iPad Pro vs Apple Vision Pro
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Spatial computing represents Apple's long-term goals while the iPad Pro lives on Post-PC is present, but choosing one over the other can be difficult for those who strive to live on the cutting edge.
After Steve Jobs introduced the iPad in 2010, he called the product post-PC — a popular term of the era. The post-PC concept has become a reality as more people use iPhones and iPads than Macs by a factor of several to one.
While the iPad represents one potential future of computing, Apple's Vision Pro represents another. It's Apple's first spatial computer to run VisionOS and paves the way for future AR and VR platforms.
So, the enthusiast with about $4,000 burning a hole in his pocket may need to ask himself which platform best represents the future for him. As with any of these questions, it all comes down to the use case and user needs.
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The newest version 13 with M4 processor 1-inch iPad Pro is the culmination of 14 years of work to create the ultimate portable personal computer. Apple Vision Pro takes everything Apple learned from creating the iPad and applies those lessons to the nascent wearable platform.
Both are excellent computing machines. For most people, there is probably only one good choice.
Apple Vision Pro and 13-inch iPad Pro screen
Apple Vision Pro and iPad Pro are completely different products in terms of how and where you use them, but they achieve the same end goal. Both are offshoots of traditional computing that aim to provide users with a new way to solve similar problems or problems unique to each platform.
To choose the best device, you'll need some understanding of what features each one offers, as well as what specifications will suit your needs. The Apple Vision Pro is significantly more expensive, but once you've chosen the iPad Pro and added accessories, you're within striking distance of the $3,500 price tag.
M2 vs M4
Gone are the days when we looked at gigahertz clock speeds and generations Intel to determine which is more powerful. The introduction of Apple Silicon has simplified the situation to some extent and made choosing products easier.
M4 has significant improvements in performance and features over M2
Apple Vision Pro uses the M2 processor for CPU and GPU-based tasks. The R1 processor is designed for hand and eye tracking, 3D room reconstruction, and other spatial tasks.
In its current form, Apple Vision Pro runs any application it can run without any problems. However, it lacks Apple's latest GPU architecture, which could make it a better gaming machine.
The 13-inch iPad Pro is equipped with an M4 processor. The 10-core GPU supports dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and ray tracing. It's a graphics powerhouse in comparison.
Tasks that rely heavily on the GPU will benefit from the M4's optimizations, but tasks like video editing and graphics creation aren't exactly suited to Apple Vision Pro either. At least not yet.
There aren't many apps that will tax the M2 processor in the Apple Vision Pro, but that could change as chips with the more efficient 3nm process become ubiquitous across all Apple platforms. Regardless of the age of the M2, however, Apple's Vision Pro has an escape hatch that allows users to bring the Mac into their virtual environment.
Exclusive Features
Apple Vision Pro is a kind of VR headset that can transport the user to other places , show movies on a simulated 100-foot-wide display and control elements using only your eyes and hands. There is nothing like this in the Apple ecosystem.
Apple Vision Pro can take you anywhere in an instant using spatial environments.
The iPad Pro is a better known invention as tablet computers became popular with since at least 2010 release. It is a portable edge-to-edge touch display that displays information.
The only way to enjoy spatial video today is to wear Apple Vision Pro. VR games like Crossy Castle and Synth Riders won't work on the iPad, at least not in 3D with gesture controls.
Apple Vision Pro is a device filled with new products and exclusives. This will only grow as new apps and experiences like Marvel's What If come to the platform.
However, since the Apple Vision Pro is an over-the-eye headset, it limits capabilities that the iPad doesn't have. You're unlikely to use it around other people, its pass-through can be used, but it's not good enough to replace seeing things with your own eyes, and it's physically tiring, unlike the iPad.
Apple Pencil users have no equivalent in Apple Vision Pro
You also won't be able to use Apple Pencil Pro to draw or annotate inside the headset. So, if you're an artist who needs an iPad for work, the Apple Vision Pro isn't for you.
iPad Pro is versatile in its portability and configurations. Plug it into a Thunderbolt dock and it becomes a desktop workstation, connected to a monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc. Place it in the Magic Keyboard and it's now a portable laptop.
Vision Pro is modular in terms of software. It takes the concept pioneered by the iPhone display, a screen that becomes everything you need, and applies it to reality — subordinate existence to your needs.
But no matter what you do, Apple Vision Pro is always a face computer. It can't be a laptop and it will always block your view.
Price
If you are an Apple Vision Pro user, you have little to choose from. The kit includes the necessary straps and cushions, and all you need to be productive is the addition of a keyboard and a Magic Trackpad.
Apple Vision Pro includes almost everything you need for $3,500
If you buy the basic version of Apple Vision Pro, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, you'll be looking at around $4,000, give or take.
With the iPad Pro, everything is much more complicated. To keep things simple, we'll go with the base configuration, which has the same amount of memory as the base Vision Pro at 256GB for $1,299.
Add the Apple Pencil Pro for $129 and the Magic Keyboard for $349, and your cart reaches $1,777. That's a far cry from the nearly $4,000 price tag for the Apple Vision Pro.
Apple Vision Pro eliminates the need for many additional products that power users might need for their iPad. Add to that the $1,599 Studio Display, a decent Thunderbolt dock for around $300, and a $200 mechanical keyboard, and you're looking at $3,900.
$4,000 spent on iPad installation compared to one Apple Vision Pro
So, if you're starting from scratch, you can get a lot more with the iPad Pro. Create an entire iPad-centric workstation, add a Magic Keyboard for laptop mode, and you'll spend the same as the Apple Vision Pro.
But these platforms offer completely different experiences. One is brand new and lacks a lot of native apps, so it all depends on what you need and expect when purchasing a new platform.
Early adopter is just another word for beta tester
I've learned enough about Apple Vision Pro to write a short book. It has quickly found its way into my daily workflow and represents a pleasure that I previously only got from the iPad.
Apple Vision Pro launched in February and has a long way to go
However, Apple Vision Pro is in the early stages of its development. While I don't agree with the claims that it is a glorified developer tool, I do believe that it is not a product for everyone.
Apple made this very clear by listing the price at $3,500. The Apple Vision Pro is neither an iPhone nor an iPad, and its target market is smaller than most Mac models.
Think back to when the first Apple Watch was released. It was a device with poor battery life, relied heavily on a slow iPhone connection, and lacked a clear focus beyond health and social media.
Buying your first Apple Watch was an investment in the idea that it could one day be a great tool, and today it is. But as an enthusiast, it's easy to forget that regular users feel the platform's growing pains more than others.
The first generation of any product will have sharp corners that will need to be smoothed out
At 10 times the price of the Apple Watch Sport, the Apple Vision Pro requires a lot more engagement while still running the first version of its operating system. If you're even close to deciding between the iPad Pro and Apple Vision Pro, perhaps wait until Apple reveals what's in VisionOS 2.0 during WWDC in June.
The first rule of buying technology is to never buy something with the promise of doing more later. Buy something based on what it can do right now. Today, Apple Vision Pro is 80% iPad software, 10% unique experience, and 10% weird solutions.
If none of this deters you from buying the Apple Vision Pro, go for it. It's an excellent machine, capable of many of the tasks an iPad can do, and it represents a vision of what the future will hold.
For the rest, just buy an iPad Pro. It has an established app store filled with hundreds of trusted apps and tools, an accessories ecosystem with plenty of trusted devices, and fits anywhere like a standard computer.
Why not both
If you're crazy like me, you might end up with both Apple Vision Pro and iPad Pro. At least I have the thinly veiled excuse of saying it was for my job, but we all know I would have done it anyway.
iPad Pro and Apple Vision Pro are completely different paradigms of use, trying to solve similar problems
For me, the Apple Vision Pro has turned into a work computer. When it's time to get down to business and write a long article like this, I find Apple Vision Pro to be the perfect tool for writing without distractions.
Another benefit of the Apple Vision Pro is its ability to connect to my 14-inch MacBook Pro, which sits dormant on a bookshelf nearby. If for some reason I need a Mac, I can switch to it with one tap.
Everything else is done on the iPad. These are common tasks that are better done with windows on a display, such as editing photos or writing a review about a physical object. It's very stupid to try to write about something while viewing it through a headset.
For me, the iPad Pro is the perfect modular computer. A bare robotic core that, depending on the accessories used, turns into a drawing tablet, laptop, desktop computer or gaming machine.
Apple Vision Pro is always a headset. However, it has the ability to transport me to the edge of a mountain in Hawaii by turning the digital crown.
Apple needs to work on improving the iPad and Vision Pro with better software.
It's too early to tell what will win for me. The iPad Pro is my go-to computer for any occasion or workflow. Apple Vision Pro does one thing really well – — isolating me from the world for focused work and play.
Since the iPad Pro will never make me feel like I'm in a snowfield in Yosemite, and the Apple Vision Pro will never let me use it as a drawing tablet, perhaps there's room for both machines. in my computer life. In my opinion, with each new update, iPadOS is being pushed further and further aside by Mac.
Perhaps in the future the only computing platform in my life will be based on VisionOS. This day is not today.
So for now, if there is any doubt about which device you would want to own today, if not both, go for the iPad Pro. It's a safe choice because its designs are backed by more than a decade of Cupertino experience and commitment.
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