Are we in Apple's post-iPad era?

The new Pro and Air raise more questions about where the tablet fits in Apple’s lineup.

- DAN MOREN

The consensus (fave.co/4bRycpT) about the new iPad Pro (see page 52) is in: The hardware is more powerful and impressive than ever, but it's still largely hampered by software that just hasn't managed to keep up. Such has been the story of the iPad Pro almost since its inception almost nine years ago, and despite moves that would seem to augur good things for the platform-like forking iPadOS off from iOS-Apple hasn't exactly done a bang-up job of assuaging users about its commitment to making the tablet a fullfledged citizen of its lineup.

But zooming out, there's a larger question at play here: What are the longterm prospects of the iPad? Once heralded the future of computing (fave.co/3yuzWam), the iPad seems to have fallen short of that promise, and in the process has become Apple's most at-risk product line. And compared to the rest of Apple's offerings, the iPad increasingly looks like it may be the one left standing when the music stops.

iPHONES TO THE LEFT OF ME

For many people, the smartphone is the most important device in their lives. It goes everywhere with them, serves as their primary communication device, their recorder of memories, and their omnipresent time-waster. When prompted to give up a single technological device, most people would probably pick anything but their phone.