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Is the 10.5-inch iPad Pro the perfect device to allow you to ditch that ageing laptop? Well, not really... but it does have some charms that are worth checking out.
We tried to write and upload this review using only the iPad itself – a task with plenty of challenges along the way.
Firstly – writing the darn thing. That's where the new iPad Pro was the strongest, thanks to being so portable. We were able to slip it into a bag and take it anywhere, writing at tables in cafes, whipping it out on the train between stops to begin tapping away again, and taking it out in a park to finish things off.
The Smart Keyboard, as discussed, is a good enough upgrade, but we're looking forward to some third-party options making use of the Smart Connector to bring bigger keys with better travel.
Then came working with photos on the iPad Pro – and that's where things get more tricky. We shot our iPad images on the iPhone 7 Plus and uploaded them to Google Photos (as our iCloud is full, as it is for most people it seems).
From there we downloaded them to the iPad Pro and did some basic editing to crop them and tweak the colors in the Photos app. We did download Affinity Photo to try and dial things up a notch, but quickly realised that this Photoshop substitute was going to require us to spend a rather large amount of time learning how to use it.
The Apple Pencil is a useful tool here – it's easier than using the fingers, especially when trying to be nuanced in your adjustments – but it's still tough to remember to use it in place of a mouse when fingers would do.
So the pictures weren't perfect, and despite the power of Affinity Photo we were still yearning for the laptop to really get our edit on.
Then came putting the review onto the site – and that's where things started to unravel. We could upload photos (and from iOS 11 you'll be able to do so directly to an image server through the new Files app), although the smaller screen made dealing with an interface designed for mouse input a little fiddly.
Then the moment where it fell apart: we couldn't input text for some reason, as our platform for inputting work wasn't able to accept text on an iPad... so we had to finally crack open the laptop.
Oh, it was like coming up for air. There's no doubt that the iPad Pro is a mostly adequate substitute, but there's no way we'd ever choose it over a dedicated laptop.
Using a mouse and larger keyboard was wonderful, the bigger screen and better weight of the device sitting nicely on the lap... while you can do so much stuff with the iPad, it's just easier on a proper laptop.
So this review you're seeing now was mostly achieved on the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and with some tinkering and time dedicated to learning a few new apps, we can see it being even more useful.
It's also got a lot better as a laptop replacement since the first iPad Pro came out in 2015... and if you're after the full Apple experience, there's not a lot better.
The portability is what sells it as a laptop replacement – if you're after something that can go in and out of a bag for multiple different purposes a day, this is a great choice.
But we'd be tempted to use it as well as a laptop, not instead of – it's an expensive luxury to have, but one we enjoyed having the option to use.
