it _should_ make a big difference in every Apple device running at least an A17 Pro or 'M' class SoC.

The reason Apple included the M4 with this generation of iPad is that when Apple put out the iPhone 15 Pro and M3 MacBooks, N3E wasn't ready for prime time.

At Apple's request, TSMC put together N3B which is a custom node which is more complicated to manufacture and suffers from low yields.

_Nothing_ new will have A17 Pro or M3 since the SoCs are expensive and suffer from low yields - Apple is anxious to retire N3B SoCs so TSMC can decommission N3B nodes.

M4 and A18 _are_ built on N3E which _is_ on TSMC's 3nm roadmap and has future progeny like N3P and beyond.

Yeah, it is kinda expensive - but it's probably the best tablet out there.

A 512 GB 11" iPad Pro with Wifi + Cellular, a Magic Keyboard, and an Apple Pencil Pro came in under two grand at $1941.19 including tax, and you can get one at Amazon for $100 less now.

[-The-Golden-God-]

I'm a Windows and Android user that loathes Apple products. I've been looking for a portable device to use solely for illustration and browser-based web design and unfortunately for me, the iPad Pro Etched is top of my list.

I was very close to buying a Surface Pro 11 or an iPad Air, until I tested out the Surface, Air and Pro earlier today. The 60hz display ruled the Air out immediately. The iPad Pro etched screen was magnificent and felt great to draw on. The Surface screen didn't wow me and the pen and keyboard keyboard felt cheap.

So now I'm deciding between the amazing iPad Pro Etched screen and pen with lacklustre OS vs the average looking but every versatile and flexible, Surface Pro 11.

Edit: I purchased the 11” iPad Pro with the Nano/etched screen and I love it… but only because I found out how to install cracked apps. If I had to use the stock YouTube app, I would’ve refunded the tablet 😅

[AlphaHarmonious]

The speakers on the new iPads are NOT great AT ALL. For this very reason alone, I returned that trash and kept my former iPad which still has a millimeter wave, and BOTH cameras. Yeah yeah nobody uses cameras on iPad right? True but why take hardware AWAY and keep the price the same if not MORE. Yeah NO. -Harmonious

[markmcvittie]

It’s for graphic design and photography and students that need to take class notes. It’s got no file system.
Wow!

[alphaperez]

For me, I think that, MacBooks are way more useful than ipads

[VARUNRV]

All games run at highest setting without any hiccup in it...Thats enough for me...

[diegocastro]

It's funny that high-end phones are mostly useless, while ipads are useful fore a large number of different professions (as young judges like) that don`t include content creators it seems but receive all kind of criticisms. Feels like reviewers is the only profession in the world.

[stuartconlon]

Why content creators keep whinging about the iPad not being able to take over from a Mac is beyond me! It's an iPad and, its brilliant at being an iPad so that's job done then yes?
If you want something that with do the job of a Mac, buy a Mac. Why don't people moan about Macs not being able to do what iPads can do... now there's a thought!!
I have the new M4 iPad Pro and it's my 'only computer' and it does everything I need it to and much much more besides.
I love it #justsayin 😁

[oogitz]

If MacOs is brought to iPad, don’t you think pro software (apps) will end up costing way more since developers will now have to make them work both with touch and mouse? Legit question. I don’t know but right now even very fancy apps cost a fraction of desktop versions. I guess if you don’t want touch then it can be the same as your MacBook… but we’re back at simply get a skinny Mac air?

[TechYourNeeds]

The reason Apple debuted the M4 chip on the iPad Pro 2024 is because Apple Intelligence. That is what I gather from my research.

[ja-islf]

How hot does the screen get in your lap?