One Week with the iPad Pro

OK, so I finally got my hands on an iPad Pro - 128 GB w/ Cellular. The first thing that I did was to run out and buy the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil. Now, I'm ready to put it to the test. Mind you, I'm not testing out or reviewing the multitude of features of the iPad Pro. Instead, I'm trying it out to see if I can actually live and actually work with it and not need to reach for my laptop for any reason. So, here are some early impressions:

• Size and weight with the Smart Keyboard is actually on par with lugging around a laptop. However, if you throw in the laptop adaptor, the iPad Pro clearly holds the edge here. The iPad Pro's battery itself will last throughout the work day with some to spare. Whereas, I would need to plug in my 13" MacBook Pro at least once a day. The real question is - Is it something that you can carry around to work. The answer is a definite "Yes".
• Working with productivity apps, e.g. Microsoft Word/Excel/Outlook takes some getting used to. Here are some key observations. Apps behavior and interface although largely unchanged from the desktop and tablet versions. However, some minor UI differences can and drive you up the wall. Take for example the behavior of attaching a file to an email. We do that without a second thought. It is an action we nowadays take that for granted on a desktop/laptop machine. However, to achieve a similar result, you'd have to make sure that the App that you are using actually support file attachment. Secondly, as iOS do not have an "easily" usable file system, you would have to register to a service such as Dropbox, Box, One Drive, etc. Then link those account to the App you are using to attach the file (another 2-3 steps process). Sounds easy enough but it is a far cry from just doing it on a laptop machine. This is a pattern that resurface again and again on many interactions with the iPad Pro.
• Now with no physical pointing deviceI keep reaching for the trackpad and finding it missing. Silly me.  Reaching out and touch the screen is a bit awkward if you are used to working on a laptop. This is going to get some retraining of my brain.
• Drawing with the Apple Pencil. This is where the iPad Pro shines. In fact, the iPad Pro seems a silly idea without the Apple Pencil. This stylus/pointing devices is the only reason that anyone would and should buy the iPad Pro. Although good for your daily typical email and web surfing, the iPad Pro was (I think) with the creative community in mind. You must have already read the review of the Apple Pencil somewhere else before, so I'm going to spare you the boring details. In short, it works. I'm no artist my any means. However, just spending some free time watching those YouTube video teaching you how to draw on Procreate, turns out a decent result.
• Workflow. For most professionals, there's usually already an established way you work. Switching and relying on an iPad Pro means having to change some of those habits. For one, file management on iOS (or lack there of) presents a challenge when working through multiple apps. In most cases, accesing and working with media files online is very cumbersome, unintuitive. Most of the time, you would have to be constantly connected to the Internet just to have access. Sure, some of those apps offer "Offline" mode, but coming from a world where instant access to local storage is taken for granted, it is sorely missed here.
• Browsing the web is a breeze. I use Safari to surf the web on my laptop. The experience using Safari on the iPad Pro is almost identical to that. And if you have surf the web on your iPhone, this is pretty much "More" of the same.

One Week Summary: If you only browse the web and do occasional email (e.g. casual use) and don't have to work with multiple apps to get your work done, go for it, I recommend trying out new things. However, if working with MS Office documents is your bread and butter, hold on to that precious laptop. It is not yet the "Post PC" era.

[Update] 23-Feb-2016

Three weeks in and I'm starting to carry the iPad Pro exclusively. Just last week, I had to fire up my Dell machine to make some edit on the Slide Master for the slide that I was working on and make a few adjustment to the animations settings on a few elements in the slides. In short, it is more of a software limitation rather than the hardware itself. Eventually (I hope), the gap in functionalities between the desktop/laptop and the tablet will narrow to the point where carrying laptop will be only for those people will who work on specialized software and have very specific needs. Other than that, I think the iPad Pro is up to the task for 90% of the work I do and eventually what everyone will do. In the mean time, I'll try to get more familiar with Keynote and see if I can avoid PowerPoint altogether.