M4 iPad Pro Review: Wasted Potential
Summary
TLDRThe video script reviews the new M4 iPad Pro, highlighting its impressive display technology and powerful M4 processor. Despite its sleek design and enhanced features like the Nano-texture glass and new Apple Pencil Pro, the device faces criticism for its high cost, software limitations, and inefficient multitasking capabilities. The script questions the iPad Pro's viability as a laptop replacement, suggesting it may be better suited as a supplementary device for specific tasks or a companion to a MacBook.
Takeaways
- 📱 The new M4 iPad Pro is thinner than the iPhone that started 'bendgate' and features a completely new display technology.
- 🔆 The iPad Pro's display uses a stacked OLED technology to achieve high peak brightness and full-screen brightness, but it doesn't provide a 'wow' factor over regular OLED on iPhones.
- 📝 The Nano-texture glass option on the iPad Pro provides a smooth writing experience and better handling of micro-specs compared to plastic screen protectors.
- 💻 The M4 processor in the iPad Pro is significantly faster than the M3, but the performance is not fully utilized due to a lack of optimized Pro apps.
- 🖌️ The new Apple Pencil Pro with its squeeze function is a significant upgrade for artists and students, making it easier to switch tools.
- 💰 The cost of the iPad Pro, especially with the Nano-texture option, is high, and the device requires stepping up to a 1TB model for this feature.
- 🖥️ The iPad Pro's attempt to function as a computer replacement is hindered by iPadOS limitations and a touch-first operating system that doesn't work well with a keyboard and cursor.
- 📚 For students, the iPad Pro can be a great tablet for note-taking and drawing, but it's not a full computer replacement, especially for power users.
- 🎨 The iPad Pro is particularly appealing to artists due to its powerful processor and the new capabilities of the Apple Pencil Pro.
- 🔋 The battery life of the M4 iPad Pro is not as impressive as the M3 MacBook Air, even with the new processor.
- 🛒 The M2 iPad Pro offers similar benefits to the M4 model at a lower price, making the upgrade to M4 less justifiable for most users.
Q & A
What is the main issue the author has with the new M4 iPad Pro despite its impressive hardware?
-The author finds that despite the impressive hardware, they couldn't use the M4 iPad Pro extensively due to various problems they encountered, particularly with the software and overall user experience.
How does the new display technology on the M4 iPad Pro compare to the previous generation's mini LED display?
-The new display technology on the M4 iPad Pro uses a tandem style OLED with two layers to achieve high brightness levels, similar to the mini LED display. However, it doesn't provide a noticeably better visual experience compared to regular OLED found on iPhones.
What is special about the Nano texture option on the M4 iPad Pro?
-The Nano texture option on the M4 iPad Pro features a matte glass that feels smoother than regular glass and provides a better writing experience with more consistent pen feel. It also handles micro-specs better than plastic screen protectors.
How does the M4 processor's performance compare to the M3 in terms of speed?
-The M4 processor is around 20% faster for both single and multi-core performance compared to the M3, making it a significant upgrade in terms of speed.
Why does the author believe the iPad Pro is not yet a viable replacement for a traditional computer?
-The author believes the iPad Pro is not a viable replacement for a traditional computer due to the limitations of iPadOS, such as inefficient multitasking, lack of cursor support in some areas, and the absence of full desktop app features.
What is the author's opinion on the new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro?
-The author finds the new Magic Keyboard to be nice, with a good aluminum deck and haptic trackpad, but also feels it is too expensive for what it offers.
What is the main drawback of the iPad Pro's aspect ratio when watching content?
-The iPad Pro's 4x3 aspect ratio makes it more square than other devices, resulting in a smaller viewing area when watching 16x9 videos compared to a 13-inch MacBook Air.
How does the battery life of the M4 iPad Pro compare to the M3 MacBook Air?
-The M4 iPad Pro's battery life is not as good as the M3 MacBook Air, with a noticeable difference in remaining battery percentage after 4 hours of video watching.
What is the author's suggestion for students who need a tablet for note-taking and occasional use?
-The author suggests that a Windows 2-in-1 device might be a better solution for students who only need a tablet for a small portion of their tasks, offering a more versatile one-device solution.
What are the author's thoughts on the new Apple Pencil Pro and its compatibility with the M4 iPad Pro?
-The author appreciates the new Apple Pencil Pro's squeeze function for switching tools but notes that it is only compatible with the M4 iPad Pro, requiring users with the second-generation Apple Pencil to upgrade.
Why does the author believe the M4 iPad Pro might not be worth the upgrade for some users?
-The author believes the M4 iPad Pro might not be worth the upgrade for some users due to the marginal efficiency and battery life improvements, and the fact that many of its benefits can also be found in the M2 iPad Pro at a discounted price.
Outlines
📱 iPad Pro Review: High Hopes, Mixed Reality
The script discusses the new M4 iPad Pro, initially praised for its slim design and advanced display technology. The author shares a month-long experience, noting increased usage due to the device's hardware but ultimately facing unresolved issues. A former iPad enthusiast, the author evaluates the iPad Pro's suitability for students, highlighting the new OLED display's brightness capabilities but comparing it unfavorably to the previous mini LED model in terms of 'wow' factor. The Nano-texture glass option is lauded for its smooth writing experience and reduced glare, although it's not without minor flaws. The M4 chip's performance is acknowledged, but the lack of Pro apps that utilize this power leaves the author underwhelmed. The Magic Keyboard is appreciated for its build and functionality, but the high cost of the iPad Pro setup, especially with the keyboard, is a point of contention.
💻 iPad Pro vs. MacBook: A Struggle for Productivity
The script compares the iPad Pro with MacBooks, focusing on the difficulty of configuring an iPad Pro with the desired features like the Nano-texture display, which requires a more expensive model. The author argues that, despite the iPad Pro's hardware advantages, it falls short as a computer replacement due to iOS limitations. Examples of software inefficiencies are given, such as text resizing issues and the inability to use a cursor for certain tasks. The author also criticizes the iPad's ergonomics as a laptop substitute and the Stage Manager's limitations. The script suggests that the iPad Pro is not a practical choice for power users or as a primary device for students, recommending Windows 2-in-1 devices for a more versatile solution. The author also touches on Samsung's Dex as a potential solution for improving the iPad's desktop experience.
🎨 iPad Pro as a Creative and Companion Device
The final paragraph explores the iPad Pro's role as a creative tool and a companion device to a MacBook. The author acknowledges the new Apple Pencil Pro's benefits for artists and the ease of using the iPad as a secondary display. However, the iPad's 4x3 aspect ratio is criticized for its smaller content viewing area compared to a 16x9 video on a 13-inch MacBook Air. The script also addresses the iPad's battery life, which, despite being decent for light use, is outperformed by the M3 MacBook Air during intensive use. The author concludes that the M4 iPad Pro's advantages, such as the improved display and Apple Pencil, may not justify the upgrade cost for most users, and the device's full potential is underutilized due to software limitations. The M2 iPad Pro is suggested as a more cost-effective option for students, with the M4's benefits being limited to a niche audience.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡M4 iPad Pro
💡Display Technology
💡Nanotexture Glass
💡M4 Processor
💡iPadOS
💡Magic Keyboard
💡Apple Pencil Pro
💡Multitasking
💡Aspect Ratio
💡Battery Life
💡Upgrade Justification
Highlights
The new M4 iPad Pro is thinner than the iPhone that started bendgate and features a completely new display technology.
The device's hardware and overall feeling encourage more usage, despite some problems found after a month of use.
The new display is a tandem style OLED with 1600 nits peak brightness, similar to the previous mini LED iPad but without blooming issues.
The Nano texture glass option provides a unique matte screen experience, smoother than regular glass and with better anti-glare properties.
The M4 processor is around 20% faster than the M3, offering significant performance improvements.
The iPad Pro's GPU is powerful, but the lack of fully featured Pro apps limits the practical use of this performance.
The new Magic Keyboard is a nice addition, with a haptic trackpad and an aluminum deck, though it is expensive.
The iPad Pro's price increases significantly with the Nano texture option, which requires a 1 TB model and additional specs.
The iPad Pro's hardware is impressive, but the iPad OS's limitations as a computer replacement are evident.
The iPad Pro is not a suitable computer replacement for power users due to its touch-first tablet operating system.
The new Apple Pencil Pro with its squeeze function is a significant upgrade, especially for artists.
The iPad Pro's 4x3 aspect ratio makes it less ideal for watching content compared to other devices with a 16x9 aspect ratio.
The iPad works well as a companion device to a MacBook, offering features like wireless secondary display and Universal Control.
Battery life on the iPad Pro is not as impressive as the M3 MacBook Air, despite the new M4 processor.
The M4 iPad Pro's upgrades may not justify the cost over the M2 iPad Pro, especially for students.
The iPad Pro's potential is limited by the iPad OS's inefficiencies and lack of multitasking capabilities.
For students, a Windows 2-in-1 device might be a more practical one-device solution than the iPad Pro.
The iPad Pro's ergonomics as a laptop replacement are not ideal, with a top-heavy design and lack of one-handed openability.
The iPad Pro's new features, such as the Apple Pencil Pro, are more suited for specific use cases rather than general computing.
Transcripts
the new M4 iPad Pro seems like a dream
device it's thinner than the iPhone that
started bendgate and has a completely
new display technology it's perfect and
that's what you would say before living
with it for a month I did that and
unlike everything else this is the only
device where the hardware and overall
feeling of it made me want to use it
more but in the end I just couldn't due
to the various problems I found but I
was a big fan of the iPad when I was in
college so I also want to talk about
whether the latest iPad Pro is still wor
it from a student's perspective let's
start with a display it's a completely
new type of display that in the end just
feels kind of normal it's like if you
just stuck four iPhones together the
tech behind it is pretty cool though
there are basically two layers of OLED
stacked on top of each other to achieve
1600 nits of peak brightness and it can
sustain 1,000 nits of full screen
brightness on an OLED screen that's this
large so it's super bright but so was
the last gen mini LED iPad which could
already achieve this brightness level of
course there's blooming with the mini
LED display but you're not going to
notice that doing some regular work and
watching YouTube videos however if
you're looking at the smaller iPad pros
this is actually a pretty big
improvement over the previous
generation's LCD display both in terms
of contrast and brightness but being
this new tandem style OLED doesn't
actually make it look any better than
just regular OLED on the iPhone so this
is the greatest display that Apple makes
but it wasn't like wow I've been missing
this my whole life however the new Nano
texture option is actually actually
pretty special to show this I got a
matte screen protector a big boy
computer and some potato chips Windows
computers have had matte displays for
ages now but they're mostly plastic the
nanotexture glass on the iPad doesn't
feel plasticky at all in fact it feels
even smoother than regular glass when
you're writing on it the side of your
hand just Glides much smoother on it and
the pen feel is also more consistent so
you won't need the drying gloves it also
doesn't feel like paperlike or any other
plastic mask screen protector which
typically gives you a more paper-like
feedback when you're writing the
nanotexture glass feels much smoother
than that and more like regular glass
that just somehow doesn't stick to your
hands I think this is the best writing
experience another big problem with
typical matte screens is the microl
specs that you see which is especially
noticeable when displaying just White
and the nanotexture glass is
dramatically better at handling this
than a plastic screen protector but it's
not perfect so you can still see a
little bit of that when you're looking
really closely it's not enough to be
perceived as a loss of resolution though
beyond that there are really two aspects
to a good display when it comes to the
anti-reflection coating scattering the
light so that you don't see a mirror
image of yourself is only one aspect of
it the other aspect is how much light is
being reflected in total and when
compared to a pretty good matte screen
on a Windows laptop the iPad reflected
noticeably less light so in a brighter
room you would lose less contrast but
this aspect can actually be even better
just look at the s24 ultra it just
absorbs all the light and barely throws
any back so an ideal screen would be
this but with Nano texture lastly one
interesting fact only the iPad with Nano
texture comes with a cleaning cloth
which is somewhat of an ominous sign so
I got the potato chips and smudged it up
surprisingly the Nano texture behaves
about the same as a regular glass it's
not really much worse and more
importantly it's just as easy to clean
unlike the plastic screen protectors
which always just feels kind of oily
display aside the new iPad Pro also has
the new M4 processor it's around 20%
faster for single and multi-core than
the M3 which is huge and the GPU is
really powerful too but that honestly
just makes me more excited for the next
generation of MacBooks because there are
very few situations where you can even
use and feel this level performance on
an iPad Apple promised that there would
be a bunch of Pro apps that would in
theory make use of the power of M4 and
maybe some are okay but the app that I
use for video editing is the VCI resolve
it got an iPad app but to this day the
app is still missing like 90% of the
features of the desktop version and is
overall just really buggy and hard to
use I have seen professional artists do
great work on the iPad Pro and maybe the
Final Cut experience is much better but
to me the iPad Pro being a pro device is
still just a promise that Rings Hollow
and if the iPad is something you're
going to spend lots of time working on
you might want the new magic keyboard
too it's actually super nice nice it
still feels too expensive for what it is
but you get a nice aluminum keyboard
deck and the trackpad is haptic just
like on the MacBooks so you can click
anywhere and I also like the screen
being hinged in the middle setting this
s next to a Macbook in the same typing
position the screen kind of just floats
in front of you which makes it feel
bigger than it is and also easier to
touch with your finger it's honestly
pretty incredible that you can have more
power than a Macbook in such a small
package but you're very much paying for
it if you include the keyboard it's
almost $500 more expensive than the Bas
M3 MacBook Air costing even more than a
Bas M3 MacBook Pro and unlike the
MacBooks which already is very expensive
to upgrade trying to spec out an iPad is
a total nightmare if you want the Nano
texture you have to step up to the 1 TB
model which not only forces you to pay
for more storage but also more CPU core
and more RAM so in the end getting the
Nano texture forces you to spend an
extra $700 more but that aside if you're
just looking at the hardware alone
you're not really getting ripped off
since on paper the iPad Pro is kind of
nicer than even the MacBook Pro in many
ways so as long as it's reasonable to
use as a computer then this can be the
only thing that I bring to class or when
I'm traveling around outside perhaps I'm
more of a computer power user but man in
my experience the iPad isn't even close
in fact I can't even see it as a
computer replacement or temporary
substitute in the next 5 years and the
latest WWDC did nothing to change it you
get a new calculator which is actually
pretty cool okay but here's a perfect
example of how iPad OS just doesn't work
properly this is just a random Google
search but as I adjust the width of the
window the text becomes so small that
it's no longer readable this is clearly
just some phone operating system feature
carried over here which is quite
annoying to deal with and this is far
from its only issue another example is
if you're typing away on the keyboard
and you have a YouTube video on the side
you go to adjust the video resolution
but the button right here cannot be
clicked with a cursor you have to use
your finger and this is not even getting
into multitasking and Stage manager if
you have stage manager on you can't just
full screen your video you have to full
screen the app first but after you full
screen your app it's now no longer in
the same stage as all your other apps
these are some specific use case issues
that you might not have but there are
plenty more of these just small random
issues like the web browser only running
at 60 HZ so if you do anything other
than the most basic of computer tasks
you're probably going to find several
yourself maybe you're less bothered by
these inefficiencies and inconveniences
but what even is the point of trying to
replace a laptop with an iPad back when
MacBooks were running Intel processors
and were way less efficient than the
iPads it was a really interesting
Prospect to have a computer that can be
this thin and light but ever since the
M1 MacBooks the real computers are just
as efficient and the M3 MacBook Air is
about the same thickness as the iPad Pro
with a keyboard case so why would you
ever pay 50% more money for an iPad Pro
just to suffer through all the small
inconveniences of forcing a touch first
tablet operating system to work like a
computer I think the iPad Pro isn't
really replacing computers for most
people especially not power users and
fundamentally on a real computer OS
thirdparty developers have so much more
power and freedom when it comes to the
software you want a Windows Manager with
hotkeys just download a free and open
source app like rectangle you want a
clipo manager so that you can quickly
copy multiple things there's a free app
for that too and those are the things
that iPad OS developers will never be
able to do mobile apps just cannot work
that way to me it really just makes no
sense to even attempt to switch from a
computer to an iPad sure if you're an
artist who mainly draws or you just need
some particular iPad apps then yeah but
I cannot see myself possibly getting
through University with just an iPad Pro
being my main device if you're a student
and really just need a tablet for 20% of
the time to write down some notes or
equations a Windows 2inone device can
make a lot more sense as a one device
solution plus the iPad with its keyboard
ergonomically also doesn't make a great
laptop it's really topheavy so it really
wants to tip forward when it's on your
lap and you also can't open it with one
hand but using a tablet for multitasking
and a laptop standin doesn't have to be
this bad Samsung tablets have decks
which is actually a pretty clever
solution it's essentially an operating
system within the regular OS that
sacrifices a bit of touch friendliness
to give you a more familiar desktop
experience and this leads to a much
better multitasking and cursor
experience given that the iPad Pro with
the M4 essentially has unlimited power I
think something like Dex would at least
be worth a try but with that out of the
way is the iPad Pro a good tablet I'm
not an artist but from a student's
perspective it's great the new Apple
pencil Pro with its squeeze function
makes switching pens much faster and
fine my would have been clutch for all
the times I couldn't find the pencil and
you might need this feature even more
than before because with the iPad being
much thinner it's actually kind of easy
for the pencil to just fall off also
note that the M4 iPad Pro can only work
with the new Apple pencil Pro if you
already have the second gen apple pencil
unfortunately you're going to have to
get a new one another Cornerstone of the
tablet use case is watching content the
new screen is great and it's super thin
and light so it's easy to hold for long
periods but the big iPad has a pretty
rare 4x3 aspect ratio it's more Square
than most other laptops and tablets so
if you're watching content on it it's
kind of smaller than you would expect
side for 13-in device as you can see the
13-in MacBook Air has a 23% bigger area
while playing a 16x9 video another thing
about the iPad is that it works really
well as a companion device to a Macbook
if you just want a secondary display for
your MacBook the iPad can do that even
wirelessly but I do prefer to plug it in
for the most stable connection also
universal control works great you can be
working on something on the MacBook and
just be using the iPad to draw you can
then transfer your drawing very
seamlessly to the MacBook people often
say that the iPad has pretty good
battery life and I guess it does if
you're just doing some basic things on
it occasionally but after bringing it
around and using it for as much things
as I can the battery life isn't nearly
as good as the M3 MacBook Air and that's
even with the new M4 processor after 4
hours of video watching the M3 MacBook
Air still has 66% left while the iPad
only has 49% left that's quite a big
difference but not really that
surprising considering the M3 MacBook
Air comes with a 52w hour batter battery
while the 13-in iPad Pro only has a 39w
hour battery but the biggest problem is
that all of the nice things I said also
applies to the M2 iPad Pro and even the
M1 unless you're doing something that
can really benefit from the speed it's
really just about the nicer screen and
the new Apple pencil which makes it hard
to justify the upgrade or getting this
over the M2 iPad Pro on a discount and
if you are the type who would really
appreciate the new features on the apple
pencil Pro you can also just get the new
iPad Air which is also compatible with
it really the perfect iPad for me and
probably for most University students
would be this iPad but with the M2
processor and a big discount the new M4
seems to only have very limited use case
for a small group of people the general
efficiency and therefore battery life
gain seems very marginal if at all also
given how frustrating multitasking and
the keyboard cursor experience can be on
the iPad it's not replacing laptops the
M4 processor is so fast and the display
is so nice I wish I could do more with
the new iPad Pro But ultimately with the
generally weaker software there's just a
lot of wasted potential if you enjoyed
please subscribe
浏览更多相关视频
I used the M4 iPad Pro as My Main Computer for 2 months! Here’s what happened!
iPad Pro M4 vs Surface Pro 11 - Which One is More Powerful?
Don't WASTE Your MONEY! iPad Pro M4 vs iPad Air M2 Explained
Dear Apple - The iPad needs help.
【一個月後感】一屈就斷?唔好玩9我啦~5個購買M4 iPad Pro前你一定要知道嘅迷思!用唔著咪買M2 iPad Air囉~
5 Weird iPad Pro (M4) Decisions
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)