Whether you opt for 11-inch or 12.9-inch, the screen is proportionately vast, hugging the frame’s precipice, balanced on a sturdy 5.9mm aluminium shell (about the width of a theatre programme).
The home-button is dropped altogether: instead, the latest model is unlocked with Face ID, scanning you with cameras, sensors and algorithms, to create a unique access key.
The upshot is that most of the surface is screen, and everything about the body is flat, throwing out the curvy charm of its antecedents for a more cuboid proposition.
The iPad Pro comes in two sizes: 11-inch or 12.9inch
Apple
Apple iPad Pro 2018: Software
Compared to previous incarnations, upgrading to the new iPad feels like trading in a Swiss Army Knife in for a book of spells. Here’s where that weight comes in. The graphics chip churns out around twice as much power, while it also boasts eight cores: four for high-demand tasks, like playing Fortnite or streaming Netflix in HD, and four for lower intensity jobs, like reading emails.
The claim that Pages, Apple’s word processor, is the most beautiful ever designed certainly packs more of a wallop with a graphics capable of firing blues and yellows with such perspicuity.
The great joy is in juggling tasks at the same time using the Multitasking picture-in-picture function, introduced with the iOS 11 update last year. Gestures are key, allowing shortcuts to be are easily added – with a four-fingered pinching gesture you can park Skype call or film on the screen whilst getting on with different business elsewhere.
On a long-haul flight to China, I found the dual-screen invaluable for the type of non-urgent work you settle into between timezones, guilt-watching a Marvel film, whilst a true-tone display adjusted and softened the colour to the darkened environment. This made only a proportionate dent in the ten-hour battery life, uncompromised by the number of tasks on the go.
The device can handle high-demand tasks like playing games or streaming Netflix in HD
Apple
Apple iPad Pro 2018: Accessories
To use the iPad professionally, the new Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio are essential - somewhat troubling, given their prohibitive price points. The pencil is your wand here, and a few simple tweaks have certainly magnified its impact.
It now has a matte plastic design and comes flat on one side so it can magnetically snap onto the edge of either size iPad Pro, automatically pairing via Bluetooth and charging, meaning it’s always charged.
A double click switches to an eraser, a small but pleasingly analogue feature. Doodling is fun, but the stylus is most effective when amending or adding shared materials, like a publisher editing a manuscript. The potential in offices and, eventually, classrooms, is exciting.
The new keyboard folio is less awkward than previous versions, with greater click and depth to make the adjustment from traditional keyboards less abrupt - and using it as an substitute laptop more natural than gimmick.
To get the most out of the iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil and Smart Keybord Folio are essential
Apple
How easy is it to use?
Life, however, isn’t filled with fold-out trays. A clip-on keyboard still feels like a prosthetic stop-gap and - unlike a laptop, which is more easily perched - finding a flat surface to erect it on can be onerous. Herein lies the iPad Pro's main problem. The hurdles to PC status are more habit than design; can the consumer get used to the Diet Laptop on offer here?
There are other obstacles. The decision to switch from Lightning ports to USB-C means faster charging times but, for the moment, is one more change to believe in, rendering ubiquitous chargers obsolete unless you carry a converter with you.
Granted, you can more easily connect it to a camera, external monitor, and other accessories (bloggers have already posted videos showing how you can use your iPad Pro as a display for the Mac Mini).
The device is light enough that your hands don't tire holding it
Apple
Extra features you need to know
A design that features “intelligent audio” ensures that the sound adjusts through the iPad's four speakers as it rotates.
A rear-facing 12-megapixel camera is also up to iPhone XR standards, whilst the front-facing 7-megapixel front camera is also pretty proficient at selfies, Animoji, and video calls.
Apple iPad Pro 2018: Price
The iPad Pro 2018 comes in two finishes, silver or space grey. Prices start from £749 for the 11-inch, 64GB version, or £969 for the 12.9-inch variant. It's available to buy now.
