The new iPad is absurd

I bought the first iPad on release day in 2010, mostly because i thought it seemed cool, but I didn't really *need* it. Against my expectations it very quickly became my most used and beloved device, much to my surprise. As a result I ended up using it every day for hours at a time, largely because the form factor of having a touchscreen-enabled computer in the form-factor of a book turned out to be incredibly convenient and pleasurable.

A few years later and my work paid for a top-of-the-line iPad, which turned out to be a 64GB iPad 3. Don't laugh though; this thing turned out to be an amazing machine that has fulfilled its purpose for five years with aplomb. Though I know it has the reputation of being the 'pretty crappy' iPad, this thing still did what I needed it to for all these years and the battery life is still good, lasting all day of constant use.

So enters the new iPad Pro 10.5", which I have been waiting for for a number of years. This thing is ridiculous. It's almost embarrassing. It's essentially the perfect distillation of what Steve Jobs and Apple have been visualising for however many years; a computer you hold in your hand and interact with without barriers.

As I'm used to the speed, power and performance of the older device, every single thing about this machine is blowing my mind. The time it takes to open apps; the scrolling; the sound; the thinness and weight; Touch ID!; the form factor; the sheer quality of the screen....

Due to the 120Hz refresh rate and the larger display, it really does feel like I'm holding my apps and the internet in my hand and genuinely touching it with my fingers. It's difficult to describe, but it is a qualitatively different experience than using technology through a WIMPS paradigm on a traditional laptop/desktop. It's more intimate, immediate and rewarding and this iteration of the hardware only perfects the goals that Steve and Apple were trying to achieve with the iPad concept.

To me, this is the perfect iPad, the perfect tablet and the perfect distillation of what technology can do in this space in this form factor. With iOS 11 we really have the next generation of mobile computing in our hands and Apple should be proud of what they've achieved.

I know this post is long and seemingly sycophantic, but technology really can inspire when it gets it right, and the iPad Pro really, *really* gets it right. I actually feel like we've entered a new era of mobile and home computing with this device and I think that should be celebrated.