First impressions and unboxing of Apple's new 12.9" iPad Pro, Smart Keyboard and Pencil!

Hey, Steemit! I can’t be at Steemfest 3, unfortunately. When @guthrie is sad, I tell him “…use your coping skills.”, so I’m trying to walk the walk. I just picked up a shiny new 3rd generation, 12.9” 1TB iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio. Spending $2,000 isn’t the healthiest way to cope, and let me stop you before any “…a flight to Krakow and tickets to Steemfest would have been less than that!” comments. I knew this thing was in the pipeline and with this bear market, there wasn’t a way to do both. Buying this iPad now should ensure I’ll make enough money to attend Steemfest 4, no matter where it’s held.

I’ve been excitedly texting back and forth with @bryan-imhoff and @iamredbar about this new iPad since it was announced last week. Now that I have it, rather than doing a full, comprehensive review, I thought I’d give my first impressions and share fetishy unboxing video. Few things in life make me as happy as opening new Apple products. The amount of detail that even goes in to the packaging experience is on another level. It’s one of those rare things that remind you “…I’m an adult, and this was the promise of what life would be like when I was a frustrated child that couldn’t wait to grow up.”. Car insurance, bills and hardly any sleep is my adult life now, but occasionally…I do get new Apple tech.

Apple Pencil

There’s a new Apple Pencil. It’s a lot grippier, practical, convenient and expensive. The new Apple Pencil has a flat side and a responsive area for shortcuts. In my first go around, it’s hard for me to use because of the weird way I hold pencils. @vermillionfox accurately described it as trying to re-grip her chopsticks. No more lighting adapted on the back. It sticks magnetically to the side of the iPad Pro. Once it’s there, it charges inductively, which is great. $30 more than last model’s Apple Pencil is obnoxious. I’ve always enabled Apple’s tendency to overcharge. I’m hitting my threshold. The first trillion dollar company is definitely hitting “Fuck it!” levels, knowing their customers will pay anything, but honestly, I won’t go much further. The original Apple Pencil came with extra tips. This one, for $30 more, doesn’t come with any.

Smart Keyboard Folio

This is the part of the equation I’m not sure about yet. I loved my Smart Keyboard in the generation 1 and 2. I picked up the $70 silicon back case for the older models, which created a clamshell to protect the entire iPad. This new Smart Keyboard Folio wraps the front and back like a book. I think it’ll take some getting used to because I’ve habitually learned how to fold and unfold the old Smart Keyboard. I’m probably an anomaly, but I’ve always loved the typing experience with this keyboard. Rene Ritchie from More referred to using it as “popping bubble wrap when you type.”, and that’s pretty accurate. This new Smart Keyboard is also $30 more than the previous, so again, fuck you Apple.

12.9” 1TB iPad Pro

This is where the bulk of my $2,000 went. I opted for the 1TB 12.9” iPad Pro. That is an insane amount of money, but as I mentioned in the unboxing video, I look at this device through the lens of an artist/photographer/illustrator, period. Years ago I bought a Cintiq for $1000 more than even this set up, and I hated it. With that in mind, even at $2,000, this is a good deal considering you get all the other iPad stuff, unrelated to art. With art in mind, nothing comes close to this machine. Nothing. Full stop. There was a barely noticeable amount of latency in the 2nd generation iPad Pro when drawing, but it is completely gone now.

FaceID on the new iPad Pro is a real feat of technological advancement. During the weeks leading up to this announcement, I read comments in response to the rumors that said, “….if FaceID can’t unlock in landscape mode, Apple failed!”. This thing can unlock from any angle, as long as you aren’t covering the camera. I went with the 1TB model at great cost because, for whatever reason, there is an extra 2GB of RAM installed in that particular model. All of capacity models come with 4GB. As a photographer, Adobe has announced a full version of Photoshop on iPad next year, and that was ultimately what made me decide to go for the 1TB model.

I plan on doing a more in depth review of the new iPad Pro and really go deep in to how this fits in to my life as a professional artist. For now, I just thought it would be fun to show off some tech porn and share some of my first impressions. Endlessly grateful for Steemit. You may recall, over a year and a half ago, I bought the 2nd generation iPad Pro entirely with STEEM. I was able to sell that iPad for $900 cast to fund almost half of this new decide. Thanks for reading. For more photography, art, illustration and technology reviews, follow me here @kommienezuspadt!