I had ordered my iPad Pro and expected to get it shipped on Dec. 3rd. Friday morning I was having a coffee at my favorite coffee shop, when I got an email from Apple that I could pick it up at the Apple Store. Well this was Black Friday and I wasn’t looking forward to going to the mall to pick it up… However, I couldn’t resist going. I was glad I did, as the mall was not very full, the Apple Store was not full, and parking was a breeze.

About a week earlier my iPad Pro cover had arrived so I knew the size of the beast, but nothing could prepare me to actually having it in my hands. My pencil and my Apple Keyboard had not shipped yet, so I decided to spend the day using it as is.

Flipboard is back on my main screen and my Comics reading has increased dramatically. The size of the new screen makes it amazing for all kinds of content consumption. However, the real power is the ability to create new content. I finished setting up all of my day job applications, and find that Microsoft Office, IBM Verse, and Lotus Sametime, all work well. I am planning on trying to spend a whole week with my laptop in my book bag, and seeing if I can get away with only using the iPad Pro.

There have been a lot of posts talking about how they don’t like the keyboard. I am finding it to be okay (I am using it to create this post). The texture of the keys is kinda strange in that they feel like they are covered in a mix of plastic and cloth. The key travel is a lot better than the iPad itself (of course it is, since I never did like typing on glass).

The number of keyboard shortcuts are appropriate. And I like the fact that you can hold down the command key and they will overlay on the screen. Of course that only works if the app has been updated to support keyboard shortcuts, which not even all of the Apple apps have done. I am sure that will be fixed in iOS 10, if not sooner.

I will post more after my week long experiment, but I am already happy with the purchase from a size and speed perspective. I will hold judgement on it overall, mainly due to the high price.