iPad Pro is the best consumption device that I have ever owned

I had a 2018 iPad Pro, that was gifted to me by my wife for my birthday several years back. I recently sold it, and this is my eulogy.

I have owned numerous computers in my life. A Windows desktop, Windows laptop, MacBook, Mac mini, iPad Pro, iPad mini, Windows Phone and the iPhone. The first Desktop PC that I owned in school made an enormous impact on my life and made me the tech nerd that I am today. I loved the first phone that I owned, I loved the music player that I had in the early days of my college, I also have fond memories of the first Smartphone that I owned as well. In the last decade, AirPods have been the gadget that has made the most impact on my life. The iPad Pro has never been such an impactful computer in my life, but the memories of using it give me warm and fuzzy feelings.

I used to love my iPad Pro. It was my everyday consumption computer. It was the device that I used most of the time, more than my laptop or phone at that time. I initially struggled to get the iPad into my usage routine, and there were weeks when I never used it. But everything changed when I bought the detachable keyboard cover for it. I could instantly do everything that I wanted to on my iPad. Typing was no more a chore, and the cover also acted as a stand to hold up my iPad. Now I could use my iPad on my lap, on the bed, on the table, and it became extremely versatile and powerful.

By no means is the iPad Pro perfect. Content creation like video editing, audio recording, publishing is very painful. You also have to jump through hoops to be able to do some useful coding on it. But it is a perfect blend of the simplicity of a smartphone and the versatility of a laptop. I used to watch movies, tv shows, live sports, browse, read, write, plan, shop on it. It’s the best consumption and the simplest creation device that I have ever used. And all this power and versatility fits in such a thin and light package that I can easily carry everywhere without any second thoughts.

Whatever I have mentioned already is probably applicable for any iPad style device like the Microsoft Surface Pro or a Galaxy Tab. But Apple’s iPad Pro is extra special and easily better than the other two, as it is the best tablet in the market. Apps on the iPad are extremely high quality, unlike on the Surface or the Galaxy. iPadOS also works so seamlessly with the rest of my stuff, the iPhone, and Mac. But for those who aren’t into Apple’s devices, can probably achieve what I am talking about using a Surface Pro as well.

If hypothetically all my gadgets are taken away from me and if I had to buy only one gadget for me, I wouldn’t choose the iPad. I would pick either the iPhone or the MacBook. But if I can have the luxury of buying a dedicated device purely meant for consumption, I would pick the iPad Pro. Though the iPad Pro may not have had the impact of my first Desktop PC, it has definitely overtaken it in terms of the attachment and connection I feel with it. An iPad Pro is more personal, versatile than my Desktop or Laptop ever was, and hence makes it the most favourite gadget that I have ever owned for content consumption.