With new iPad Pro launch, Apple makes a point to pro users with new Pencil

With new iPad Pro launch, Apple makes a point to pro users with new Pencil

There are some products that are loved by almost everyone. The example of this would be the iPhone, the MacBook Air, the AirPods Pro and so on. Then there are some products that are acquired tastes. These are the products that some people love so vehemently that they are ready to shout “you will pry this out of my dead cold hands” and they are not loved universally. The example of this would be the iPad, and in particular the large and expensive Pro models of the iPad.Â

The origins of the iPad were different. It was conceived as a product that will one day take the place of laptops. It was supposed to be the laptop killer. It was also supposed to be a general-purpose computer. But then we saw that the laptops have proved more resilient. They survived the early buzz of iPads and other tablets. They survived that phase called Ultrabooks. They survived the 2-in-1s and that trend towards Yoga or Transformer or whatever it was. So resilient have been laptops that even Apple, after virtually ditching the MacBook Air, not only brought the Air back but brought it in style. At the event last night where Apple launched the new iPad Pro, Apple CEO Tim Cook also announced that MacBook Air was the world’s top selling 13-inch and 15-inch laptop.Â

So, what happened? Well, the iPad did not kill laptops.Â

Seeing that laptops are not going away, Apple has been giving the iPad a makeover through its Pro line. Increasingly, it is turning the iPad into a more specialised and niche product. And in this makeover the Apple Pencil is playing a key role, something the company highlighted again and again in the use cases and demos it showed at the iPad Pro M4 launch.Â

Instead of a general-purpose computer — which it is in a way — the iPad in its Pro avatar turning into a tool that is something special for professionals who operate at the highest levels in content and entertainment segments. This is the reason why the new iPad Pro M4 not only comes with a significantly fast chipset but also with a display, including the option to choose Apple’s Nano Texture, that is arguably one of the nicest and best displays in a computing device.Â

And it now comes with Pencil Pro, which supports new gestures and finer and refined controls. There is a new sensor in the Pencil Pro, which will sense when a user squeezes it and will bring a tool palette for quicker access to features. It now also comes with a new haptic engine that provides feedback to users when they squeeze, double tap or snap an object while working within a project.Â

Then there is the gyroscope, which now allows users to roll Pencil Pro for precise control of the tool they’re using. It also enables gestures like barrel roll, which changes the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools.

The new gestures, that ability to select objects in a video, illustration and an image, are going to be appealing to only pro users. Similarly, it is the professionals who are doing sketching or illustrations at the highest level, who will appreciate the new versatility that the Pencil Pro brings.

Of course, this is not the first time Apple is changing the orientation of its product to a more niche use. I guess it is due to how users are utilising a particular product. We saw this in the case of the Apple Watch, which in recent years has gone through a bit of makeover in terms of what it is most useful for. It started as a smartwatch with a lot of health and fitness tracking built into it. But gradually it is this health and fitness part of it, which has acquired more and more centre stage in how Apple talks about. Earlier when Apple launched the Watch Ultra, it gave the device a total makeover to primarily focus on health and fitness. It aimed the Ultra squarely at athletes and all those who are super focussed on health, outdoor activities and adventure sports.Â

The same is now happening with the iPad. Gradually, the iPad — particularly with Pro — is turning into a specialised tool for professionals. And that is not exactly a bad thing. To certain professionals it does offer the kind of versatility that a general-purpose computer like MacBook Air cannot. And to these professionals, despite its somewhat high-prices, the iPad Pro M4 may look priceless.

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