The iPad: A Love-Hate Relationship with Apple's Flagship Tablet

In my perspective, the award for the most annoying line of the year goes to "it's still an iPad that's how they ended it that year yes amazement it's still an iPad why do you think it's called something other than Mac it's not a Mac it is an iPad what actually was more of a big scandal that year was that Apple didn't support the VP9 codec I don't know if you remember this so you couldn't watch YouTube in 4k on your iPad Pro which again seems silly at this point if I hadn't brought it up nobody would even remember that." This line captures the essence of the frustration and disappointment that many users have with Apple's flagship tablet. The fact that a major tech company like Apple didn't support a widely used codec, leading to a lack of 4K video playback on their own devices, is a classic example of how technology can sometimes let us down.

As we fast-forward to the current models, the fourth gen 11-in Pro and the 6 gen 12.9 in Pro, it's clear that Apple has made significant strides in improving the overall experience of the iPad. However, despite these advancements, some users still find themselves complaining about certain aspects of the device. For instance, many people are still trying to find a reason to criticize the camera placement on the front of the new models, or how they don't quite meet the expectations set by previous generations.

One of the most enduring complaints about the iPad Pro is that it's not fully baked, at least in terms of its operating system. While Apple has made significant strides with Stage Manager, many users still feel that there's room for improvement. This criticism is often compared to Mac OS, which can make it seem like the iPad Pro isn't living up to its full potential. However, this perspective overlooks the fact that the iPad Pro is a unique device, designed to be a powerful tablet with laptop-like capabilities, rather than a traditional computer.

Another common complaint about the iPad Pro is that it's not revolutionary enough. This criticism can often be traced back to the M1 chip in the 2018 model, which was already a significant improvement over previous generations. While Apple has continued to iterate and improve the device since then, some users still feel like they're not getting enough of an upgrade. This perception is partly due to the fact that the iPad Pro lineup has evolved significantly over the years, with each new model building upon the last.

In recent years, Apple has made a point to tier their devices, with different models offering varying levels of performance, storage, and features. While this approach can be beneficial for consumers who want specific features or configurations, it also raises questions about why there needs to be two separate "Pros" at all. The 12.9 in Pro is available with mini LED technology, while the 11-in Pro is stuck without it. This creates a sense of unease among users, who feel like they're being forced to choose between different versions of the same device.

Despite these criticisms, one thing that remains constant is the desire for more battery life from Apple's flagship tablet. Many users find themselves wearing down their batteries at an alarming rate, only to wish they had more power to use the device for longer periods. This phenomenon speaks positively about the iPad Pro experience in general, as it indicates that users are so enthusiastic about the device that they're willing to push its limits.

The Verge has noted that the hover feature on the new iPad Pro is limited in its usefulness beyond specific artistic applications. However, this criticism ignores the fact that the feature can still be useful for everyday tasks like note-taking or sketching. Many users appreciate the ability to preview their highlighter size or ink before using it, as it adds a layer of convenience and precision to their workflow.

As we approach the release of the next iPad Pro, I want to preempt all the criticisms that are about to come out. Despite not knowing what the new device will technically have or look like, I'm confident that most regular outlets will be able to write a review that fits into this specific mold of "the iPad Pro isn't enough X Y or z". This criticism is so ingrained in our collective consciousness that it's almost become a reflex. However, by acknowledging the iPad Pro as a great device that does what it sets out to do, I hope to challenge this perspective and encourage users to look beyond the criticisms and see the value in Apple's flagship tablet.

In conclusion, the iPad Pro is a love-hate relationship with technology. It's a device that can be both infuriating and wonderful at the same time. While it may not be perfect, and there are certainly areas where Apple could improve, it's undeniable that the iPad Pro is one of the most powerful and versatile tablets on the market today. As we wait for the next generation of devices to arrive, I hope that users will take a step back and appreciate what we have, rather than focusing solely on what's lacking.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey it's Chris today we're talking about iPad Pro criticisms over the years because interestingly enough the more the iPad Pro changes the more the criticisms don't quick announcement free form unleash my new course is up for pre-sale linked up down below somehow no matter what Apple seems to add to the iPad Pro somebody out there in reviewer land is going to say you know it's really not enough it's not enough of a Mac not enough Pro apps my wallet isn't big enough to afford all the accessories I want to add some context to discussion let's go back in time and look at some of the bad things the negative things that have been said about the iPad Pro lineup over the years so going back to the original 12.9 in which came out in 2015 it cost $799 immediately reviewers are skeptical about things like the size the battery life the apps that were available the potential Market appeal and get this many were saying that it was Overkill now interestingly enough one of the first things that people complained about was the apps not enough Pro apps specifically The Verge was complaining there's no Final Cut Pro we all know that's been fixed now but what's new is also what's old in the realm of critiques here because people have never stopped complaining about the Pro apps at the time you saw reviewers complaining that the smart keyboard case was overpriced and guess what that sounds kind of familiar too right also back in the day when the first big iPad Pro launched it did come out before the smaller versions by the way people were saying you know you can't hold this one-handed it's just unwieldy but what's funny is it was never really meant to be used one-handed people took one look at it and thought about how they used previous iPads and then tried to Pigeon hold the new iPad into their old mold from 2015 I found a nugget in the Digital Trends review where they said imagine trying to do all your work on a giant phone and that is a criticism that is stuck around for all of these years almost a decade now PC mag said that a touch Centric UI with a keyboard is awkward I think that was another instance of people saying I don't really get this why are you giving this to me Apple based on my previous experience with an iPad I don't know how to use this this or what I would use it for and we all know how that played out then in 2016 the smaller 9.7 in iPad Pro came out but here CET comes on the scene and says this is not a laptop killer and that's a criticism that just never went away it never died even though it never should have been around in the first place and Apple's partly to blame for that with some of the marketing that they did over the years like what is a computer what you doing on your computer what's the computer but this is the frame that so many people still look at the iPad Pro through this is the lens is it allow top killer it's not I'm not interested it's as if people think that Pro means laptop form as if that's the final form of perfection when it comes to mobile Computing the gadget review that year was crazy the 9.7 in Pro is a tablet that only aspires to be as versatile as a PC and Gadget honestly has been one of my least favorite tech blogs of all time because they also sat there and said what beyond the marketing makes the iPad here a pro but here's the thing when you talk about Pro and I made a whole video about this this once which I'll link up down below because it goes into this in such depth and detail you be like okay Chris is right but you have to Define pro and what it applies to does it mean the device does it mean the person using the device and people are still having that debate today before we get any further if you haven't heard I've got a new course it's on free form it's called free form Unleashed it's going to go Way Beyond the basics I'll show you how free form can replace many of your other apps I'll give you tons of ideas of how you can use this beyond anything you've ever imagined and I'm giving you 50% off while that's in pre-sale and I'm also going to give you 50% off learning to be productive just to help celebrate the launch of the upcoming free form course so both of those are linked up down below by 2017 the 10.5 in iPad Pro came out and you had tech radar saying that the keyboard is necessary but it's extra as if that was a bad thing so the iPad in its form factor is meant to be kind of a transformer like device and what's clever about the iPad is that you can use it with the keyboard but you don't have to so here you have somebody saying it's necessary because they're fitting into that frame of it has to be a laptop or else when really options are a good thing in my opinion it's just a benefit to be able to get the tablet and add a keyboard I mean people had to dig really deep to find something to complain about that year for the iPad they were down to like there's no fast charger in the Box what does that tell you well it tells you that the iPad Pro was really starting to gel people understood what it was that they didn't really need it to be something that it wasn't certain people wanted it to be something that it wasn't and still want it to be something that it isn't and probably will never be but for a market segment the value proposition was there and that's why we still have the iPad Pro so many generations later and it still isn't like a laptop and I say that gladly in 2018 we got the 11-in iPad Pro for the first time and it looked different than previous iPad Pros looked much more Sleek you know the Virg out there calling it brutalist or like a reference design so many new things came that year but all we heard about was iOS 12 still has limitations or it's only got one USBC port and that's not going to pay real dividends until more compatible accessories arrive this was the year that really Illustrated for me that no matter what you give people the reviewers and I separate reviewers from customers but it showed me that you can give people what they ask for and they're still going to complain now there were a few small legitimate things to complain about here number one the camera bump on the back it was huge and it's still pretty huge and you know you get a little wobble if you're using the apple pencil which is one of the main modes of input with the iPad Pro I get that if you don't have a case on there is not flat that's kind of weird also and rightly so the Verge said you know Apple's building this as an allc screen design but look at those bezels this is not edgo Edge display like apple says okay that's a legit criticism but it doesn't change the iPad Pro experience not really now at the time that the USBC landed you saw these complaints saying well this doesn't support external storage that seems like a big oversight yes at the time that was really annoying and it's true that Apple's internal storage costs an arm and a leg no one likes to pay for that on the checkout page when they're getting the new Pros but that's another good example of something that came later so Apple introduces these things in phases and it may take a little bit longer than people want but Apple usually ends up delivering on what there's enough people clamoring for obviously there's a huge market for iPads and the pro represents the best iPad that Apple can currently make but a paradigm shift like that it takes some time like this is a device you can use in unique ways versus Apple's other devices and that was the year that Apple brought shortcuts to the iPad to help address some of the complaints from Power users in particular saying with the apps that we have I can't really finish all of my workflows all the way and the criticism immediately was that well this is a stop Gap this is a workaround it's not very efficient and The Verge gets the award for the most annoying line of the year in my perspective which was but you know what it's still an iPad that's how they ended it that year yes amazement it's still an iPad why do you think it's called something other than Mac it's not a Mac it is an iPad what actually was more of a big Scandal that year was that Apple didn't support the vp9 codec I don't know if you remember this so you couldn't watch YouTube in 4k on your iPad Pro which again seems silly at this point if I hadn't brought it up nobody would even remember that you know and that's the case for a lot of these complaints they get fixed and you didn't even remember there was a problem and now we can fast forward to the fourth gen 11-in Pro and the 6 gen 12.9 in Pro basically the current models as I sit here and film this even though something new is looming on the horizon and though Apple brought a more full featured multitasking experience with Stage manager you still see that same old complaint that iPad OS isn't fully baked it's just not good enough yet because people are sitting there comparing it to Mac OS but again it turns out the iPad Pro is more or less fully baked in a lot of ways because you're having to look for pretty small things to complain about like the camera placement on the front but you also see this age-old complaint at this point with these models that they're just isn't a revolutionary improvement over the M1 for people and that's actually a complaint that you can trace back through the iPad Pro lineup it's not enough of an improvement it's not enough of an improvement you know the 2018 was very different so you didn't really hear it that year but people found things to try to poke HS in immediately but the Apple silicon the M1 chip in itself was already a pretty big deal so at that point is like what do you need beyond that it was already so powerful there's already so few apps that could even take advantage of that power that was always just going to be like a future proofing thing anyways for most people at this point in the lineup you also saw people complaining about the hardware choices Apple's making having the mini LED only available on the 12.9 in and not available on the 11 in how could you have two different Pros where one pro is better than the other well when you hear me say it like that I mean hopefully you hear in your head like well it does make sense to have a tiered experience maybe not everybody is after the screen being the best experience that they can get maybe they just want you know the processor or the storage options and they like a smaller screen but one complaint that has never gone away it's been like this since the beginning and you even heard me mention it at the beginning of this video is the battery life people are always looking for more battery life with the iPad Pro which again I think speaks positively about the iPad Pro experience in general people like this so much that they wear the battery down so much that by the end of the day they're wishing that they had more so they could use this great device more for this gener The Verge was talking about how the hover feature is limited in its usefulness Beyond specific artistic applications okay well what if it was mostly meant for specific artistic applications I mean I'm not an artist but I get in there in free form and I do notes all the time and I like to see that preview of what the highlighter size is going to look like or what ink I'm using because maybe I forgot to switch it's useful it's not a big deal but it's not something to complain about and say this feature which was meant for this group of people doesn't apply to this other group of people and therefore it's really stupid so as the next iPad Pro is right on the verge of debuting I just want to preempt all of the criticisms that are about to come out and they're going to fit into this specific mold of the iPad Pro isn't enough X Y or z i can basically write a review of the next iPad Pro for most of the regular outlets and you wouldn't even have to change anything even though I don't even know what the next iPad Pro is technically going to have or look like or do and it's kind of the main point of this video the iPad Pro is really cool it's really great anyone in their right mind that can afford it wants it they're going to get one of the iPads because it's just a good tablet that can also do some laptop like things without needing to be a laptop I would say so that's it for this video let me know your thoughts down below don't forget to check out the courses and I'll catch you in the next video laterhey it's Chris today we're talking about iPad Pro criticisms over the years because interestingly enough the more the iPad Pro changes the more the criticisms don't quick announcement free form unleash my new course is up for pre-sale linked up down below somehow no matter what Apple seems to add to the iPad Pro somebody out there in reviewer land is going to say you know it's really not enough it's not enough of a Mac not enough Pro apps my wallet isn't big enough to afford all the accessories I want to add some context to discussion let's go back in time and look at some of the bad things the negative things that have been said about the iPad Pro lineup over the years so going back to the original 12.9 in which came out in 2015 it cost $799 immediately reviewers are skeptical about things like the size the battery life the apps that were available the potential Market appeal and get this many were saying that it was Overkill now interestingly enough one of the first things that people complained about was the apps not enough Pro apps specifically The Verge was complaining there's no Final Cut Pro we all know that's been fixed now but what's new is also what's old in the realm of critiques here because people have never stopped complaining about the Pro apps at the time you saw reviewers complaining that the smart keyboard case was overpriced and guess what that sounds kind of familiar too right also back in the day when the first big iPad Pro launched it did come out before the smaller versions by the way people were saying you know you can't hold this one-handed it's just unwieldy but what's funny is it was never really meant to be used one-handed people took one look at it and thought about how they used previous iPads and then tried to Pigeon hold the new iPad into their old mold from 2015 I found a nugget in the Digital Trends review where they said imagine trying to do all your work on a giant phone and that is a criticism that is stuck around for all of these years almost a decade now PC mag said that a touch Centric UI with a keyboard is awkward I think that was another instance of people saying I don't really get this why are you giving this to me Apple based on my previous experience with an iPad I don't know how to use this this or what I would use it for and we all know how that played out then in 2016 the smaller 9.7 in iPad Pro came out but here CET comes on the scene and says this is not a laptop killer and that's a criticism that just never went away it never died even though it never should have been around in the first place and Apple's partly to blame for that with some of the marketing that they did over the years like what is a computer what you doing on your computer what's the computer but this is the frame that so many people still look at the iPad Pro through this is the lens is it allow top killer it's not I'm not interested it's as if people think that Pro means laptop form as if that's the final form of perfection when it comes to mobile Computing the gadget review that year was crazy the 9.7 in Pro is a tablet that only aspires to be as versatile as a PC and Gadget honestly has been one of my least favorite tech blogs of all time because they also sat there and said what beyond the marketing makes the iPad here a pro but here's the thing when you talk about Pro and I made a whole video about this this once which I'll link up down below because it goes into this in such depth and detail you be like okay Chris is right but you have to Define pro and what it applies to does it mean the device does it mean the person using the device and people are still having that debate today before we get any further if you haven't heard I've got a new course it's on free form it's called free form Unleashed it's going to go Way Beyond the basics I'll show you how free form can replace many of your other apps I'll give you tons of ideas of how you can use this beyond anything you've ever imagined and I'm giving you 50% off while that's in pre-sale and I'm also going to give you 50% off learning to be productive just to help celebrate the launch of the upcoming free form course so both of those are linked up down below by 2017 the 10.5 in iPad Pro came out and you had tech radar saying that the keyboard is necessary but it's extra as if that was a bad thing so the iPad in its form factor is meant to be kind of a transformer like device and what's clever about the iPad is that you can use it with the keyboard but you don't have to so here you have somebody saying it's necessary because they're fitting into that frame of it has to be a laptop or else when really options are a good thing in my opinion it's just a benefit to be able to get the tablet and add a keyboard I mean people had to dig really deep to find something to complain about that year for the iPad they were down to like there's no fast charger in the Box what does that tell you well it tells you that the iPad Pro was really starting to gel people understood what it was that they didn't really need it to be something that it wasn't certain people wanted it to be something that it wasn't and still want it to be something that it isn't and probably will never be but for a market segment the value proposition was there and that's why we still have the iPad Pro so many generations later and it still isn't like a laptop and I say that gladly in 2018 we got the 11-in iPad Pro for the first time and it looked different than previous iPad Pros looked much more Sleek you know the Virg out there calling it brutalist or like a reference design so many new things came that year but all we heard about was iOS 12 still has limitations or it's only got one USBC port and that's not going to pay real dividends until more compatible accessories arrive this was the year that really Illustrated for me that no matter what you give people the reviewers and I separate reviewers from customers but it showed me that you can give people what they ask for and they're still going to complain now there were a few small legitimate things to complain about here number one the camera bump on the back it was huge and it's still pretty huge and you know you get a little wobble if you're using the apple pencil which is one of the main modes of input with the iPad Pro I get that if you don't have a case on there is not flat that's kind of weird also and rightly so the Verge said you know Apple's building this as an allc screen design but look at those bezels this is not edgo Edge display like apple says okay that's a legit criticism but it doesn't change the iPad Pro experience not really now at the time that the USBC landed you saw these complaints saying well this doesn't support external storage that seems like a big oversight yes at the time that was really annoying and it's true that Apple's internal storage costs an arm and a leg no one likes to pay for that on the checkout page when they're getting the new Pros but that's another good example of something that came later so Apple introduces these things in phases and it may take a little bit longer than people want but Apple usually ends up delivering on what there's enough people clamoring for obviously there's a huge market for iPads and the pro represents the best iPad that Apple can currently make but a paradigm shift like that it takes some time like this is a device you can use in unique ways versus Apple's other devices and that was the year that Apple brought shortcuts to the iPad to help address some of the complaints from Power users in particular saying with the apps that we have I can't really finish all of my workflows all the way and the criticism immediately was that well this is a stop Gap this is a workaround it's not very efficient and The Verge gets the award for the most annoying line of the year in my perspective which was but you know what it's still an iPad that's how they ended it that year yes amazement it's still an iPad why do you think it's called something other than Mac it's not a Mac it is an iPad what actually was more of a big Scandal that year was that Apple didn't support the vp9 codec I don't know if you remember this so you couldn't watch YouTube in 4k on your iPad Pro which again seems silly at this point if I hadn't brought it up nobody would even remember that you know and that's the case for a lot of these complaints they get fixed and you didn't even remember there was a problem and now we can fast forward to the fourth gen 11-in Pro and the 6 gen 12.9 in Pro basically the current models as I sit here and film this even though something new is looming on the horizon and though Apple brought a more full featured multitasking experience with Stage manager you still see that same old complaint that iPad OS isn't fully baked it's just not good enough yet because people are sitting there comparing it to Mac OS but again it turns out the iPad Pro is more or less fully baked in a lot of ways because you're having to look for pretty small things to complain about like the camera placement on the front but you also see this age-old complaint at this point with these models that they're just isn't a revolutionary improvement over the M1 for people and that's actually a complaint that you can trace back through the iPad Pro lineup it's not enough of an improvement it's not enough of an improvement you know the 2018 was very different so you didn't really hear it that year but people found things to try to poke HS in immediately but the Apple silicon the M1 chip in itself was already a pretty big deal so at that point is like what do you need beyond that it was already so powerful there's already so few apps that could even take advantage of that power that was always just going to be like a future proofing thing anyways for most people at this point in the lineup you also saw people complaining about the hardware choices Apple's making having the mini LED only available on the 12.9 in and not available on the 11 in how could you have two different Pros where one pro is better than the other well when you hear me say it like that I mean hopefully you hear in your head like well it does make sense to have a tiered experience maybe not everybody is after the screen being the best experience that they can get maybe they just want you know the processor or the storage options and they like a smaller screen but one complaint that has never gone away it's been like this since the beginning and you even heard me mention it at the beginning of this video is the battery life people are always looking for more battery life with the iPad Pro which again I think speaks positively about the iPad Pro experience in general people like this so much that they wear the battery down so much that by the end of the day they're wishing that they had more so they could use this great device more for this gener The Verge was talking about how the hover feature is limited in its usefulness Beyond specific artistic applications okay well what if it was mostly meant for specific artistic applications I mean I'm not an artist but I get in there in free form and I do notes all the time and I like to see that preview of what the highlighter size is going to look like or what ink I'm using because maybe I forgot to switch it's useful it's not a big deal but it's not something to complain about and say this feature which was meant for this group of people doesn't apply to this other group of people and therefore it's really stupid so as the next iPad Pro is right on the verge of debuting I just want to preempt all of the criticisms that are about to come out and they're going to fit into this specific mold of the iPad Pro isn't enough X Y or z i can basically write a review of the next iPad Pro for most of the regular outlets and you wouldn't even have to change anything even though I don't even know what the next iPad Pro is technically going to have or look like or do and it's kind of the main point of this video the iPad Pro is really cool it's really great anyone in their right mind that can afford it wants it they're going to get one of the iPads because it's just a good tablet that can also do some laptop like things without needing to be a laptop I would say so that's it for this video let me know your thoughts down below don't forget to check out the courses and I'll catch you in the next video later\n"