The vanilla iPad, the last Apple tablet that still used Lightning, made the switch to USB-C this week. The slate took other steps towards usability as well, like putting the front-facing camera on the long side – no one is going to be doing video conferencing in portrait mode.
Apple also unveiled new iPad Pros with the M2 chipset, bringing them up to par with the 2022 MacBook Air – one of the most powerful passively cooled machines that money can buy. Also from this week, Blackmagic Design announced that the DaVinci Resolve video editor is coming to iPad in Q4. Paired with the mighty M2 chip, the new Pros could be the perfect device to edit video in the field.
Or are they? Let’s shop around. An Apple iPad Pro 11 (2022) with 128GB starts at $800. You may want more storage, so here are the prices: 256GB for $900, 512GB for $1,100, 1TB for $1,500 and 2TB for $1,900. Yes, the USB-C port is fast, but editing video from a card reader is probably unpractical. You might also want to spend an extra $200 for 5G connectivity (or not – tethering is simple enough). And you almost certainly want a keyboard (touchscreen commands are no substitute for keyboard shortcuts when doing serious work). That will be another $300.
Apple iPad Pro (2022) with Apple M2 chipset
If you edit short videos that fit within 128GB storage, you’re looking at a $1,100 bill. $1,450 if you go for the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) for its larger screen and battery (the larger keyboard is $50 more expensive). Meanwhile, an M2 MacBook Air (13.6” display, 256GB SSD) will run you $1,200, though that’s with an 8-core GPU. To match the iPad Pros at 10 cores, you will have to go with the $1,500 512GB model.
We don’t have to tell you that macOS is far better at multitasking and juggling files than iPadOS. Also the MacBook Air has two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports (plus a separate MagSafe 3 port for charging) and a 3.5mm jack so you can listen to recorded audio without Bluetooth compression.
Even aside from video editing, Excel on iPad is infamously buggy. Is there an actual professional activity where the iPad Pros are better than a MacBook, even an Air? Maybe jobs that make use of the Apple Pencil, but we’re having a hard time thinking of anything else.
So, will you be buying an iPad Pro (2022), be it the 11” or 12.9” model? Or would you rather go with a Mac? Vote below or if that doesn’t work, cast your vote here.
Let’s go back to the Apple iPad (2022), the 10th edition. It uses an older Apple A14 chipset (also used in the iPhone 12 generation in 2020), going one step up from the A13 used in the 2021 model. A succinct way to describe this tablet is an iPad Air (2022) without the M1 chip.
Well, that’s not quite accurate – we already mentioned the better front camera position. But there is a disadvantage too, the iPad’s new found love of USB-C doesn’t gel well with its support for only the original Apple Pencil. You know, the one that needs a Lightning port to charge. Apple does include an adapter to USB-C, but we’re a bit sick of dongles.
Apple iPad (2022), the 10th generation
Anyway, not a bad deal for $450, though prices outside of North America are a bit less alluring – €580/₹45,000. Also, the old iPad (2021) is sticking around for $330/€430/₹34,000 as a cheaper alternative (well, the 2021 model cost $330 at launch, so it’s actually the case that the new one is more expensive). You lose the USB-C port, some performance and some screen real estate, but the two tablets are similar enough. Finally, you can have a keyboard with this one too, though it costs almost as the tablet itself, $250/€300/₹25,000.
Will you be buying an iPad (2022)? Tell us below or cast your vote on this page.
