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Apple’s Pro super-tablet a whole new experience

SINGAPORE — “Why is it so big?” my colleagues asked when I first brought the iPad Pro into the office. Though the Pro’s 12.9-in (32.8-cm) retina display may have been announced months ago, you only get a true sense of its size once you see it up close.

SINGAPORE — “Why is it so big?” my colleagues asked when I first brought the iPad Pro into the office. Though the Pro’s 12.9-in (32.8-cm) retina display may have been announced months ago, you only get a true sense of its size once you see it up close.

For those used to the iPad Air and Mini, the Pro’s display may seem monstrous in comparison. In fact, I found that it was not as comfortable to handle with one hand.

But all that additional “real estate” is put to good use. Factoring in its computing performance and accessories (the Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil), I can see myself never having to travel with a laptop again. At 713g, the iPad Pro is about 200g lighter than the latest MacBooks.

Nearly every task works better with the Pro, compared with the iPad Air or Mini. From surfing the Net to watching and editing videos to typing this review, the Pro’s larger screen comes in handy. iOS 9’s split-view feature, for instance, functions a lot better on the Pro. I typed up this review on one side of the screen, while referring to notes on another.

Reading articles or magazines is a joy, and watching videos is a whole new experience. The Pro features a stereo speaker at each of the four corners, which delivers remarkably powerful bass for a tablet and will automatically adjust its balance when you change the device’s orientation.

All of this is made possible by the Pro’s new A9X chip that delivers two times the CPU and graphic performance of the A8X chip in the Air 2.

The boost in performance was particularly evident while editing videos and playing games. Rendering of multiple 4K videos was surprisingly instantaneous and the detailing in some games was so sharp that I dare compare it to playing on the desktop itself.

Make no mistake about it, however: The Pro may be more powerful than most laptops in the market, but it is still a tablet at heart and not a two-in-one.

With a Smart Keyboard, which you can buy for S$268, the Pro can function almost like a two-in-one, except there is no other operating system besides iOS. In terms of software, you will be limited to what is available on the App Store.

You also cannot connect the Pro to a mouse, with Apple’s alternative being its version of a stylus — the Apple Pencil (S$148).

The Apple Pencil is actually a marvel on its own. It can detect how much pressure or angle you apply, giving you the ability to draw, write or shade with incredible precision. The tip of the Pencil is built with a material that provides a subtle level of friction, so you feel as though you are using pen and paper. I could actually sign my signature properly on the Pro’s screen with the Pencil.

In terms of battery life, Apple says the Pro can last about 10 hours. I got about half-an-hour more out of it, probably because of the Pro’s M9 motion co-processor, which supposedly saves on power.

The iPad Pro starts from S$1,188 for the 32GB version with Wi-Fi at the Apple online store or authorised retailers.

I recommend springing the extra S$260 for at least the 128GB version with Wi-Fi, as 32GB of space seems incredibly restrictive.

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