We get hands-on with the new 6th Gen Apple 9.7-inch iPad, which includes the new ‘Apple Pencil’.
What are your thoughts on the new iPad?
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I’ve been using the Apple Pencil with an iPad Pro for over a year. It is brilliant. Like all Apple products it is pricey, but I don’t regret the investment. It is quick-charging, precise, and efficient. It really takes a tablet to another level of functionality. I highly recommend it.
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Just purchased when it was released the new iPad without the pencil although it has the pencil capability and we are very pleased with it, and it continues to impress us with new tips and functionality everyday. The iPad is almost capable of making the desktop computer redundant for an old keyboard warrior like me.
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Just add a low cost blue tooth keyboard for home, or one of the built into the case options if you like the old way.
I found with a little use the touch keyboard is more than adequate for nearly all home user type tasks. And the pen/stylus is better than a mouse for so many things.
No lag like my 2003 vintage pda that had all of the same basic capabilities. Somethings take a couple of goes to perfect?
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One neat feature is its ability to use it as a scanner, which it does very well, so I can retire another piece of hardware from the desk as it is no longer required.
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I’ve been using the larger 12.9” iPad Pro with Apple Pencil as my main computer for a couple of years now. I do a fair bit of design work and drawing, and it’s superb for that. We have a few of the Microsoft Surface devices around including a Surface Studio Pro and while they’re very nicely built (definitely the thing I’d get if I had to use WIndows), the stylus lags and jitters when I try to draw with it, which is a deal-breaker for me.
I recently helped my Dad buy the new iPad with pencil support. Not the Pro model, just the new regular 9.7”. I agree with @SteveDuncombe’s review - this model is a big deal. It brings a whole lot of the power of the Pro version to a device at a sub-$500 price point. It’s missing some luxury features so the Pro is still better, but nothing most people will miss. Most important is the processor speed – this thing will do real work without ever making you wait for it. The main thing to watch out for is that it doesn’t have the magnetic smart connector so Apple’s Smart Keyboard won’t work with it. I got my Dad this keyboard case instead:
It’s better for his needs anyway - he wants to permanently use it like a laptop, so it’s better to have something that doesn’t keep detaching. I did talk him into upgrading to the cellular model ($669) on the basis that if it is ever lost or stolen you can connect to it over the internet to disable it and track it down using GPS. Cheap insurance I reckon.
He’s just left for an overseas trip with only the iPad, all set up with his email on it, leaving the trusty but slow and clunky laptop at home. I’ll let you all know how it turns out…
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