[psmith2.0]

Saw the iPad Pro yesterday in my local AT&T store.

Funny thing is, from across the room I thought it was the Air and the Air 2 was the mini (the display mini was hidden from my angle). As I approached the display area, I finally saw the third unit (mini) and realized what it all was. Up close, the Pro then looked very large (despite looking small from across the room, and thinking it was the iPad Air 2...weird). But I picked it up and was impressed by how light it felt. Nice surprise.

It looks great, but it's just not for me. I don't free-form draw/sketch (shading, painterly strokes, etc.). And I'm not really needing the side-by-side screens and multi-tasking real estate. So much of what makes the iPad Pro what it is would simply be lost on a user like me, so I still prefer the Air (very light, one-handed, etc.). As good as the Pro may be for artists and business users, I can't imagine comfortably lying on the couch or bed (or hammock) with it the way I would an Air or mini). And that's how I'd use it so much of the time (surfing, reading, watching videos, Scrabble, etc.).

If I was more of a painter/sketcher/fine artist (or spent my time in spreadsheets and presentation software), it would definitely be something to consider (and I could accept the trade-off with the above "reclining comfort" issue). But I'm glad I saw one in real life, just, if nothing else, to confirm that it's not something I'd save for or consider for my next purchase. That was clear after just 1-2 minutes.*

Despite having the entire three-model iPad display area all to myself, I spent the bulk of my time on the Air 2 after dabbling with the Pro. That's likely to be my next major Apple purchase, as I just can't really justify a new Mac at this point (for reasons both on my end/needs and Apple's current offerings/pricing).