I recently purchased the new iPad Pro 10.5″, upgrading from the first Pro model introduced 18 months ago. Not a massive upgrade, even though I love the slightly larger form factor that translates into a much larger real estate, the super smooth scrolling of content on the screen, and overall faster performance.
The primary usage of my iPad is very basic: content consumption, from Netflix to Amazon Prime, from Flipboard to Facebook, including news sources and technical websites. The tablet has almost entirely replaced my desktop and laptop, my preferred choices only when “horse powers” or a keyboard are required to be more productive.
Productivity and tablet are still two distant concepts, likely to be one of the reasons justifying the progressive decline in units shipped in recent quarters. I recently started using LightRoom Mobile with the Apple Pencil, a solution that fits well in my photography workflow when in presence of good connectivity. But all the hard work takes place on my iMac which I intend to replace with a iMac Pro later this year.
The imminent introduction of iOS 11 could change my current limited appreciation for productivity associated to tablets. A relatively basic functionality such as drag and drop, part of the new UIKit could significantly improve the perception of control and usability (here a nice video on drag and drop).
Still struggling to find a valid justification for the SIM card version, and I suggest investing dollars in extra memory capacity, with 256GB an excellent storage even for a very avid content user. And now that the US government has lifted the electronic device ban, long hauls with my iPad loaded with interesting content is a must!
