# The SBHonline Community Daily > Digerati Discussions! >  >  Who has an iPad Pro and what do you think?

## JEK

I know there are at least two of us. 

I like the keyboard!

image.jpg

----------


## KevinS

I haven't had much time to play with it, but I plan to dedicate a good chunk of time to it in the next few days.  So far, I do like the keyboard.  I also like the larger screen, the quad speakers, and the increased storage.

----------


## LindaP

I'm thinking of getting it.....did you get the pencil with it?  Is it heavier than the old iPads?

----------


## KevinS

Pencils and physical keyboards were not yet available at my local Apple store.  It weighs about the same as my old iPad3, which would make it heavier than an iPad Air.

One thing that I've noticed, and I don't know if it is because of the new processor or the extra storage, is that apps which I have in the background are more likely to resume when I return to them, rather than to restart.

----------


## JEK

My pencil and keyboard went to a delivery of 11/20-30 as soon as I ordered early Wednesday morning. Kindle is awesome on the Pro too! Macrumors discovered the Lightening port as USB 3.0 as well, so I think we will see lots of high-speed accessories.

----------


## JEK

Found an awesome app for the Pro -- Texture. 

https://www.texture.com/?gclid=CjwKE...sGPxoCprvw_wcB

----------


## BBT

I have had both since day one and now when I use the air2 it feels like a mini. The  Pencil is about as close to a pencil as I could imagine and it's easier to erase. Looking forward to more Apps for it. Nice to hear it is selling so well.

----------


## KevinS

> now when I use the air2 it feels like a mini



Same here.

----------


## Rosita

Humm  :thumb up:

----------


## JEK

There is a bug -- after a long overnight charge the big guy is unresponsive and has a black screen.  Force restart to wake him up. After several sessions with Apple Care we did two procedures which fixed the problem.
1. General/Settings/Reset Settings -- lose a few previously set items. no biggie.
2. Force Reset while he is plugged in.

After that, no problem, but the support forums are full of similar incidents.

*Apple admits problem with iPad Pro 'blackouts'*



With the tablet on the market for less than a week, Apple was forced to post an online support document telling users how to cope with iPad Pros suddenly going black and refusing to respond. The company said it was "investigating" the bug, but without a timeframe for a fix.

Owner anecdotes suggest that the issue is related to charging a Pro for an extended period of time.

----------


## BBT

I have not experienced that but read about it. So it may be software related? Today I am switching my cellular plan to the Pro. Don't see a reason for having 2 cellular plans. Have the Smart Cover as I don't want a keyboard but am waiting on a 3rd party cover for the Pro for front and back. Still have not figured out why they let others make $s on this.

----------


## JEK

Yes, the new iOS beta apparently fixes the problem.

----------


## BBT

So if software fixes it it must be caused by another piece of software that is running that you have and I don't.

----------


## KevinS

I'm seeing significant battery burn.  At 07:30 I was at 100% after an overnight charge.  Right now, I have Safari and Notes running, and was in airplane mode 95% of the time until 2 minutes ago.  I'm now at 60%.

----------


## JEK

My battery has been stellar. When not in AM he may be search and searching for cellular.

----------


## JEK

Another reported fix is to enable "Hey Siri".

----------


## KevinS

> My battery has been stellar. When not in AM he may be search and searching for cellular.



After my debacle with T-Mobile, I live in AM with wi-if enabled. Cellular is not a factor.

----------


## BBT

No battery issues here I noted I get longer life and I run both cell and wifi as I still have the original $29.95 unlimited plan from week one of Ipad 1. Really need to find a use for the Pencil. Wish the App Store had a section for Apps with pencil usage.

----------


## JEK

*Apple Pencil works magic with iPad Pro*

Originally published November 20, 2015 at 4:57 pm Updated November 21, 2015 at 1:28 pm 












_1 of 2 Mary Kaye Stamets, center, of Carmichael, Calif., gets assistance from Apple employees while trying the Apple iPad Pro, which went on sale last week, at the Apple store in San Francisco. (Eric Risberg/The Associated Press)_The newness of Apples iPad Pro is evident in its look, feel and size  not to mention the Apple Pencil, which works with it.

Even though nearly every Apple product now sports a high-resolution Retina screen, I was surprised to see that apps not yet optimized for the larger screen dimensions do feel a little chunky.
Before I dig more into the hardware, I confess that Im dancing amid details to avoid the real question in your mind. Is the iPad Pro a laptop replacement? Is it just a Surface with a fruit logo? Is it your next computer?

As mandated by technology-journalism law, Im writing this review in a cafe using the iPad Pro. Im typing on Apples Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro, which folds over to act as a slightly bulkier Smart Cover-like screen protector.

The keyboard is slim and requires no battery or Bluetooth connection, instead communicating with the iPad Pro using a new, tiny Smart Connector on the side. The keys are clickily tactile, enclosed in a (sealed) conductive fabric and polyurethane surface. Although they feel odd at first, Im getting used to them quickly.

Ive had this iPad Pro on loan from Apple for just under a week. Because of other projects on my plate, I wasnt able to tackle the other mandated technology-journalism- product review trial, which is to set aside my MacBook Pro and see if the iPad Pro can be a real work machine.
But lets break that down, looking at tasks Ive actually been doing.


Writing is not a problem, and if you spend a lot of time wrangling words, dealing with email, communicating via Messages or Slack, the iPad Pro can easily step in for a larger laptop. Im using Apples Pages for this article, because iCloud syncing makes my documents available on any of my devices.

Even without the hardware option, writing with the on-screen keyboard is much improved, thanks to the greater screen real estate. You get a full-size, full-function keyboard thats a little overwhelming at first.
In fact, that points to the most difficult thing Im encountering so far: fighting my own muscle memory, accustomed as I am to shortcuts designed for smaller screens.

The Apple Pencil is a fantastic example of this. As my daughter can attest after a lot of use, the Pencil is great. Its the first stylus that doesnt feel like you have to change how you draw or write to use effectively. It accomplishes this by a very clever feat of engineering: when the Pencil is near the screen (communicating internal sensor readings via Bluetooth), the iPad Pros screen refresh rate increases. Speed, pressure, angle are all taken into account nearly instantly.
Where my muscle memory interferes is not wanting to put my palm on the screen when I draw. However, its not due to traditionally poor palm-rejection interference that interprets your skin as a drawing implement. No, my problem is that my brain is so convinced that Im using a real pencil that I dont want to smudge the work Id done already.
That still doesnt answer the larger question, though, so Ill be realistic: Yes, you can get real work done on the iPad Pro. The internal specs are impressive as hell, with processor and graphics-processing speeds that rival laptops. You can edit 4K video in iMovie, push Excel data around all day, build presentations in Keynote while referencing your outlines in OmniOutliner, which is also visible using iOS 9s Split Screen mode.


Yes, it can replace a laptop, but as with any computer decision  laptop vs. desktop, Mac vs. Windows  the question is whether the iPad Pro will work for things you need a computer to do. If you rely on software unavailable on iOS  InDesign this week, in my case  perhaps a laptop is the choice for you. Or, if you need those things but also want a touch-screen tablet in the same device (and you dont mind running Windows), a Microsoft Surface Pro could be the one for you.

And remember that its an iPad; you can hold it on the couch or in bed (although it feels too big to me for reading in bed), catch up with the news, watch movies and TV shows, and listen to music through the really amazing set of four speakers that sound almost as good as an older Sonos unit I own. They even switch tasks if you change the iPads orientation, so the high frequencies always come from the top speakers.
Seriously, Apple didnt need to make great speakers, although Im sure they would point to students, musicians and other creative people taking advantage of high-quality sound. But Im glad they did. I have a couple of movies queued up as a reward for this weeks work.

----------


## stbartshopper

Keep up the reviews. Overall so far sounds pretty good!

----------


## JEK

My Pencil and Smart Keyboard went from shipping 1-2 weeks to delivery today last night. Direct from Apple's hub in Harrisburg.

----------


## BBT

> My Pencil and Smart Keyboard went from shipping 1-2 weeks to delivery today last night. Direct from Apple's hub in Harrisburg.



Great didn't get the keyboard. Would love to know how you like it after a few weeks

----------


## JEK

*First look: Apple Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro*By Mikey Campbell 
Wednesday, November 25, 2015, 05:14 pm PT (08:14 pm ET)
As Apple Pencil stock trickles into brick-and-mortar Apple Stores, the iPad Pro's other first-party accessory, the Smart Keyboard, has become somewhat of a hot commodity. AppleInsider was able to snag a copy of the hard-to-get device to offer this first look.





Like all Apple products, Smart Keyboard is a well-designed piece of kit, uses top-shelf materials and comes built to last. For many potential buyers, however, there is concern that a tablet peripheral, even one made by Apple, can't compare to the stellar hardware keyboards found on MacBook. In our initial testing, we found Smart Keyboard more than serviceable for heavy word processing tasks, though users looking for desktop or laptop class key depth might want to look elsewhere.  

Apple's design is spartan, as usual, but perhaps most interesting is the keyboard material itself. As reported earlier this week, Apple's woven nylon key cover serves many purposes. Aside from its sleek look, the cloth is textured to prevent slippage, is sealed to protect against liquid spills and provides a rebound effect that replaces the need for physical springs. This last consideration is important to Apple's design, as it makes the keyboard less bulky and incredibly quiet, while maintaining a modicum of "click."





Proper key feel is traditionally a feature iPad-connected keyboards concede for ultimate thinness, but Apple has taken a different approach. Inside Smart Keyboard are dome switches pioneered with the 12-inch MacBook, one for each key. Unlike the MacBook, the iPad Pro version does not include a butterfly mechanism, relying instead on the nylon cover material and the dome switch itself for spring-back. 

To further obviate the need for actual springs, Apple cleverly built in ducts to relieve internal air pressure when a key is pressed, reducing any perceived damping effect to zero. Taken together with the dome switch, the air ducts and springy nylon canopy give the keyboard a reasonably "clicky" feel, much more so than competing products.





Still, Apple designed Smart Keyboard to be thin, and the truncated key depth results in an expectedly short key throw. 

For users jumping to a fold-up keyboard for the first time, Smart Keyboard does take some getting used to, but those familiar with low-profile units will likely be pleasantly surprised at what Apple was able to accomplish. In our case, it took about five minutes to acclimate to Smart Keyboard's tactile sensation and we are now typing at speed. 





Because Apple basically integrated a keyboard into a Smart Cover, unfolding the device is straightforward. Unlike third-party products, Apple's tri-fold design means Smart Keyboard cannot be adjusted beyond its set viewing angle. 

The tilt is fine for use on a desk and even for impromptu lap typing, but anything beyond that and things get uncomfortable. For example, trying to type while sitting or lying on the ground is a difficult proposition. The lack of flexibility is unfortunate considering one of the iPad's strengths is its ability to be used in unconventional locations like the couch or in bed.





As can be expected, iOS app support is robust, especially with Apple's first-party software like Notes and Pages. The keyboard has many of the same capabilities one would expect from a full-size Mac, including cursor-based text selection using the shift key and arrow buttons, document browsing considerations and iOS system shortcuts. Since some menu shortcuts are contextual, users can invoke a command overlay on an app-by-app basis by holding down Command, Option and Control keys. 

When Smart Keyboard is connected, iOS automatically ditches the soft keyboard, dropping the top row of user selectable commands down to the bottom of the screen. The resulting physical/digital interface is very handy, putting onscreen buttons like undo, redo, paste and — importantly — autocorrect choices within fingers' reach. 





Being an iPad, it goes without saying that users have unhindered access to multitouch screen controls. In a word processing scenario, for example, users can relocate the cursor or select chunks of text with a tap and hold gesture. The interface can be a bit ungainly when dealing with long, multipage documents. 

Pressure-sensitive technology like Apple's 3D Touch on iPhone 6s, which lets users select words, sentences and paragraphs with force-sensitive screen gestures, would have been a great addition here. Perhaps we'll see that on iPad Pro 2.





For road warriors looking to use iPad Pro as a word processor, or for iPad owners looking for an alternative to the iOS soft keyboard, Apple's Smart Keyboard presents a compelling option. The tactile experience is impressive for such a thin device and included support for iOS 9 shortcuts makes it feel like a true extension of Apple's mobile operating system. 

_AppleInsider_ will be taking a more comprehensive look at Smart Keyboard, its features and software compatibility in an upcoming revie

----------


## JEK

I'm liking the keypad with Mac-like shortcuts: CMD+TAB allows you to select which running app you want, just like the Mac OS. CMD+[ goes back a page on Safari and then space bar scrolls down, again just like on the Mac.

----------


## JEK

image.jpg

----------


## LindaP

And....imon, how do you like the pencil ? Any pics?

----------


## JEK

The Pencil makes everyone into a natural artist :)

----------


## LindaP

> The Pencil makes everyone into a natural artist :)




Now I can find out for myself !!!  :Wink-slap: 

image.jpg

----------

