I like Viticci’s enthusiasm and the way he takes deep dives into things, but I don’t think he’s that helpful if you are looking for a considered and balanced analysis, or for consideration of anything except his own use cases.
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Nobody else does deep dives in their iPad (Pro) reviews which is why Apple is able to get away with the fact that on the ‘Pro’ product with 16 gigs of memory and costing over $3000 the Final Cut Pro export fails the moment you (accidentaly or otherwise) switch apps, and that the Files app sometimes corrupts files on external storage and is unable to show file transfer progress at all.
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Excellent read.
I do not necessarily agree with everything Federico Viticci has been writing about in the past, but I wholeheartedly agree with every single point he has made in the article mentioned above. Especially with the iPad Pro of 2024 Apple has created a marvelous device with a huge potential and that can come with a price point of $3,000 - but if you are not using one of the few apps that really shine on the iPad (like it had been showcased last week), you could use a base iPad or the iPad Air for sure to achieve the same as on an iPad Pro.
I’m tired of hearing apologies that smell of Stockholm syndrome from iPad users who want to invalidate these opinions and claim that everything is perfect. I’m tired of seeing this cycle start over every two years, with fantastic iPad hardware and the usual (justified), “But it’s the software…” line at the end. I’m tired of feeling like my computer is a second-class citizen in Apple’s ecosystem. I’m tired of being told that iPads are perfectly fine if you use Final Cut and Logic, but if you don’t use those apps and ask for more desktop-class features, you’re a weirdo, and you should just get a Mac and shut up. And I’m tired of seeing the best computer Apple ever made not live up to its potential.
Again, I agree wholeheartedly. I am happy for everyone that is happy with the iPad as it is. But, please, don’t be offended, if others are sad because this special device could be so much more.
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I admire your attempts at taking responsibility here, but I really think the blame lies with Apple. They have encouraged the dissonant narrative that the iPad is a great primary computer and it’s an extension of the Mac.
Frankly I think many folks (myself included) buy iPad Pros because they fall for narrative 1, and then because they’ve invested so much, when they resign themselves to narrative 2 they are unwilling to admit that it’s a failure of the product and instead blame themselves, as you have here.
It really is an ugly set-up that Apple has created.
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Is it? Apple is the second largest company in the world, by market cap. They made $89.5 billion in their latest quarter. Of that the Mac accounted for $7.61 billion , the iPad $6.44 billion, and wearables brought in $9.32 billion.
The advice I’ve been giving people for decades is let your software determine your hardware. So my answer to Federico is yes, the “iPad could be so much more” but it’s not, and that’s not likely to change in the foreseeable future. Plan accordingly.
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Apple, please just give me a ‘switch’ in iPadOS18 to run a limited, striped down edition of MacOS for the two Mac apps I need. Then I’ll trade in my seldom used MacBook Air for a beefed up iPad PRO for the commensurate outrageous price.
I can’t speak to the technical reasons Apple made that choice with FCP but apparently it’s by design that FCP cannot export in the background. They added virtual memory to iPadOS for M series iPads two years ago. I’d expect that this will improve.
As to the Files app, it’s had a progress indicator when copying files since iPadOS 16. I’ve not had any problems with corrupted files when copying to external storage. 
Not saying it doesn’t happen but simply that it hasn’t happened to me.
Yes, Apple is doing an amazing job maximizing their income. For sure. And I get that the cannibalization of potential Mac sales by making the iPad a device that could do everything a MacBook can may be an issue. So, if I see it that way: they are doing everything 100% right. They should not change anything.
If I see it from my user standpoint: There is no device for my software. 
There is nothing better than my iPad when reading and managing sheet music, there is nothing better when surfing the web and … And there is a lot of other stuff where a Mac is necessary or at least way more effective. There has been a past when iPads were limited by their hardware. As of today the iPad is capable of everything regarding its hardware. To be honest, the M4 iPad Pro it is even more capable than any Mac out there: it has a touch screen and a pencil and a CPU that is not available in a Mac as of today. An iPad with a Mac like mode when attached to a keyboard and an iPad mode when used with the pencil would be possible and it would be a killer device that really would be the device for my software. There is no device like that in Apple’s ecosystem. There is one in the PC ecosystem with the Surface Pro (but it is a PC which lacks the app ecosystem we all love).
The iPad Pro of 2024 is a weird device: it is an expensive gadget and way too much for what iPadOS has to offer and it is much less than most of its buyers could use at the same time. Those critics have a point: Apple is limiting the iPad with iPadOS. Whether intentionally or not…
EDIT:
@WayneG, you are absolutely right with your prediction: the iPad won’t change anytime soon.
Regarding the other way round (a Mac with touch-screen):
Stern pressed Boger about whether Apple will ever change its mind about a touch-screen Mac in some form. “Oh, I can’t say we never change our mind,” he replied. There have been rumors about a touchscreen Mac for years.
Good advice. Advanced technical users have been frustrated for years because the iPad gives them a glimpse of something they want and cannot have. From day one we pushed the iPad to be our computers. I know I did. In the first few months I’d found an app called Gusto that was very much like Panic’s Coda. It was amazing and I used it for the first couple of years for setting up new websites and for content updates. An excellent text editor with built in ftp and a very well designed interface. It’s long gone unfortunately but the point is that was available in the early days and an indicator that at least some were jumping straight to the iPad is my computer thing.
And yes, 14 years later, here we are. Still pushing. Sidenote, the difference in perception between people is fascinating. Different life contexts, experience, needs all leading to different perceptions. Where Federico is frustrated with the lack of progress I’ve been very satisfied. While I agree that iPadOS can and should be improved I’m not frustrated.
He’s frustrated with Files while I find it a pleasure to use, more that adequate for my needs and I manage thousands of files. I use Files constantly. Again, nothing is perfect, and yes, it could use improvement. In just the past month I’ve noticed more problems with Files but in my case in seems more like iCloud issues that are causing Files to error out.
In any case, while I agree with some of his specific points it also seems to me that at least some of the big picture conclusion ends up being opinion about the subjective experience and expectations.
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This is dependent on context. For SOME USERS it is an IDEAL primary computer. For some users Federico’s reviews are helpful. For others, not at all.
I have a family full of people for whom the iPad has been a game changing device. Federico’s reviews mean nothing to them. If anything, were Apple to follow his needs and requests, it might actually do them harm (thankfully, thus far, Apple has been able to retain the basic core of iPad OS for non-technical users).
Advanced technical users are quick to dismiss this as oh, yeah, right, it’s great for the old folks and little kids. That’s our failure to empathize and fully appreciate that older people are, you know, actual people with actual needs.
I watched as a whole new world opened up for my granny, in the last 10 years of her life. The iPad gave her what a Mac or Windows computer never could have. Of course games brought her hours of entertainment. But a whole social world opened up as she messaged and emailed with family and friends daily. She was able to send and receive photos and videos in a way she never had before. She connected and it brought her real joy and an improved quality of life.
My point here is that it is an ugly side of the tech community that we are so dismissive of the impact the iPad has had on the lives of millions of older users that never used a computer or perhaps did but aged out of more complex computers that require more maintenance to keep up.
And for the more advanced users, well, it’s also true that the iPad can be that complimentary extension or even our only computer.
We would all do well to remember the broad range of humanity that is not us. That greater context might allow us to have a more complete view of what a device like the iPad actually is.
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I can understand your viewpoint. But when There is no device for my software I have to make a choice from existing hardware.
I agree. With the exception of a tiny group of people no one needs the current iPad Pro (IMO).
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Absolutely! But it is ok to point Apple into a direction where there eventually could be this product. The point is that the iPad Pro already is this hardware, if Apple was willing to let adequate software run on it. I’m glad that there are currently a lot of journalists, bloggers, youtubers and so on who are writing or reporting on this.
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I doubt I’ll ever buy another iPad Pro. I expect to use my M1 for another 2-3 years as it easily handles the apps I use. And at that point I’d expect to replace it with a 13" M4 iPad Air or whatever is current at the time. I don’t expect to actually use that kind of processing power but who knows what may come. The more likely constraint would be memory.
M4 devices (iPad or Mac) would seem to be overkill for the most common daily computing tasks. It seems likely that in the next year or two FCP and Logic Pro on the iPad will be improved, perhaps with background exporting with improvements to iPadOS. I’d expect Xcode for iPadOS in the next year or two. The use cases will expand over time though it seems like it will remain a small group of apps/users that will take full advantage.
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It seems like you are interested in a different conversation than the one we’re having here.
This is not a conversation with “a broad range of humanity,” but with a variety of frustrated professionals who have been marketed to by Apple that the iPad Pro can and should replace the MacBook Pro, but also it shouldn’t.
That dissonance is very well-established at this point. Trying to gaslight everyone complaining in this thread by saying it’s not is not super constructive.
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I admire your attempts at taking responsibility here, but I really think the blame lies with Apple. They have encouraged the dissonant narrative that the iPad is a great primary computer and it’s an extension of the Mac.
The iPad and iPad Pro are devices that meet the needs of two groups: those on the low end of computer needs and creative professionals, including those inclined or needing to use the Apple Pencil. Those in the “professional middle group” who are not professional creatives but need professional computing capabilities are left in the iPad Twilight Zone. That would be me. I need the power and flexibility of a Mac, but I’m not a professional creative. I would love an iPad Pro OS that is far better at complex computing tasks while having the advantages of a modular, flexible form factor with cellular, an outstanding screen, and the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil when needed.
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I have no need for another iPP. My first computer was a company provided IBM XT with a 5.25" floppy drive, a 10MB hard drive, and a terminal emulation card that gave me access to an out of state mainframe. AND 10 - 20MB of storage on that mainframe that allowed me to exchange files with our programmers, etc.
So I’ve had access to a server(s) from day one which has influenced the way I work. Long story short these days I use my iPad Pro as a hybrid “chromebook”. I set things up in Safari and deal with the day to day with local apps.
My solution for executives that wanted a Mac but had to run Windows programs was Microsoft Remote Desktop.
I would try accessing your Mac remotely.
Good luck. You sound like a soccer dad who wants to buy a Corvette 
Based on what Apple has been saying and most recently said again, I think I’m out of luck! As to the Corvette, convincing Apple to give me the iPad Pro of my dreams would be far easier than convincing my wife to let me purchase a Corvette. 
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