A lot of debate has hit the photography world since Apple announced the 12.9″ iPad Pro. Is it really the professional tool that Apples claims it to be, and can it compete with Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 for professional productivity.
Lee Morris at Fstoppers has jumped into the debate between the two most popular large tablets, along with Wacom's Cintiq.
I have little doubt that the iPad Pro will be fantastic when it comes to its hardware. Sadly, the hardware is only half of the story. Without applications that are complete enough to pull us away from our desktops and laptops, I'm not sure that the iPad Pro will actually take off as a professional photographer's work station. I'm sure photographers will be excited to edit their photographs on the iPad Pro in the beginning because they can, but if it isn't easier or faster, they will quickly go back to their standard computers. Read the full article
I have been eagerly awaiting the Surface Pro 4, as have a lot of people. I have been using an 11″ MacBook Air, which I think is the best laptop ever made for my purposes, but I want to have one device instead of carrying both an iPad and MacBook Air when I travel. Watching the Keynote for the iPad Pro, I quickly lost interest, as it will still not be able to do the things I need a laptop to do. Clearly, the software and accessories to mate with the iPad Pro will have to improve.
That said, the Surface Pro 3 isn't the perfect solution either as professional photo software UI's aren't optimized for smaller screens. Although Microsoft is working on this with the Windows Continuum project. I will note that I have become used to the annoyances with the 11″ screen and software like Lightroom, but I would love a UI optimized for the smaller screens.
The “professional” tablet space is definitely starting to heat up and here's hoping software makes some major advancements over the next year or two to get us all on board.
Oh, and Microsoft, let's see the Surface Pro 4 sooner than later.