iPad Pro爲何取代不了PC iPad Pros are work ready but I still prefer PC plus phone

Who needs a tablet these days? It’s a difficult question. Six years ago, when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, the device promised a future of “lean-back” computing. Then, curling up in an armchair with a slim slab of technology seemed an almost rebellious idea.

如今誰還需要平板電腦呢？這是個難以回答的問題。6年前，當史蒂夫•喬布斯(Steve Jobs)推出iPad時，這一產品承諾了“向後靠”的數字未來。在那時，窩在扶手椅中，手持一款薄薄的科技產品，彷彿代表一種叛逆。

Now, most of us own the largest smartphone we’ve ever had, making another big touchscreen seem redundant. Like the proverbial best camera, the best screen is the one you have with you — which invariably means the one in your pocket or bag.

現在，我們大多數人擁有迄今屏幕尺寸最大的智能手機，這就讓另一款大屏設備顯得多餘了。就像衆所周知的最好照相機一樣，最好的屏幕就是你隨身攜帶的那塊——也就是你口袋或包裏的那塊。

To reinvigorate the tablet, Apple is taking the iPad “professional”, with higher specs — and pricing — to match. With the traditional PC firmly in its sights, this is a tablet less for leaning back and reading or watching, and more like leaning in to get things done.

爲了讓平板電腦重獲活力，蘋果(Apple)正把iPad變得“專業化”，配上更高的配置和價格。這款平板電腦牢牢盯住傳統PC的功能，其設計不是爲了讓人們向後靠着閱讀文字或觀看視頻，而是爲了幫人們身體前傾、完成工作。

November’s new 12.9-inch iPad Pro was joined last month by a smaller, more affordable 9.7-inch sibling. I have been using the larger model, including its keyboard case and Pencil accessory, for some time now — in part to cover the launch of its successor at Apple’s event in Cupertino, where I also got to test one out.

繼去年11月蘋果發佈新的12.9英寸iPad Pro之後，上月又推出了尺寸更小、價格更低的9.7英寸iPad Pro。現在，我使用12.9英寸iPad Pro（包括鍵盤和Apple Pencil）已有一段時間了，部分原因是爲了報道蘋果在庫比提諾(Cupertino)舉行的9.7英寸iPad Pro發佈會。我還在那裏試用了一下後者。

For me, neither iPad is quite there as a PC replacement, although both come close for the everyday tasks of typing and research. Both offer meaningful hardware improvements over the iPad Air 2, including much better speakers and a very generous 4GB of Ram for the larger version.

對我來說，這兩款iPad都不是PC的替代品，儘管它們都更接近於滿足輸入和研究等日常工作。相對iPad Air 2而言，它們的硬件都有了很大提升，包括性能好得多的揚聲器，併爲12.9英寸版提供了4G的大容量內存。

Yet more interesting than the tablet itself are the iPad Pro’s dedicated accessories.

不過，比iPad Pro本身更值得關注的是它的專屬附件。

Apple’s keyboard case is lightweight yet robust, with a similar feel to last year’s new MacBook. The larger iPad has a full-sized keyboard that was good enough to type furiously on my lap during the Apple keynote speech, with a little help from autocorrect. The matt fabric covering felt slightly odd at first but I did get used to it.

蘋果的鍵盤又輕又耐用，跟去年新出品的MacBook有些類似的感覺。12.9英寸iPad Pro配有全尺寸鍵盤，十分好用，輔以“自動更正”功能，讓我在蘋果的主旨演講過程中能在腿上飛快地鍵入。亞光的織物表面一開始令人感覺略怪異，但我的確習慣了它。

Crucially, the iPad Pro has a physical connector to attach its keyboard, so there were none of the Bluetooth-related issues I suffered with Google’s Pixel C, which I reviewed in February. (Some of the Pixel’s keyboard problems have been resolved with a software update, and a recent Android beta pilot promises to add split-screen app usage, but the Google Play app store’s limited selection of tablet-friendly software remains a problem.)

至關重要的是，iPad Pro配備了一個連接鍵盤的物理連接器，所以就不存在我使用谷歌(Google)的Pixel C時遇到的藍牙相關問題。我在2月對Pixel C進行了評價。（Pixel的部分鍵盤問題通過軟件升級得到了解決，最近的Android beta試用版承諾增加分屏應用，但Google Play應用商店中適合平板電腦使用的軟件選擇有限，仍是一個問題。）

The smaller Pro’s keyboard, however, is much more compact. While I have tried it out only a few times, it feels unlikely to be comfortable to a touch typist for long-form writing.

然而，9.7英寸iPad Pro的鍵盤就顯得太過緊湊。儘管我就試用了幾次，但對於一個盲打輸入者而言，長時間寫作不可能感覺很舒服。

On the other hand, at under 1lb, the smaller Pro is far lighter and more comfortable to hold for longer reading sessions than its big brother. Even though the 12.9-inch version is lighter than most laptops, it still feels too heavy, especially when I carry it in a shoulder bag all day.

另一方面，不到1磅重的9.7英寸iPad Pro比12.9英寸iPad Pro要輕得多，而且更適合手持進行長時間閱讀。儘管12.9英寸iPad Pro比大多數筆記本電腦輕，但它還是讓人感覺太重，尤其當我整天用肩包攜帶它的時候。

Contemplating a choice between a proper keyboard and a lighter screen left me thinking that neither iPad Pro was quite ready for regular use in my workday.

在好用的鍵盤和更輕的屏幕之間做選擇，讓我覺得，這兩款iPad Pro都不太適合在工作中經常使用。

Pencil to paper

從筆到紙

By positioning the iPad Pro as a PC killer at its launch event, Apple is underplaying a different opportunity: replacing pen and paper.

蘋果在發佈會上把iPad Pro定位爲PC殺手，卻放過了另一個機會：取代筆和紙。

I am no sketch artist but Apple’s new Pencil accessory is easily the best stylus I have used, for its ease of set-up and smooth, pressure-sensitive strokes across the screen.

我不是素描藝術家，但蘋果的Pencil附件絕對是我用過的最好的觸感筆，它容易設置，在整個屏幕上書寫都很流暢而且對壓力十分敏感。

Drawing and handwriting on a solid surface still lacks the friction of paper but it worked well for annotating documents (see Planet of the Apps) and jotting down notes. The Pencil’s main drawback is my own lack of familiarity with having one: I often forget to pick it up or take it out and about with me.

在堅硬的表面上寫和畫仍缺少紙面的那種摩擦感，但它已非常適合於給文檔做評註（參見Planet of the Apps）和簡要地做筆記。Pencil的主要缺陷是我自己對它不夠熟悉：我經常忘記把它拿出來或者帶在身邊。

One computing accessory I did not miss when using the iPad Pro at work was the mouse. I loved tapping the screen to hop between paragraphs or select text, which I found far faster and more ergonomic than clicking around.

我在使用iPad Pro工作時沒有錯過的一個附件是鼠標。我喜歡輕敲屏幕，在段落之間跳來跳去，或選取文字——我發現，這樣做比到處點擊更快，更符合人體工程學。

Verdict

結論

While Samsung and Microsoft have sold tablets with keyboard cases and styluses for years, iOS and the App Store still provide the best software experience and now Apple has the hardware to match.

儘管三星(Samsung)和微軟(Microsoft)出售配有鍵盤和觸感筆的平板電腦有好多年了，但iOS和蘋果應用商店提供的軟件體驗仍是最好的，如今蘋果有了與之匹配的硬件。

The combination of increased computing power and new accessories does open up the tablet to many more new uses beyond Netflix and newspapers.

計算能力的增強加上新的附件，確實讓平板電腦在Netflix和報紙之外增加了更多的新用途。

Some day it might replace the PC but, for now, the iPad still remains an optional extra screen, rather than an essential one.

有一天，iPad或許會取代PC，但目前，它仍是又一塊可選屏幕，而不是必不可少的屏幕。