The new iPad Pro looks great, but …

I’m conflicted. 

I’m planning to bet big on the new iPad Pro when preorders start Friday. 

The 16GB of RAM. The Liquid Retina XDR screen tech. 5G connectivity. The M1 chip. It all sounds great.

But: there are still things (today) that the iPad Pro just won’t do. Here's a quick rundown of where the iPad Pro still falls just short for me.

Zoom gloom

Yes, the new Center Stage camera tech is cool. 

You know what would be cooler?

The ability to manage breakout rooms in the Zoom app. Chat that appears along the side of my meeting window rather than plastered over the top. On the iPad, Zoom chat is like someone standing up on the conference table during an in-person meeting holding up signs. 

And you can’t multitask. If you want to take notes side-by-side during your Zoom meeting, the camera switches off.

It’s totally ridiculous. 

Zoom was the reason I sold my last iPad Pro. I couldn’t manage my writing group sessions in Write of Passage because of missing or wonky functionality in the Zoom app.

Zoom parity. We need it on the iPad Pro.

A true desktop class browser 

When Apple announced iPadOS Safari would present itself as a desktop browser to web sites, the company said Squarespace’s site would work just like on the Mac. 

Apple specifically named Squarespace.

Spoiler alert: Squarespace.com does not behave as it does on the Mac. I still had to use a traditional computer to publish new blog posts. 

Is this a RAM issue? Something else? I have no idea. I also have no idea if it will be fixed with  more powerful hardware and/or software updates. 

Loose ends 

And then there’s a smaller set of wants and annoyances, some or all of which may be addressed in iPad OS 15:

• Widgets on the Home Screen

• True monitor support (no black bars--use a connected monitor’s full real estate)

• The ability to run MacOS apps (as the Mac can now do with iPad apps)

What about you? Are you getting the new iPad Pro, or is something holding you back?