4 ms·

They need to stop calling these pro devices. They are barely functional for anything beyond casual use and artwork

by barbariangrunge 2y ago

mikae1 2y ago
There are professionals in artwork?
- dmix 2y ago
  iPad Pros are often used in music production too. There’s plenty of heavier duty non-casual sitting on the couch watching TV type use cases it’s used for and it’s targeted at.
- jayd16 2y ago
  Art professionals usually don't use iPads although I'm sure some do. Most seem to prefer Wacom. Unlike, eg a laptop, portability isn't usually a major professional need for an art workstation.
  - crazygringo 2y ago
    To the contrary, art professionals use the top-tier iPads professionally more than anyone else, in my experience. You use a Wacom for some things, but the iPad has the gigantic advantage that your image is directly underneath your Pencil. And, of course, that you can take it with you. The iPad isn't a substitute for a workstation. But it's a huge complement -- both for creating things visually, as well as managing/showcasing all your media on the go. Professional artists are often going to a lot of meetings with different clients or team members around the city.
    - jayd16 2y ago
      Wacom makes Centiqs which are very popular pen on screen monitors if you prefer that style, so the iPad doesn't bring much there. I would say the vast majority of artists do not travel and do not need to draw mid-meeting. Certainly there are exceptions but they are just that, exceptions.
      - crazygringo 2y ago
        Centiqs may be great, but I've seen 100 artists using an iPad for every 1 artist I've seen using a Centiq. I would say the vast majority of artists do have client meetings, whether they're employed full-time or freelance. And artists need to work on the go just like the rest of us. Whether it's a dad trying to do 30 min of video editing in his car while he waits for daycare to get out, or somebody in the city doing an hour of website design in a cafe while they wait for their next meeting. I'm baffled by your assertion that artists don't use iPads or shouldn't need them. It's just not the case, if you work with professional artists.
        jayd16 2y ago
        Interesting, I've worked in large game studios with many 2d and 3d digital artists and they just don't use iPads. It could be a specific industry thing or a regional thing but even during the early hybrid work days I would see artists haul in and pack up their Centiqs. IPads were not in the conversation. I will say that it's a major disconnect in our experience that you would say the majority of artists are directly client facing. What company/industry is buying their artists iPads?
jessriedel 2y ago
I am a physicists (theory), and about a third of my work is “pencil and paper” calculations (and related notes) on the iPad Pro. I use it professionally ~20 hours per week.
- jayd16 2y ago
  I drink coffee at work. Does that make it Coffee Pro?
  - hehdhdjehehegwv 2y ago
    [dead]
- jajko 2y ago
  Which doesn't mean parent is wrong. You can do any work on non-ideal equipment and be happy with it for various reasons. When I saw what one of my ex was using (bio chemist growing various stuff and testing treatments to rare sickle cell anemia that pharma didn't care about due to low patient count), it was very subpar and inefficient but she was happy with it and got results nevertheless eventually. Some of her work I could make more efficient by 10x, some by 50x maybe, but ie she as hardcore unix person just plainly refused to use MS Excel and all its statistics power, to pick a random example (there were quite a few). Not saying this is your case of course, but oh boy do small screens, limited browsers, limited power and storage speed etc. do have negative effect on work itself, mental flow, staying focused etc. There is a reason not only we IT guys want powerful machines and massive screens, it ain't just chasing shiny higher numbers.
- jwhitlark 2y ago
  May I ask if they are direct paper to screen transfers, or if there are specific features/apps that add extra value? I do a lot of work in (paper) engineering notebooks, and I'm curious about what improvements your workflow has.
  - jijijijij 2y ago
    Undo is one thing you get used to very quickly. Copy paste, select and move, change colors, erase without a trace... digital handwriting has a lot to offer. However, the app ecosystem is lacking in terms of interoperability, feature completeness within one app and export/import capabilities, and there is nothing you can do about it in iPadOS. File management is pure pain unless you fully bought into Apple already. It's very nice for brainstorming and making transient personal illustrations while learning and working through technical problems, but you won't get the feel and certainty of a physical notebook as an institution for persistent notes. The iPad is way too expensive for what it has to offer, in practice. That said, without its artificial limitations it would be the last computing device you'll ever need. It could be everything.
alberth 2y ago
Pro != “professional” Pro == more capable And the iPad Pro is more capable than any other iPad.
- adamomada 2y ago
  It’s better than the iPad Con
crazygringo 2y ago
Apple has never used "pro" to mean professional software engineers. It's always been meant for professional artists. Whether graphic artists, music producers, video editors, 3D artists, or what have you. So it's strange to me that you treat "artwork" as an exception. These are very much pro. That they're extremely functional for art is the whole point.
- robenkleene 2y ago
  > These are very much pro. That they're extremely functional for art is the whole point. I'd argue that iPads being great for "art" is false. They have one killer app for one narrow specialized area (Procreate/illustration) but they aren't widely used as a main device professionally outside of that context (they are often used as a satellite device). They have adequate support for hobbyist level video editing/audio production/photography. They have minimal to non-existent support for motion graphics or anything related to 3D. Calling a device like this "extremely functional for art" I don't think is a defensible statement (unless it's specifically scoped to illustration). I've written about my analysis of creative of apps on iOS devices here https://blog.robenkleene.com/2019/08/07/apples-app-stores-have-failed-creative-apps/ https://blog.robenkleene.com/2019/08/07/apples-app-stores-ha...
smartbit 2y ago
In the concert hall I see more and more musicians & singers replacing paper music sheets with 12” iPad Pro’s. Mostly individual artist but recently all members of a cappella choir. Some, eg the violinists, use a small device on the floor probably connected by Bluetooth to advance to the next page with their foot. I don’t remember seeing a conductor with the full score on an iPad though, maybe one day with a foldable 2x20+”.

They need to stop calling these pro devices. They are barely functional for anything beyond casual use and artwork

mikae1 2y ago

There are professionals in artwork?

dmix 2y ago
iPad Pros are often used in music production too. There’s plenty of heavier duty non-casual sitting on the couch watching TV type use cases it’s used for and it’s targeted at.
jayd16 2y ago
Art professionals usually don't use iPads although I'm sure some do. Most seem to prefer Wacom. Unlike, eg a laptop, portability isn't usually a major professional need for an art workstation.
- crazygringo 2y ago
  To the contrary, art professionals use the top-tier iPads professionally more than anyone else, in my experience. You use a Wacom for some things, but the iPad has the gigantic advantage that your image is directly underneath your Pencil. And, of course, that you can take it with you. The iPad isn't a substitute for a workstation. But it's a huge complement -- both for creating things visually, as well as managing/showcasing all your media on the go. Professional artists are often going to a lot of meetings with different clients or team members around the city.
  - jayd16 2y ago
    Wacom makes Centiqs which are very popular pen on screen monitors if you prefer that style, so the iPad doesn't bring much there. I would say the vast majority of artists do not travel and do not need to draw mid-meeting. Certainly there are exceptions but they are just that, exceptions.
    - crazygringo 2y ago
      Centiqs may be great, but I've seen 100 artists using an iPad for every 1 artist I've seen using a Centiq. I would say the vast majority of artists do have client meetings, whether they're employed full-time or freelance. And artists need to work on the go just like the rest of us. Whether it's a dad trying to do 30 min of video editing in his car while he waits for daycare to get out, or somebody in the city doing an hour of website design in a cafe while they wait for their next meeting. I'm baffled by your assertion that artists don't use iPads or shouldn't need them. It's just not the case, if you work with professional artists.
      - jayd16 2y ago
        Interesting, I've worked in large game studios with many 2d and 3d digital artists and they just don't use iPads. It could be a specific industry thing or a regional thing but even during the early hybrid work days I would see artists haul in and pack up their Centiqs. IPads were not in the conversation. I will say that it's a major disconnect in our experience that you would say the majority of artists are directly client facing. What company/industry is buying their artists iPads?

jessriedel 2y ago

I am a physicists (theory), and about a third of my work is “pencil and paper” calculations (and related notes) on the iPad Pro. I use it professionally ~20 hours per week.

jayd16 2y ago
I drink coffee at work. Does that make it Coffee Pro?
- hehdhdjehehegwv 2y ago
  [dead]
jajko 2y ago
Which doesn't mean parent is wrong. You can do any work on non-ideal equipment and be happy with it for various reasons. When I saw what one of my ex was using (bio chemist growing various stuff and testing treatments to rare sickle cell anemia that pharma didn't care about due to low patient count), it was very subpar and inefficient but she was happy with it and got results nevertheless eventually. Some of her work I could make more efficient by 10x, some by 50x maybe, but ie she as hardcore unix person just plainly refused to use MS Excel and all its statistics power, to pick a random example (there were quite a few). Not saying this is your case of course, but oh boy do small screens, limited browsers, limited power and storage speed etc. do have negative effect on work itself, mental flow, staying focused etc. There is a reason not only we IT guys want powerful machines and massive screens, it ain't just chasing shiny higher numbers.
jwhitlark 2y ago
May I ask if they are direct paper to screen transfers, or if there are specific features/apps that add extra value? I do a lot of work in (paper) engineering notebooks, and I'm curious about what improvements your workflow has.
- jijijijij 2y ago
  Undo is one thing you get used to very quickly. Copy paste, select and move, change colors, erase without a trace... digital handwriting has a lot to offer. However, the app ecosystem is lacking in terms of interoperability, feature completeness within one app and export/import capabilities, and there is nothing you can do about it in iPadOS. File management is pure pain unless you fully bought into Apple already. It's very nice for brainstorming and making transient personal illustrations while learning and working through technical problems, but you won't get the feel and certainty of a physical notebook as an institution for persistent notes. The iPad is way too expensive for what it has to offer, in practice. That said, without its artificial limitations it would be the last computing device you'll ever need. It could be everything.

alberth 2y ago

Pro != “professional” Pro == more capable And the iPad Pro is more capable than any other iPad.

adamomada 2y ago
It’s better than the iPad Con

crazygringo 2y ago

Apple has never used "pro" to mean professional software engineers. It's always been meant for professional artists. Whether graphic artists, music producers, video editors, 3D artists, or what have you. So it's strange to me that you treat "artwork" as an exception. These are very much pro. That they're extremely functional for art is the whole point.

robenkleene 2y ago
> These are very much pro. That they're extremely functional for art is the whole point. I'd argue that iPads being great for "art" is false. They have one killer app for one narrow specialized area (Procreate/illustration) but they aren't widely used as a main device professionally outside of that context (they are often used as a satellite device). They have adequate support for hobbyist level video editing/audio production/photography. They have minimal to non-existent support for motion graphics or anything related to 3D. Calling a device like this "extremely functional for art" I don't think is a defensible statement (unless it's specifically scoped to illustration). I've written about my analysis of creative of apps on iOS devices here https://blog.robenkleene.com/2019/08/07/apples-app-stores-have-failed-creative-apps/ https://blog.robenkleene.com/2019/08/07/apples-app-stores-ha...

smartbit 2y ago

In the concert hall I see more and more musicians & singers replacing paper music sheets with 12” iPad Pro’s. Mostly individual artist but recently all members of a cappella choir. Some, eg the violinists, use a small device on the floor probably connected by Bluetooth to advance to the next page with their foot. I don’t remember seeing a conductor with the full score on an iPad though, maybe one day with a foldable 2x20+”.