The New iPad Pro (Part 2)

It is now my third week with the new iPad Pro. It has traveled with me to New York twice and has found a permanent space in my finally aging Lotuff Leather document case, alongside my reading glasses, a proper fountain pen and a notebook. The new smart keyboard has grown on me: I find it useful to run through a lot of emails, and it’s helpful in reading. The split screen has been a massive productivity booster, and the combination of email with Slack or Slack with Simplenote is pretty much how I work these days. Slowly and surely, the iPad Pro has replaced my 12-inch MacBook, especially when I’m on the move. The big screen, built-in LTE and lightweight battery that lasts all day have tipped the balance in favor of the iPad Pro.

Interestingly, I don’t use it at home. I rarely watch films or television shows, so I don’t turn it on. I mostly use my 15-inch MacBook Pro to edit photos in Lightroom CC, though I have been thinking about getting rid of the laptop altogether in favor of an iMac with Retina display, which I can mount on a wall.

However, not everything has been hunky-dory. The iPad Pro is a no-go as a book reader: so damn heavy. It is unwieldy to bring to bed to watch TV or movies. Also, trying to get photos from my Leica to the iPad Pro has been a nightmare. I have been to a dozen different Apple stores, and I can’t find the Lightning-to-SD card reader anywhere. Of course, if I were using the Fuji X-T1, I wouldn’t have problems, but I love my M Monochrom. I am going to try an Eyefi Mobi card to see if that fixes the issue, but at the moment it is my No. 1 challenge.

But the biggest issue? The lack of apps that take advantage of the massive real estate, power and capabilities of the device. I am hopeful more will emerge in the coming months, but for now I am fairly happy with using the iPad Pro as my daily carry.

Previously: The New iPad Pro (Part 1)