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iPad Pro 10.5 And Apple Smart Keyboard Review

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This years WWDC was pretty big, Apple showed off their new iMac and MacBook Pro line ups with Kaby lake processors, they gave us a preview of their new home pod and Imac pro which are do out in December of this year.... unless they get delayed and they announced the new 10.5 inch iPad Pro. But for some reason it didn't get to much love, but that's why I got one and a smart cover we're going to review it. While I get this thing out of the box don't forget to like, comment and subscribe! i think you're really going to like this video. 

So this here is the 10.5 inch screen iPad Pro wifi only in space gray with 64 gigabytes of storage. This one will cost you $649 plus taxes. If space gray isn't your style you can also get it in silver, gold, or rose gold. For $749 you can get the 10.5 inch iPad Pro with 256 gigabytes of storage and for $949 you can get it with 512 gigabytes of storage. And a fully loaded iPad Pro with wifi and cellular capabilities will cost you a grand total of $1079 dollars. Inside the box it's pretty standard for apple. The tablet is front and center, you get a lightning to USB cable and you get a USB power adapter. 

Apple is really trying to make the iPad a laptop replacement for average consumers. And for someone who just uses their computer to check social media, watch videos, answer emails, and write a few reports I think it's very do able. And with all of the cloud storage options out there right now, I think a lot of people can get away with just the 64 gig option.

For comparison, the 10.5 inch iPad Pro's foot print is just a little taller and wider than the 9.7 inch iPad. The 10.5 iPad Pro is 6.1 mm thick while the 9.7 iPad is 7.5 mm thick. And the bezels on the iPad pro are much smaller than on your standard iPad. Concerning all the power that's packed in here... that's pretty impressive. And they both weigh in at just one pound. Concerning specs, the 10.5 iPad Pro has a 12 megapixel camera on the back with optical image stabilization and can shoot video in 4K and record 720p video at 240 frames per second for super smooth slow mo. It can also do 1080p video at 120 frames per second as well. It also has a 7 megapixel front facing camera for face time and snap chat filters and captures video at 1080p. there's a Touch ID sensor on the front that's 2 times faster, and when it comes to wifi it has up to 866 MBPS down so you can binge the new game of thrones season 7 without any interruption.

im going to have a separate video show casing the 10.5 inch iPad pro’s 4k video and image quality. so make sure you check it out after this video. I cant included 4K shoots in this video cause of my current set up. So any shots you see in This video taken by the iPad pro are in 1080p at 60 frames per second. 

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One of the standout features on the 10.5 iPad Pro that I think is worth the upgrade is the screen. Sure it's 20% bigger than the 9.7 inch iPad, but in person this screen looks freaking amazing.  Video does not do it justice. The screen on the iPad Pro has a 120 hertz refresh rate which means everything look extremely smooth. It's almost liquid. For comparison the standard iPad's screen has a refresh rate of 60hertz and once you get used to the 120 hertz on the iPad Pro you can really tell a difference. It's like when apple released retina displays on their iPhone for the first time, once you saw it you couldn't go back and you were able to see individual pixels on non retina displays. Well... at least I did. Another big plus is the screen's anti reflective coating that makes the screen easier to read in direct sunlight than your standard iPad. And the larger screen on the iPad Pro means you'll get a full screen digital key board to type on. Although this seems like an arbitrary detail it's actually a big deal. The first half of the script for this video I wrote on the 9.7 inch iPad and adjusting to the key board was a little tough. And I did feel some cramping in my knuckles after a while. But the second half of this script I wrote on the iPad Pro, and the slightly larger key board was much more comfortable to use.  Honestly, when apple announced the 12.9 inch iPad Pro and when I saw it in person I thought it was a little ridiculous. But I think they hit the sweet spot with this 10.5 inch version.

And here are a few other things you should know about the 10.5 iPad Pro, it has up to a 10 hour battery life but if you're doing something intensive expect that to drop dramatically. But I got a solid 9 hours of battery life when i was shooting all of that 4K footage, stitching it together, and just doing normal things like watch video, check my email, and just search the web. It has 4 speakers like the larger iPad Pro and it sounds pretty good for a tablet, there's 4 gigabytes of ram, and it has an A10X fusion chip and it's 30% faster than the previous iPad Pro. All in all this makes for a comfortable sized tablet that runs very smooth with an all day battery life. Not once did the iPad Pro lag or struggle to keep up. But apple products are known to slow down after some time, but hopefully this one will be able to keep up for the long run. 

This iPad Pro is currently running iOS 10 and its identical to what you see on your iPhone. But you can also have multiple windows open and multitask. and the iPad pro have no problem keeping up even with 2 processor intensive apps like Google Earth and Maps. i can even multitouch and use both apps simultaneously without any problems. Multitasking on the iPad Pro isn't perfect but its a step in the right direction. Multitasking on the iPad Pro once iOS 11 hits is really going to change things. Also, don't forget this iPad Pro can be used with apple’s new pencil. I didn't get it cause I really don't need it, but apple claims that their new pencil paired with their new 120 hertz screen means they have the lowest latency stylist on the market. I still want to compare it to the surface pro in person though.  

Just like the larger iPad Pro, this 10.5 iPad Pro also has a dock connector so you can attach apple's Smart Keyboard. And thanks to the slightly larger foot print the keyboard on the Smart Keyboard is now also full sized. But at $159 the Smart Key Board isn't cheap. If you want to have a key board with you at all times and you want to keep your iPad as thin as possible then its worth getting it. But if you're not planning on typing on the iPad Pro a lot then it would be better to just use the on screen key board or get a cheap 3rd party Bluetooth key board. 

I know Logitech has some good options and they just released a crazy case with a backlit keyboard, an Apple Pencil holder, and it docks with the Smart connector for $129.99. I wonder if I should review it... 

But typing on the smart keyboard also takes a little getting used to. the spacing of the keys is very familiar but they are a little smaller. they also have a very small amount to through to them, but it is similar to what you would find on current gen mac books. The keys them selves are just slightly Concaved and theres a textured horizontal patterned to them which really give your fingers a solid grip while you type. 

So, has apple finally made an iPad that's good enough to replace your laptop. Well if you're a casual user then yeah, I really think you'll be able to get by just fine with an iPad pro and a full sized keyboard. And when I refer to a casual user I mean someone who just consumes media, answers emails on a regular basis, might have to make a PowerPoint or keynote here and there and has to regularly type up basic reports. But if you're a power user or a creative you're still going to be better off with a laptop or work station or even a surface pro. The iPad still isn't running full desktop apps so it's a huge crutch if you're trying to use much more complicated software. App versions of your favorite programs just isn't going to cut it. A lot of people will argue that the iPad will never be able to replace your computer cause it isn't running a full desktop OS. but maybe things will change with the release of iOS 11. Theres a lot of functionality coming to the iPad Pro and iPads in general in the near future.

But here are a few issues i have with this iPro and Smart cover. first its the volume rocker, i like to use my iPad here, on the bottom half if I'm holding it vertically. If I want to adjust the volume i cant just do this, i have to raise my hand and go searching for these tiny buttons. and they are tiny, they're the same size as the buttons on my iPhone. I just want to see Apple bring these buttons down a bit and make them a little larger. I know you can use control center to adjust the volume, but if you're going to have buttons… put them in the right place. Another issue i have is this smart cover and the camera placement. I know some people think taking pictures with the iPad is ridiculous, but if its theres a camera I'm going to use it. 

But if you're in the market for an iPad and you're trying to decide between a standard iPad and iPad pro i say spring for the iPad Pro. The screen is just so amazing, you get 4 speakers, a whole lot of power, and if you're the type of person that records and takes pictures with an iPad then you'll really like the camera sensor on the back. You can even edit, export, and post your 4k video on to youtube directly from your tablet. thats what i did with. that something my current macbook cant do. 

But I’m still going to keep my laptop around. Personally I wouldn't go in and start working on a CAD drawing, edit a full video, or working on a photoshop project from scratch on an iPad due to ergonomic and software reasons. stitching that 4K video on the iPad took longer than just doing it on a computer.  But I would definitely like to use the iPad Pro to take those projects with me so I can put the final touches on them on the go or have them with me so I can show people my projects on that awesome screen. If you have the budget, I think a base Imac Pro paired with this 10.5 inch iPad Pro would be pretty cool. Just Start working on your project on the Imac Pro and then transfer does projects to the iPad Pro and take them with you on the go so people can see exactly what you're working on. 

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