Clickbaity article. Just because it didn’t work as a laptop replacement for the writer (who the previous day whined in an another article about the price - and who recently wrote a “guide” to ‘manipulating people like Steve Jobs’) doesn’t mean it can’t be a primary computer for millions of others.
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I honestly thought it was a ridiculous article. He obviously did not take the time to use the iPad properly or efficiently. I am on day seven of a 30 day trial of using iPad exclusively. What I’m finding is that I can do far more on the iPad than I originally thought and I can do it more often than not by never touching the screen. There are a host of keyboard shortcuts for most nearly every app. Changing from a MacBook to an iPad requires learning new skills and workflows, including new keyboard shortcuts.
Many, by no means all, of those who claim they tried using the iPad Pro as a MacBook replacement did not give it enough time or are unwilling to learn new ways of doing things. One should not expect in a few days to master a new workflow and habits and “unlearn” workflows and habits that have developed over many years using a desktop or laptop computer. That said, not every application has as robust a set of Shortcuts nor performs as well as other applications. This is equally true of applications on laptop or desktop.
I am finding, however, that I can do all of my work on the iPad. I have yet to find any significant work that I cannot do with the exception of manipulating sub folders in the Apple Notes app and managing email groups. Those are not showstoppers but it is frustrating. I am hoping these small issues will be resolved in an iOS update. I will add that I am not a programmer nor a developer. My needs are oriented towards more of a CEO type of role. Lots of notes, lots of meetings, lots of project management across multiple departments, as well as lots of communication, presentations, and writing. Obviously, the work that one does will make a big difference in how well the iPad Pro can meet one’s needs. All of that said, the author of the article never gave the iPad a genuine test. I find a lot of business Insider articles to be click bait, as noted above. My current thinking is that the iPad and similar devices are the future of computing. I might as well start learning a new way of doing things now. 
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@Bmosbacker, you nailed it when you wrote “. . . the work that one does will make a big difference in how well the iPad Pro can meet one’s needs.”
IMO, defining the task that needs to be accomplished is the first step. That leads to a software selection. The software that is selected determines the operating system (s) that can be used. THEN you choose the proper hardware, and learn how to use it.
Too many people want to start with hardware. Then they complain about having to pound their round pegs into square holes.
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Amen to that!! This is my exact montra to school leaders across the US, Canada and Asia. The vast majority of public and private schools have failed miserably in the effective pedagogical integration of technology because they start with hardware and cost rather than philosophy, mission, values, and academic goals. I think too many in tech make the same mistake.
Thanks it’s working now… deleted the problem child.
Good review. She knows her stuff. And she makes an excellent point at around 10:25 demonstrating why writers really could use a trackpad:
Apparently Marco Arment noted the significantly heavier weights of the cases as well:
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A bit off topic … A wish is Apple took the cursor track pad from the stock keyboard and set up a mini onscreen track pad… add more features, make it run while using an external keyboard. Currently, we can move the cursor and select text.
(To access this feature… press the space bar, when the keycaps dim, it is active, move the cursor by sliding your finger — on the phone to get engagement I sometimes need to slide my finger up while touching/holding the space bar) To select text is persnickety ScreenCasts Online has a mini tutorial.
Yes, that additional weight gives me pause. Considering my contentment with macOS and some photography & researching/writing workflows that I can’t quite duplicate on iOS yet, I think I’m leaning back towards getting the 11" model. I was using my iPad3 and then iPad mini mostly for media consumption, and unless I can make a solid case for migrating serious work to the Pro the smaller model (or perhaps - gasp - even the basic iPad) will be fine for how I anticipate using the device in the next year or two.
While I really love my 2018 iPad Pro, if you’re not going to be using it for more demanding stuff than you’re currently using the iPad mini for, you probably don’t need the Pro.
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Very true. For me, the most demanding work I do is on the Mac (Photoshop, Lightroom, Excel) but that’s a smallish part of how I use my computers. Most of it is reading, much is writing, some is watching movies/YouTube. Lots of multitasking and multiwindowing that works better for me than any current iPad workflow.
But I’d like to be able to use upcoming, more powerful versions of Lightroom and Photoshop on the iPad. Even more, I’d like to have an iOS device that I can use as a Wacom-type display while connected to my Mac while using Lightroom/Photoshop. The base iPad model would possibly be tolerable for that, though the non-laminated screen’s parallax might be problematic if using it as a screen for direct editing of images.
I feel like I am being squeezed down the middle path of the middle model of the 11" Pro.
But… I just spent $2k on a new iPhone and HomePod, so I’m not jonesing as hard for an $1100 iPad+AppleCare right now. I might just wait for the first 11" refurbs to crop up early next year, and try to save 15%…
Rosemary reminded me that I love the big smackable Enter key Apple puts on its European keyboards, but I don’t think I could get used to the missing tilda key on the upper left.
Also, as someone who hasn’t owned an iOS keyboard, what do you do for ESC ? 
In many, I’m not sure all, CMD + W works like escape.
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The tilde (~) is just to the right of the left shift key.
As @Bmosbacker said: CMD+W in many instances.
I know, but it’s an unusual place for Americans to find it. Plus I like the large left Shift key on the USA keyboard almost as much as I’d like a big Enter key. 
This review goes deep into the internals of the new iPad Pro… 