As the owner of a last generation iPad Pro, I have to say that I am delighted with this Apple tablet, but you have to be very clear about what you are looking for with this tablet. Do you want a replacement for your laptop, your MacBook? Do you want a high end tablet? We are going to tell you 10 secrets of the iPad Pro that you may not know about.
10 iPad Pro Secrets To Get The Most Out Of It
1. Without Keyboard & Apple Pencil, It Stops Being Pro
It is so. You spend a lot on the eApple tablet and you realize that you also need to buy the Apple keyboard and Pencil to get all the juice and worst of all, they are not cheap devices.
The Smart Keyboard for the 12.9″ model costs $219 and the latest generation Apple Pencil costs a whopping $135 and it’s worth it. With these two extras, the iPad Pro makes sense, but to that we must add the “from $1099” of the price of the iPad Pro. It is not something that everyone can afford.
- With the keyboard, which connects immediately to the iPad, you will be able to type as if you had a computer in front of you. The only downside is that it is not backlit. Very bad Apple.
- With the Pencil you will be able to take advantage of countless photo retouching apps (Pixelmator) and painting (Procreate).
2. Don’t Buy The 11-inch Model If You Want To Use It As A Computer
If you want to use the iPad Pro as a replacement for your MacBook, don’t buy the 11-inch model. Your screen stays small for multitasking.
When you use split screen apps, you will need the full width of the screen to be comfortable. And this will be more important if possible, when Apple launches its next iOS, iOS 13, where they promise to greatly enhance the operating system on the iPad, so that this device takes full advantage of its tremendous hardware.
And to consume content: buy a cheaper iPad.
3. Without Applications Your iPad Pro Is Useless
Well, that is clear. You’ll have to checkout to get the most out of the iPad Pro. You need a few. I recommend the following:
- Documents: to manage the files on your tablet
- 1 Password: to manage your passwords easily
- Pixelmator: for retouching photos
- Procreate: to draw like a master with your Apple Pencil
- Shortcuts: to increase your productivity
- VLC: to watch all kinds of videos on the iPad
- Apollo: to see Reddit as God intended
- iCabMobile: the browser you must use to have a complete desktop experience without the restrictions of Safari
- Notability: to take notes with your Apple Pencil
- Things: to manage reminders and much more
- IA Writer: to write your next novel
4. Face ID Is A Blessing On The iPad Pro
The system to unlock the screen of the iPad Pro is a marvel and I don’t tell you anything if you use it in combination with 1Password, the password manager. Just by having your face in front of the iPad, you will be able to unlock 1Password and put the password on the web pages you visit.
And best of all scheme you can place the iPad in any way, which always recognizes you thanks to its many cameras placed in the frames.
5. Don’t Leave Apple Pencil Always “Glued” To The iPad Pro
It is a temptation, but you better not do it. The battery of the iPad Pro will last you a sigh. Better leave it unconnected as long as you don’t use it. It is a pity that the battery life is wasted always having this device stuck to the side of the tablet.
6. The USB-C Port Is Useful But Not Much Yet
When you find out that the iPad Pro has a USB-C port, the first thing you think is that you will be able to connect a pendrive and transfer files easily between the iPad and your flash memory but it is not like that. Apple has capped this utility for the moment, and we will only be able to pass photos (the corresponding app opens).
A pity that this is so, and hopefully it will change with the arrival of iOS 13. In the meantime, you will have to transfer your files through Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud between your different devices.
7. Do Yourself A Favor: Buy A USB-C Hub For The iPad Pro
Well. Not and essential, but you have headphones with a 3.5mm Jack connector, you will need an adapter to connect them to this tablet.
These hubs also come with HDMI connectors to connect the tablet to an external display, USB 3.0 port.
8. I Didn’t Know How To Turn Off The iPad Pro Either
How complicated it is not that it is a device that is designed to turn off, but when you want to do it, the first thing that comes to mind is to press the button on the left and that turns off the screen.
To turn off the iPad Pro you have to press the screen lock button and any of the volume buttons on the device at the same time. A slider will then appear to turn off the iPad.
9. You Can Put Many Apps In The Dock And Folders
Something very interesting to improve productivity when using the iPad Pro. You can put many more apps on the dock than on the iPhone, and you can also put folders of apps in the dock to have them all at hand when opening several applications at the same time.
Now you can clear the iPad screen and thus be able to enjoy your wallpapers (via digitaltrends).
10. Learn The Keyboard Shortcuts
There is no better advice than this. Use keyboard shortcuts to increase your productivity. You are going to do things much faster. You don’t need a mouse on the iPad Pro.
Want to quickly see a list of keyboard shortcuts that you can use with each app on iPad Pro? You have to hold down the Command key.
What are the most common keyboard shortcuts?
- Cut: Command-X
- Copy: Command-C
- Get: Command-V
- Bold: Command-B
- Cursive: Command-I
- Start Button: Command-H
- Search: Command-Space
- Switch apps: Command-Tab
- Select all: Command-A
Do you want to edit texts like a pro?
- Shift + Left / Right: start text selection to the left / right of the cursor, one character at a time
Shift + Command + Left / Right: selects the entire line, left / right of the cursor
Shift + Command + Up / Down: selects all text in the document (above or below the cursor) - Option + Left / Right: move the cursor one character at a time
- Option + Shift + Left / Right: select the previous / next word
- Command + Left: Jump to the end of the line
- Command + Right: Jump to the beginning of the current line
- Command + Up: Jump to the top of the page
- Command + Down: Jump to the bottom of the page
Do you want to take a screenshot?
- Command + Shift + 3: you take a screenshot that is saved in the photos app.
- Command + Shift + 4: You take a screenshot and it automatically opens in edit mode.
Keyboard shortcuts in Safari?
- Control + Shift + Tab: Switch to the previous tab
- Control + Tab: Switch to the next tab
- Control + F: The Search function appears
- Command + L: highlights the text entry field
- Command + Shift + R: Activates reader mode for the current page
- Command + T: Open new tab
- Command + W: Close current tab
You have more information on the following Apple page.
BONUS: Use a Bluetooth mouse or trackpad with iPad Pro
We already have the iPad Pro mouse support with us. You need an iPad with iPadOS 13.4 (source Apple):
- You turn on the Bluetooth mouse and bring it closer to the iPad.
- Check that the accessory is in pairing or discovery mode.
- Open the “Settings” app on your iPad and press “Bluetooth”.
- Under ‘Other devices’, find the Bluetooth accessory and tap its name to pair it with the iPad.
