For the February meeting I brought in my iPad Pro. Its first obvious advantage over other iPad models is its screen size, 12.9 inches with 2732 by 2048 pixels, compared with 9.7 or 8.0 inches and 2048 by 1536 pixels on the iPad Air and iPad mini models.
One application I looked forward to when I bought it was viewing digital magazines. The size finally mimics the size of real magazines, making it possible to read the text at its original size without zooming in, and to really appreciate the photos and layout. For example, on most of its magazines the Barnes & Noble NOOK app accommodates more modest screen sizes with an Article View, which displays a view of just the text at a larger size, but I no longer need to use that view to read the magazine text on the iPad Pro.
I also love web browsing on the iPad Pro in portrait mode. There’s enough width to show the full “desktop” view of a website, and enough height to lessen the need for scrolling up and down. I have a PDF map application, Avenza PDF Maps, for viewing trail maps and other maps. It’s a pleasure to view these maps on the larger screen.
To look their best on the iPad Pro, iOS apps must be optimized specifically for the larger screen size, or have been developed using Apple’s layout tools that help support the now multiple iPhone screen sizes. (iPhone5/5s, iPhone 6/6s, and iPhone 6/6s Plus are three different sizes.) There is a fuller-featured on-screen keyboard for apps that have been optimized for the iPad Pro, including a new number row of keys at the top. For iPad apps that haven’t been optimized for the iPad Pro, the whole app is scaled up, including the original iPad on-screen keyboard.
iPhone apps that don’t have an iPad version can run on the iPad Pro just like on an iPad, but there is an even larger black border surrounding the app.
Split View, a new feature in iOS 9, while available on the iPad Air 2, is even more useful on the iPad Pro. Starting with a Slide Over view of a second app in a narrow column on the right, the divider can be moved to the center to allow a full view of two apps at the same time. The apps must specifically support Split View, and you can’t have the same app on both sides of the screen.
Another thing that makes the iPad Pro more pleasurable is the four built in speakers. The two speakers at the top are the tweeters and the two at the bottom provide for the lower frequencies. This is true no matter whether you are holding the iPad Pro in portrait or landscape mode—the speakers are assigned dynamically according to the orientation. One member said the speakers sounded better than his TV speakers.
There are two Apple accessories specific to the iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil and the Apple Smart Keyboard cover. Since I am using the iPad Pro as just a large-screen iPad, I have not bought either of these accessories, and am enjoying the iPad Pro as is.