iPad Pro (2024) REVIEW for Artists and Writers

[@qwertyzxaszc6323]

As someone who holds the iPad for extended periods of time, anything they can do to make it thinner and lighter is GREATLY appreciated. So please enough with the “who wants it thinner.” Lots of people.

[@jeanyvescoffy8315]

Let’s be honest, I enjoy tremendously the 5,1 mm, it makes such an insane difference in hands or on desk. Along with the new screen, pencil pro, I never ever had such pleasure to draw on an iPad, it’s the ultimate upgrade since years. Absolutely incredible product, worth every penny for me.

[@whoDean]

Thinner is one thing, but LIGHTER (especially the 13”) is a major improvement for this generation

[@ajwriting]

I totally appreciate that! My perspective is that the "Air" model should be the thin and light model, while the Pro model should maximize battery and performance.

[@LilJoe3]

@@whoDeanhow else do you expect them to make it lighter if not thinner?

[@terribletimes902]

@@ajwritingOr, the iPad line desperately needs a rebrand. The Pros and Mini are fine. The other two could use a name change. iPad Air should just be the iPad. It is closest in price and target audience to the original $500 iPad line. The iPad (10th Gen) should be the iPad SE. It fulfills the same role as the iPhone SE, the lowest entry point while reusing parts from older high end devices.

[@shaldon08]

Agreed. All these reviews are written by MacBook users who have established workflows rather than thinking wider. Few talk about that the ipad is a better productivity tool for many - it depends on what youre doing. Celebrate the differences and use the right tool for you 👍

[@FlosBlog]

I prefer the IPad *experience* to that of the mac. It makes writing to be way more hands-on and I do not feel as far removed from my own work using the tablet. It also helps you focus on your task *because* of the „worse“ window management

[@dark_nightwing_xl2797]

Facts 😂

[@jorgecap3898]

Actually, Ipad are good for just focusing in one task, with as little juggling between apps as possible. For example, a webtoon creator handling the creation process on a single machine (ipad Pro 1tb), is a fine scenario. A writer using Scribener, for example, may find some constraints in the same Ipad, but may find that inmediate accesibility a boon to maintain a focused workflow. A fully fledged PC still reigns king for long tirades of work, but for many creative people, mobility, ubiquity and ease of "in and out" of these Ipads, is a very welcome change of pace. The caveat: steeep prices, and a walled (paid) garden of apps. Apple doesn't pull punches in that regard.

[@doolar]

I totally agree. I bought the very first iPad when it was launched, and had one ever since. While I would not mind a dual boot with MacOS, I would probably never use it. For computer only tasks I use my MacBook Pro or Air. The simplicity of the iPadOS is where the beauty lies. If you only do light tasks such as browsing, banking and email, you’ll get away easily with an iPad. I’ve done it for a decade when only choosing to bring my iPad and not my Mac.

[@taekjeon5085]

Agreed. We don’t need thar camera bump on iapd.

I am using it with my Studio Display and is game changer. Specially bc Browsers are more Desktop than ever.

[@yvakhojin2562]

I’m not a digital artist, I’d use it for Scrivener and other writing and text editing/commenting work tasks. Considering my old iPad is broken, I do need a new one to write/work on the go, and I would buy 11” again. The Pro would be overkill for me, wouldn’t it? But the Air isn’t that much less expensive, so I’m very uncertain.

[@JeffMyers409]

I love my iPad, but the other reviewers are right. We’re at the point of diminishing returns with the iPad and have been since the M1 was put in it. Look at any test that tests even this generation 8gb vs 16gb RAM options against each other. There is almost no difference in what the machines can do, they’re identical on every test, because iPadOS simply can’t utilize the hardware put into it.

[@graybabyoracle]

I'm new to tablets and digital drawing, but this new iPad Pro is what's getting me to give it a go. Haven't ordered it yet, and I was wondering if I should save for the 16GB RAM. Sounds like I should. Appreciate the review.

[@johnadams6249]

I have an M1 iPad with 16GB RAM and I have to say it’s very nice to be able to open up an app you used several *days* ago and still having it available in memory. For lighter apps, you can probably have more than a dozen apps open (as in ready to go and resume instantly when opened).If you’re an artist, having more RAM directly increases the number of layers you can use in Procreate (but I personally never use more than a few layers for touching up photos). I’m sure it can help with other apps as well, and would definitely be a good idea if you want to make your iPad last a few years longer. Who knows what big, memory hungry apps and games might be made in the next 3-5 years, especially with the opening up of iOS to 3rd party app stores.

[@AzrealJ]

It’s over kill man, the 11 inch 1tb option is literally the same price as a standard m3 MacBook Pro but with the limited software of Mac OS. Just food for thought though

[@graybabyoracle]

@@AzrealJ I tend to err on the side of overkill, especially when upgrading later isn't an option. Chances are I won't get THAT deep into the digital art. I'll like the breathing room, and who knows, maybe I'll do some stuff with video as well.

[@AzrealJ]

@@graybabyoracle if you can afford it definitely do it, just saying that price point is ridiculous for what it does

[@PeterSanlon-n4m]

The practical benefit of thinner includes making the magic keyboard balance better

[@dovmerrill804]

Would love an iPad Ultra at 16”. Would also love to see an iPad Studio at 24”. Both of these could/should be thin and light, but the 24” obviously would focused on sitting on the desktop but is still thin & light enough to transport somewhere if traveling to meeting or conferences if need be, in a pinch. As for comments on touchscreen Mac vs. iPad with MacOS, if Apple is pushing the iPad as a “hybrid touch pad with basic laptop type device” with the now-better keyboard/trackpad with mouse support, Apple should either greatly beef up iPad OS with the full multi-tasking, file management AND External ports seen in MacOS/MacBooks OR give the s a dual-boot setup to allow running MacOS and full, robust apps on the keyboard-attached iPad. Otherwise, the actual user market for the iPad Pro (now that the cheaper iPad Air 13” is now available) grows smaller every day.

[@ItsEnvinae]

Really good review! Thanks a lot for your insightful feedback!

[@LionelGeek]

Thanks for your perspective here. My pro needs are much more simplistic than yours. I am an amateur photographer and an even more amateur videographer. But, over the last couple of years, my job is pushing me to get better at both. I've used Adobe Lightroom Classic on the PC side for years... and I've recently added the iPad and its version of Lightroom to my workflow. My 4th generation iPad Air is enough to get me started, but it's clear upgrading to the Pro iPad version will help. 64GB is not enough storage even relying mostly on the cloud. I'm most likely going to settle on the base model of the M4 11" since 256GB will be enough for some Lightroom editing and pretty simple DaVinci Resolve videos. The extra throughput via the USB-C port will help as well when I'm copying hundreds of RAW images from my camera's SSD to do my iPad Lightroom work.

[@calitb]

I try to use my iPad to do some work, but since my macbook is faster (and better in most things), I ended up using my macbook in my lap as I would the iPad. I still have my 2018 11" ipad pro. It's in perfect condition. I am still thinking in upgrading. going from 4gb to 8gb RAM would be nice.

[@illien_3915]

Kudos for making a video from someone that actually uses the capacity of iPad Pro, unlike some tech reviewers raging out of their Mac at why it isn't a Mac yet and "how dare they debuts M4 on a toilet reader". But seriously, I don't want MacOS on an iPad, hell no, it's so obviously a stupid idea if you know tech history, the irony and lack of self-awareness is amazing. iPadOS is not perfect and needs improvements, which it has been since 2021, but is it really bad for "pro users" that uses it to *create* and *consume*? "Power users" are really into advanced tinkering capacity of gadgets which is cool, but we should acknowledge that majority of "pro users" likely don't use 95% of those even on a Mac... Overheating into dimming and lagging was a daily nightmare on my M1 doing any loaded tasks or games, and boom it's just gone with the M4.... No nothing. I'm shocked that so few reviews mentioned it. I guess they don't even know it was a thing, which shows you perhaps they shouldn't be reviewing it to begin with. I think the thinness is huge if you use a Magic Keyboard. the old 12.9" combo was a brick to carry compared to MacBooks. Why iPad? I have my Mac workstation, but no peripherals does "putting the pen to paper" quite like the Apple Pencil. That connection is very important even for 3D modeling, which really is 3 dimensional drawing but with lots of math and numbers. Create on iPad, edit on the big screen. I've looked into Wacom on Mac but it's more like a mouse+keyboard emulator, it's not close. Fundamentally, it's up to what you do, don't get one if you lack a use for it, but people do need to drop the outdated conception that it's still the toilet reader that Jobs envisioned.

[@IdrisFashan]

Writing this on my Gen 1 iPad Pro… I buy for longevity. I only use it to write and watch videos. Probably going to be stuck with the 512GB pro as a choice this year. Who needs that HD size tho? 😅 Still, I’ll get a decade of use out of it. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@kindion]

Great review!

[@Everyday-man]

What is the screen like after longer use? I use my ipad Pro 2020 11 inch, which is LCD for work and leisure. Emails, Teams, Excel, Word, movies, TV shows, procreate, and gaming. All combined, like 3 plus hours per day. Does the oled 1000 nits of brightness hurt tour eyes??

[@ajwriting]

Yeah, it can definitely hurt your eyes, especially if you're sensitive to light. Unlike the previous model, I find myself using the iPad at less than 100% brightness. But it's still nice to have the added brightness when needed.

[@Everyday-man]

@ajwriting if you have the brightness turned down a bit, does it fix that issue of possibility hurting your eyes?? I am pretty close to buying it, but I am after more options I guess, on people that use it. Especially artists and writers, as use, look at it a little more intensive.

[@Jaxplode]

Did you try out the Paperlike Screen Protector? Or that one from ESR which is magnetic?

[@ajwriting]

I have been using the Rock Paper Pencil screen protector because I enjoy their replacement nibs. I'll try Paperlike next once this protector inevitably wears out. Thanks for the rec!

[@Altronn]

I would highly suggest the screen protectors from Bellemond. The original is much clearer than paperlike on the screen and feels great, but they also offer a Kent paper option, which feels a bit smoother but makes your pencil tip last longer. Pretty sure they don't have an option for the M4 iPad yet but they should release soon

[@Jaxplode]

@@Altronn i ordered an ESR Paperfeel Magnetic Protector for testing. On my M1 I use a paperlike and it felt nice. Curious about the ESR

[@riccia888]

Good luck with battery. I always said buy the macbook at least if the battery is degraded you can still use it as your workstation with mag safe for 10 years.

[@sloppynyuszi]

I don’t think the MacBook should get a touchscreen. Honestly the screens get too many fingerprints and drawing on a folded laptop is quite the compromise considering desktop apps have crap touch shortcuts. An iMac with Apple Pencil support though. That will have me chuck my Cintiq out the window. But for what I like to do on the go, the iPad is more than what I need. I have a surface pro and 13” is way too small for desktop apps, and I’m just keeping the surface pro 8 for as long as it breathes, and the few windows apps I like still work. iPad OS really got developers designing for the form factor, and that’s why I hope none of the MacOS stuff comes here. There are plenty of options for people that don’t like the iPad.

[@ElMacho0423]

You’ll never be able to please everyone..

[@thisbridgehascables]

This update to the iPad is in no way significant, vital, important, impressive.. it’s an over powered device with a limiting OS. As a professional designer/developer the iPad won’t be pro until it has a OS that matches its power. Watching movies, checking emails and playing games is not a Pro feature of any device. Plus most art applications won’t put a dent in the memory or processing power. Until the iPad can run Docker, VMs, the ability to install Apache, node, php, go, rust .. etc locally this device is just a toy.

[@DerekCarrMusicPhotographer]

I think at some point these things will have some sort of dual boot system so you can use MacOS for the things that need it and iPadOS for all the other things. Storage space is the only limitation right now (and perhaps RAM as well).

[@sharonb.9128]

Great video. I think people need to kill the idea once and for all that Apple refuses to do something for fear of it cannibalizing an existing product. They’ve shown a willingness to cannibalize to stay relevant. The competition has yet to create a great mixed product. Neither Windows 8, the Surface or Samsung devices were universally loved. Watching Vision Pro reviews it seems Apple bypassed the Mac and combined the iPad with a different device.

[@Wat3r_Drink3r]

This is a really good take. They’re definitely planting the seed for something big.

[@ajwriting]

I've used the Vision Pro quite a bit, and while it's definitely not ready for mainstream adoption, I kept wondering what it'd be like to turn any surface into a drawing canvas. I could use real pencils on paper and overlay digital effects to make the most natural-feeling drawing experience. There's a ton of possibilities there.

[@jxpat]

Your background music is competing with your speech for too long into the video

[@RobertoMagnoV]

No one really wants mac-OS on Ipad. What every Ipad owner wants, being a pro user or not, is not to be so petty with ipad-os, neglecting us a decent file manager or the possibility of opening various windows, being on stage manager or not.

[@theoffice4951]

The only thing missing is macOS

[@MobileDecay]

iPad doesn't need Mac. Mac needs touch support.

[@hypnaudiostream3574]

@@MobileDecaysays you. And you’re wrong

[@MobileDecay]

@@hypnaudiostream3574 Lol.

[@mediocreape]

you might want to color match yourself with the background when you use a green screen, also there is edge spill on you, you can remove it all in after effects.

[@ajwriting]

Thanks for the tip! It's sooo hard to light things properly in my tiny apartment. Even with pretty aggressive spill reduction, there's still some unwanted green. Once I move into a house in a couple of months, I'm hoping to position things better for better lighting/no spill.

[@mediocreape]

@@ajwriting as someone who uses green scree myself, i understand your situation. the lighting on the hair is a dead giveaway btw, the way to fix it would be to put an adjustment layer on your hair and color correct it by taking away green through lumetri colors (from rgb channels) and also increasing contrast , and then tracking the adjustment layer to just your hair using the auto tracking feature. Or you could just wait until you move into a new apartment. Good video nonetheless.