The case for the iPad Pro | The Vergecast

Today on the flagship podcast of tandem OLEDs:
The Verge’s David Pierce and Chris Welch discuss the new iPad Pros with an OLED screen, Sonos’ controversial new app, and Sonos’ leaked headphones.
The Verge’s Will Poor buys a bunch of broken iPhones on eBay, and pits the Apple Store against independent repair techs.
David answers a question from the Vergecast Hotline about why some people think the iPad should be a Macbook replacement.
Links:
Apple iPad Pro (2024) review: the best kind of overkill: www.theverge.com/24155440/app...
The new Apple iPad Air is great - but it's not the one to get: www.theverge.com/24155407/app...
The new Sonos app is missing a lot of features, and people aren’t happy: www.theverge.com/2024/5/8/241...
Sonos Ace headphones will have magnetic ear cushions and 30-hour battery life: www.theverge.com/2024/5/7/241...
Jet City Device Repair
www.jcdrepair.com/
iFixit’s iPhone 8 charge port repair guide
www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+8...
Hugh Jeffreys’ iPhone 12 investigation
• iPhone 12 Anti Repair ...
Apple’s plan to allow used parts in iPhone repairs:
www.theverge.com/2024/4/11/24...
00:00 - Intro
02:19 - iPad Pro OLED!
11:24 - Sonos headphones and app updates
25:08 - Right to repair update w/ Will Poor
30:15 Apple Store repair experience
33:13 Independent repair shop adventure
37:03 The challenge of repairing modern devices
57:10 The iPad vs. MacBook debate (Vergecast Hotline)
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[@seangt]

i hate these video intros that trick me into thinking this podcast is a video podcast

[@revanwintersoldier2789]

Same! I also hate when they do fun interviews like the speed runners controller guy, and only use audio….. they produce it like a tv news segment without images… very frustrating

[@C3KNG]

All they have to do is record themselves having a conversation

[@plainboba]

This is how they get us

[@TheOfficialOriginalChad]

Fridays. If it’s not Friday it’s not a video podcast

[@jsonlee01]

Can the audio and video podcasts be named different things to avoid confusion?

[@ByrdNick]

A 1-hour iPad review?! …oh this is a podcast episode. …now I kind of want a 1-hour iPad review. 🤔

[@gfisch72]

No no this is a 1 hour ipad case review.

[@DIYorDIEvaping]

Pierce is a CONTENT MACHINE

[@goinginzane]

Dude’s been killing it lately!

[@javiersp15]

Can the M4 handle the crossword? Not sure, might need to see some benchmarks

[@connordavenport3808]

I think this alone says a lot about where the ipad sits in terms of usability. You’re sitting in front of a +$2k machine with processing that’s more capable than most other computers and you’re using it for….crosswords?

[@erik1579]

Whenever a new iPad hits, I always think back to when Dieter Bohn reviewed them for The Verge: "It's an iPad. 🤷 It does iPad-things." Jep, that pretty much sums it up. Personally, I've loved every iPad I've owned. But every model after the iPad 2 is functionally the same device.

[@DuvJones]

It one of those things that incrementally gets better but.... I just want to watch youtube and do so. Phone have kind of been the same way.

[@erik1579]

@@DuvJones Same. I only do some light note-taking, e-mailing, web surfing, streaming and comics reading on my iPad(s). And they have done that very well for over a decade, with just slight quality of life upgrades along the way.

[@andrewknight2495]

The iPad is so integral to my illustration work now that when the new Pro was announced it was not a question to order it. I felt finally the iPad was laser focused on creation and what I do. I see why people are questioning the overspecness of it because they don’t utilize those features like I do. I also see how iPad OS is just a few moves away from just being Mac OS. I’d dig that on my iPad but I don’t need it. What would be cool is if Apple unified iPhone, Mac, and iPad to just Apple OS and that lives throughout all products. You want the experience to be seamless Apple so you know what to do.

[@InfiniteRegen]

Another day thinking this was gonna be a video based on the intro 😂 nope back to the podcast app I gooo

[@jranlvskeidthormodsrd9894]

You need to add chapters in Apple Podcasts as well

[@kentslocum]

I agree that unbelievable thinness is not as important as battery life. We can still have a pretty thin ipad without sacrificing battery. Also, RIP to Rusty! 😢 It's sad that Apple is so intent on harming the repair shops, who arguably care more about Apple products than Apple itself.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

TANDEM OLED VERGECAST WOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@vger2]

I’m sure it’s a great product and company but I hear the word “Sonos” and I can’t tap the fast forward button fast enough. They get a strangely disproportionate amount of The Verge coverage (it seems) but then everybody probably thinks that for products they can’t give two Fs about. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@kasperzhang6349]

don't spill coffee on the ipads

[@ahrens01]

The repair storytelling is incredible! Loved the cuts between irl recording and the narrative!

[@oposkainaxei]

Gesticulating near this coffee in front of the iPads made me very nervous 😂

[@ferretgodowndahole3602]

The advantage over a macbook is it's easier to replace the water damaged keyboard of the ipad. Maybe not cheaper though.

[@AT_ID]

I’m gonna watch this but I can’t imagine why we’d need an hour on spec bumps and thinner bezels. The iPad is my favorite device and I’ve tried for years to make it my only device. Hopefully WWDC makes the iPad much better than the software permits at this point.

[@LonkiGames]

I hope these podcasts are doing well for The Verge, cause they are doing well for me!

[@sagefaribole]

Just starting the video here, hope you'll review the ham and cheese croissant too!!

[@Lunnzies]

Honestly, hating on the Apple process being "extra" is wild. I used to be an official iOS tech and they have this process in place for loads of reasons. Calibration of the cameras (The seamless zoom through feature etc) Water Resistance Not getting damaged during a repair Battery Safety. Apple don't offer charge port repairs even on newer devices, they will replace the 'Rear system". Where they keep the display and battery but swap out the rear. Did your third party repairer re-seal the device and collaborate after repair? Probably not. When you do a repair through the repair yourself program they send you everything you need. What I will say, your Apple Store experience sounds particularly bad, you should try an authorised service provider or another Apple Store. Apple will offer whole unit replacement service options, but often they aren't worth it to users. It always comes down to cost for consumers, not what is possible in terms of "Repairability" or what's best for the environment. Take this from Apple's perspective. If Apple replaces a part in a device that has had a third party modification, they become legally liable for that repair. If it fails again in the future that could be related to the third party repair? Of course the consumer will go after Apple. Another thing to consider is often third party batteries and stuck in or installed incorrectly and may not be safe to work on. The fact that the third party repair agent didn't take the proper safety precautions or ask you to leave for your own safety, shows you the difference between a professional program like Apple's vs cowboys in a small store somewhere. Doing things correctly and safely costs money.

[@NicholasMcClure]

Me worrying thru the whole intro that your expressive hand motions are gonna knock over the coffee and kill 2 new iPads…

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Crossword on the iPad? That sounds so random but great fun.

[@oopsallluke]

I’m not one of those charming romantic cafe iPad people I’m a couch gremlin iPad person

[@tentenbits]

Always a fun time.. appreciate the engaging noise for my brain.

[@robsawalker]

Not entirely convinced the new Sonos app is much faster; I have about 20 speakers around the house and the app is really slow to update images and menus, like it's not caching at all. Connections seem slightly faster sometimes, but still laggy generally. Sonos must be absolutely mental to release this as the main software.

[@pgqc]

I thought this was the new iPads review video!

[@cargath]

The reason people want their iPad to replace their MacBook is because some people just prefer tablets. And tablets can turn into laptops (by attaching a keyboard) but laptops can never turn into tablets (because the keyboard is permanently attached). So for people who want to live a single computer lifestyle, the iPad is pretty much the only device that could be that computer. And "just get both" is an argument on the level of "buy your mom an iPhone" - even with infinite money, it's just less convenient. And i suspect the reason that people recently started asking for macOS on the iPad is that they have just given up on waiting for Apple to fix all the stupid problems that have plagued iPadOS for a decade. And this has nothing to do with "but i like my iPad to be simple". You can't tell me that it's "easier to understand" to be forced to stare at every download, because the second that you background an App it gets suspended.

[@adamcarlson4922]

I would argue that if you want both, a Microsoft Surface is a better form factor. The keyboard being able to be at an ergonomic angle and the built in kickstand not requiring a folio that literally doubles the iPad’s thickness.

[@cargath]

@@adamcarlson4922 I mean, the Surface is almost double the thickness of an iPad without a keyboard (and thickness matters more when you're using it as a tablet without accessories attached). Also it has a fan. I don't even want a fan in my laptop anymore, not to mention a tablet. That being said, i think i've read somewhere that the next generation of Intel CPUs is supposed to be able to compete with Apple Silicon. So hopefully the iPad will get some actual competition in the near future.

[@adamcarlson4922]

@@cargath I think the Surface Pro X was really good design. I think Apple is simply being stubborn/greedy by not designing a kickstand into the iPad itself. I’m hopeful for new Qualcomm powered thinner Surfaces. I just really really hate the new iPad folios and magic keyboards and I basically refuse to upgrade until they fix that idiotic mistake. I don’t need the back of my iPad covered any more than someone needs the top or bottom of their MacBook covered. Move the Smart Connector back to the side where it belongs, make the cover and keyboard attach there like they did with iPads of old and Surfaces, and put a kickstand on the thing. I do think the overall design idea of the Surface is better than the iPad. I want a surface style iPad powered by apple silicon or Qualcomm running dual boot iPadOS and MacOS, or a complete redesign of iPadOS. Otherwise it’s likely I’ll switch to an ARM surface when I finally need to replace my iPad Pro 10.5.

[@aaronlangley8106]

for years iPads super power was a fundamentally better ARM chip over Intel. Intel could never achieve great portability. And tablet form factor is just bad for most productivity applications except niche ones. Any M series macbook just makes the iPad redundant for most people

[@BowtieJDP]

I didn’t ask for a thinner iPad. I’ll stick with my 2014 model that runs KZbin the exact same as the fancy overpriced new ones.

[@Tauvik92]

I look forward to the next video ❤

[@rocketmunkey1]

Its not remotely difficult to make the iPad run Mac OS it simply has to dual boot, when you use the ipad as an iPad it runs iPad OS when you plug in a keyboard or pair it with a bluetooth keyboard in boots mac OS, you're acting as if people want a messy hybrid OS which requires the user to be constantly touching the display, ironically you can just observe things on the screen you know, like Netflix LOL or I dunno Mac OS. Its literally just a software update there is no tricky engineering or creating a brand new OS required on Apples part. The only reason Apple doesn't do it, is because they want to sell people multiple devices, so execs can buy more yachts, most people can barely afford one Apple computer let alone 2 ! there is no reason whatsoever it cant run Mac OS, only greed !

[@n00bstude]

Lets go David!

[@justlou717]

Was this sponsored by Sonos? What was with all the buildup and attention? “I’m most excited about the Roam 2 - tell me about it: It’s the same product with a larger button on the back.”??????

[@iamapopsicle9457]

The Verge continues to show how out of touch they are by talking about Sonos.

[@ColtonBlumhagen]

I will replace my Macbook when I Can plug a printer into an ipad and print soemthing.

[@abyrobinson5748]

Please go back to the old video format

[@GatorAidMedical]

my ipad mini is awesome! it fits in scrubs pockets, can annotate the f outta pdf's, and is great for magazine-ish reading!!!

[@ferretgodowndahole3602]

I agree, and can't wait for it to be foldable. Since I don't wear scrubs