Being the successor to the well-received 12.9-inch and 9.7-inch iPad Pro, the Apple iPad Pro 2 is expected to be a powerhouse tablet that is capable of providing its users with enough power for day-to-day tasks in a sleek, portable package. With the Surface Pro 5 looming in the background, however, Apple’s powerhouse tablet has a very steep mountain to climb if it would like to be the top enterprise-grade mobile device this 2017.
Rumors about the Surface Pro 5 paint a picture of a very daunting machine that is equipped with the best that the industry has to offer. Currently, speculations are high that the Surface Pro 5 would be equipped with a 7th-generation Intel Core i-Series processor, up to 16GB of RAM, an upgraded Surface Pen, and a mini Surface Dial , according to a TechRadar report. These, together with a full-fledged Windows 10 operating system, makes the Surface Pro 5 a very difficult device to beat. Apple, however, could do it, provided that it gives the iPad Pro 2 these particular characteristics.
A More Robust iOS
It is pretty much confirmed that the iPad Pro 2 would not run Apple’s MacOS. Instead, the powerhouse tablet would be running iOS, the tech giant’s mobile operating system. This places it at a disadvantage when compared to the Surface Pro 5, which has a full-blown desktop OS running on an ultraportable hybrid device. Thus, for the iPad Pro 2, Apple could shorten the gap between the iPad Pro 2 and the Surface Pro 5 by making a variant of iOS that is far more robust than what is featured in the current 12.9-inch and 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
This could be done by creating specific enterprise-grade apps that could only be run by the powerhouse tablet, as well as equipping the device with powerful multitasking features, including real multi-screen computing. By allowing the iPad Pro 2 to actually work like a laptop computer, Apple would make the enterprise-grade tablet a lot more attractive to consumers.
Kill With The Battery And Mobile Internet
It is no secret that the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 overpowers the current iPad Pro in terms of capability and sheer computing power. However, there are two particular areas where Microsoft is actually lagging at – mobile internet and battery life. Inasmuch as the Surface Pro 5 would most likely be a formidable machine, it could be crippled by its weak battery and lack of mobile internet connection.
Fortunately, these are two areas that Apple actually excels in, as proven by its devices such as the MacBook Air (which lasts around 14 hours) and the iPhone 8 (which is rumored to feature fiber-like LTE). If Apple can assure that the iPad Pro 2 would be an endurance champion that can connect to the internet even without a Wi-Fi connection, it could capitalize on two particular weaknesses that Microsoft is yet to address with its Surface Pro devices.
Provide Better Accessories
One thing that definitely put a damper on the first-generation iPad Pro’s success is its tools. Hybrid devices live and die by their accessories, and unfortunately for Apple’s powerhouse tablet, both of its accessories, the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard, are significantly flawed , according to a CNET report. The Apple Pencil is a great stylus, but it is extremely expensive and it just looks ridiculous when it is charging. The Smart Keyboard, on the other hand, is way less impressive and shallow compared to the legendary keyboard of the Surface Pro 4.
If Apple can improve on the accessories of the iPad Pro 2, there is a good chance that consumers could be encouraged to try out the tablet in favor of Microsoft’s formidable hybrid. With a better keyboard and an improved stylus, the iPad Pro 2 could match, or even exceed, the potential of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5.
The Surface Pro 5 would most likely be one of the best hybrid devices of 2017. If Apple can address several aspects of the iPad Pro 2, however, the Surface Pro 5’s path to dominance would most likely be not as smooth as Microsoft would initially expect.
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