Pandora announced today that it’s acquiring Rdio for $75 million with plans to integrate the competitive music streaming service’s technology into its own service pending the usual government approvals.

In addition to acquiring technology and intellectual property from Rdio, many members of Rdio’s team will be offered roles with Pandora, subject to close of the agreement. The company expects to offer an expanded Pandora listening experience by late 2016

Pandora isn’t planning on continuing the Rdio service or even purchasing the company itself, but rather buying Rdio’s technology and some of its talent as Rdio goes bankrupt and begins to shut down its service.

What exactly this means for Rdio customers, which offers unlimited music streaming across platforms with both paid and free ad-supported memberships, remains to be seen. One feature that Pandora executives mentioned will likely come as a result of the acquisition is an expansion of subscription options including a new “on-demand paid subscription”.

Pandora currently offers a radio-style streaming experience with an ad-free, monthly paid subscription, while Rdio has a free ad-supported tier and two paid subscriptions that remove ads, song skip limits, and add on-demand content, downloads and other features.

It’s likely Pandora will attempt to transition Rdio listeners over as the service shuts down and it implements the technology, but it will also be a key opportunity for Apple to pick up new subscribers from Rdio users that might not be interested in Pandora’s offering.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: $75 million, 2016, acquisition, Apple Music, Music, Pandora, Rdio, streaming, subscriptions

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When I reviewed the 12-inch MacBook with Retina display earlier this year, my one question was this: could I possibly use such a low power machine reliably for work? For blog posting and editing, switching between chat apps and email, and keeping up with a few Twitter accounts, the single-port MacBook is totally fine, and the Retina display was an upgrade over the dated one on my old MacBook Air.

While I’d like to apply that same question to the iPad Pro, which has a slightly larger display and effectively twice the battery life of my MacBook, the difference in how iOS and OS X handle multitasking and window management currently limit my ability to apply my same workflows from the Mac to the iPad. That didn’t stop me from lusting after the iPad Pro when it hit stores last week. Despite the Pro in its name, I think the new iPad is the best content consumption tablet on the planet. 

iOS 9 on the iPad added new multitasking features that let you use two apps at the same time. Slide Over lets you peek into new apps without leaving your current app: open Messages to send a quick message while browsing in Safari then dismiss it. Split View lets you actively use two apps side-by-side: parse your inbox on Mail on the left and view your Calendar on the right. And Picture in Picture, which I find completely brilliant, lets you overlay video from supported apps like Safari and Hulu over the Home screen and other apps including during Split View: browse online in Safari on the left, keep up with Tweetbot streaming on the right, and watch a TV show from HBO in any of the corners.

Here’s that same setup on my Retina MacBook. The Mac also gained Split View this year with OS X El Capitan, although Tweetbot doesn’t yet support it. Still, the Mac offers window management that lets you recreate similar arrangements as the iPad. The two displays both show about the same amount of content and I could hide both the dock and menu bar to gain a little more real estate if I wanted, but out of the box the Mac has no Picture in Picture feature and I’m not aware of any third-party software to emulate it without researching. While I could try resizing a window to fit below Tweetbot on the right, the convenience of real PIP just isn’t there yet. One more important thing to note in this example: when I view HBO NOW on my Retina MacBook, the site offers a ‘playbackTechError’ and warns that Flash Player version 17 or high is required. No thanks.

Battery life between the two devices is also a huge deal. Apple rather generously rates the Retina MacBook for up to 9 hours of wireless web usage, up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback, and up to 30 days of standby time, but I never do any of those single tasks to achieve those numbers. Switching between at least Safari, Mail, Tweetbot, TweetDeck, Byword, iTunes, Reeder, Wunderlist, and Preview lasts for about 4.5 hours, then recharging in full during work takes another 2.5 hours. Not quite all day battery life, and that’s using the lowest-powered configuration.

It’s a totally different story on the iPad. Like every iPad since the original model introduced in 2010, Apple promises up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music, or up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data on cellular models. I’ve owned the iPad 2, iPad mini, fourth-gen iPad, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, and now iPad Pro (these get sold or passed down to family, I’m not hoarding, I swear) and I’ve always found that Apple’s battery claims for iPad are accurate. When using any iPad on Wi-Fi, every 10% of battery remaining is roughly an hour of usage.

That’s not a totally fair comparison between the Retina MacBook and iPad Pro, though, because I’m not recreating my Mac workflow on the iPad yet. Another point to note: the iPad Pro takes roughly twice as long to recharge from empty to full at about 5 hours. iPad Pro uses a 12 watt power adapter with Lightning compared to the Retina MacBook’s 29 watt power adapter with USB-C. (This might have been dangerous and/or a bad idea, but using a USB-C adapter to try recharging the iPad Pro with the 29 watt adapter made no difference.

Storage is also a big difference. iPad Pro tops out at 128GB and the Retina MacBook starts at 256GB. I haven’t thought much about why, but I can live with a 32GB iPad Pro (the entry-level $800 model) and wouldn’t seriously consider a Mac with twice that storage. RAM is the same story, 4GB versus 8GB, although the difference here is less obvious considering iOS limits how many apps iPad Pro can run in the foreground.

Then there’s benchmark scores. These speak more to what the devices could possibly ever do rather than describe what they’re able to do today. Running Geekbench on both the entry-level Retina MacBook OS X 10.11.2 beta and iPad Pro running iOS 9.2 beta, the iPad outscored the Mac on both single- and multi-core scores. On paper, the iPad Pro is better with its 3234 single-core score and 5483 multi-core score compared to the Retina MacBook’s 2381 single-core score and 4495 multi-core score, but in practice the two platforms are too different for that to be fair.

The bottom line here for me is that I’m hiring the Retina MacBook and iPad Pro for totally different jobs. There may be some cross-over for which workflows I can have on both devices, especially if iOS 10 continues what iOS 9 started and focuses heavily on catching the iPad’s software up with its hardware capabilities, but for now their roles are distinctly defined for me and there’s no temptation to replace one with the other.

I would love to see the Mac learn how to do Picture in Picture just like the iPad does. But I’d really be impressed if the iPad had free floating windows and an improved iCloud Drive app for moving files around. iOS has made a lot of progress in the last two or three years in this area, but there’s still some work to be done before the iPad Pro (or any iPad) become viable laptop alternatives for me.

Tempted to replace a MacBook with an iPad Pro today? Here’s an easy test: could an iPad Air 2 also replace a MacBook for you? If so, you’ll be fine and the larger display will make using side-by-side apps a better experience. If not, the iPad Pro isn’t different enough yet from an iPad Air 2 in terms of what software can do to tempt that challenge and that’s okay.

For me, the Retina MacBook is like a sleek motorcycle that gets me to and from work in style without sacrificing my ability to use the same roads as someone driving a MacBook Pro and iMac. iPad Pro for me isn’t in the same category; it’s more like a portable home theater with a big screen and killer sound system where I can lounge and be entertained. Everyone will use these devices differently, but that’s where I’m at with the Retina MacBook and iPad Pro in their current form.

I’ll wrap this up with a couple of observations about the iPad Pro with the Retina MacBook in mind. First, the Retina MacBook feels way more portable. It’s physically smaller, only slightly thicker than the iPad Pro, and includes a physical keyboard and trackpad. iPad Pro takes up noticeably more space, but there’s something just plain cool about a really big touch screen to me.

Next is the Apple logo on the back of the iPad Pro and Protective Case. It’s the same position and orientation as the iPad mini and iPad Pro, positioned correctly when holding the iPad in portrait orientation. There’s really not a lot of times when portrait feels like the right orientation for a 12.9-inch tablet in my opinion. Add that the promoted Smart Keyboard puts the Apple logo totally sideways when used and it starts to feel a lot like when Apple notebooks had upside-down logos when in use.

So for me the iPad Pro isn’t a laptop replacement even though I had no problem using a single-port MacBook for work, but I’m still really glad the iPad Pro exists. The massive Retina touch screen takes some getting used to if you’ve spent a lot of time with smaller iPads, but it’s an awesome portable home theater.

Filed under: iOS Devices, Mac, Opinion

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Last month the popular Waze navigation app on iPhone got a major update with a new design and improvements to reporting traffic issues and sharing arrival times with others. Now Waze is out with its next new version which brings 3D Touch shortcuts to the Home screen icon for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users. Firmly press on the updated icon to quickly look up an address, share your location with other users, or get directions to your work or home address from your current location. Waze also says the update includes the usual bug fixes and improvements.

Fantastical already features 3D Touch shortcuts from its Home screen icon, and today the calendar and reminders app is adding more 3D Touch features for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users…

Fantastical now supports Peek and Pop on the latest iPhones, so you can firmly press an event or reminders entry to see the details screen in an instant, and push further to open it completely or swipe up for a set of actions like edit, duplicate, move, share, and delete. For all iPhone users, Fantastical’s Today widget in Notification Center, which presents a full month calendar plus upcoming events and reminders, now respects system font size settings for making text appear larger or smaller.

Fantastical also works with Apple Watch and has a native watchOS 2 app, glance, and watch face complication. These all let you see a streamlined view of your calendar as well as iCloud Reminders which aren’t otherwise available on Apple Watch. The latest version of Fantastical lets you change how its Apple Watch complication works. Using the settings within the iPhone app, users can choose whether the complication opens the next item on your calendar or a list view. Users can also now customize the small complication to display total number of appointments, how many items are remaining, or the date. Similarly, the large complication can now display either the next appointment or the date.

Waze for iPhone is available for free on the App Store. Fantastical for iPhone and Apple Watch is $4.99 on the App Store and a free update for existing Fantastical 2 for iPhone customers.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: 3D Touch, Apple watch, calendar, Fantastical, Google, iPhone 6s, navigation, Peek, Pop, Reminders, Waze

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Apple has quietly confirmed that it’s adding business listing information from Foursquare to Apple Maps. The addition was spotted on Apple’s acknowledgements page for Maps listing the various contributors of data for Apple’s mapping service (via Apple Maps Marketing).

It’s unclear exactly how Apple is using Foursquare data, but it’s likely users will begin to notice points of interest related data from the service appearing soon. Apple already partners with various companies for the data and other features it uses in Maps including TomTom, booking.com, TripAdvisor, Yelp and others.

Apple uses Yelp and booking.com, for example, to show reviews for local points of interest like restaurants and hotels, and it’s possible Apple will be tapping into Foursquare for similar features.

Foursquare claims to have over 2 million businesses using the service and over 70 million tips, which are essentially reviews and comments for local businesses, submitted by users.

Filed under: Apps, iOS Tagged: acknowledgements, Apple Maps, business listings, Foursquare, iOS, Mac, maps, point of interest, update

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It’s no secret that Anker’s power accessories are some of the very best options available in their respective categories: its affordable, powerful wall chargers, car chargers, and battery packs have become sensations over the last couple of years. Heading into the holidays, Anker has debuted a fantastic option for both iPad and Retina MacBook users — the new PowerCore+ 20100 ($70).

Redesigned and improved from an earlier model, PowerCore+ 20100 uses even better materials and more powerful charging circuitry to expand its appeal. This time, PowerCore+ sports a USB-C port, enough amperage to recharge Apple’s latest 12″ MacBooks and iPad Pros, and notably faster recharging speeds. Having tested it with an iPad Pro, I was able to take the 12.9″ tablet from 0% to 100% power with plenty of juice left over, and the Retina MacBook is in the same camp. iPad Air and iPad mini owners can expect around two recharges, while iPhone users can get four or more recharges…

PowerCore+ 20100 is a big battery pack, but by going with a narrower, taller, and thicker shape, Anker manages to make it feel markedly smaller than the ultra-high-capacity Astro E7 I reviewed early this year. It’s still an extruded pill, but at 7.2″ by 2.4″ by 0.9″, it has a more bag-friendly footprint than the 6.5″ by 3″ wide by 0.75″ thick Astro, and feels nicer in the hand. Compared with the prior PowerCore, it’s a hint thicker, a little wider, and around 0.7″ taller — not enough to make a major difference, but PowerCore+ does look and feel a bit bigger. Anker bundles PowerCore+ with a slightly larger version of its prior, great mesh drawstring bag.

Most of Anker’s batteries are made from plastic, but PowerCore+ 20100 is clad in jet black aluminum — the color and texture Apple abandoned after making a few memorably stealthy iPods and iPhones. As a result, the battery feels cool to the touch when it’s not in use, and its edges have just a hint of the chamfered shine of recent Apple products. I really liked the matte plastic finish of the prior PowerCore more than the glossy plastic Astro E7, but the PowerCore+ feels premium compared with both of them.

One of PowerCore+’s best features is on the top: a deluxe 10-light remaining power indicator, with white dots arranged in a circle. These lights provide a granular sense of how much energy’s remaining, and how much additional recharging time PowerCore+ needs, versus the common four-light indicators on batteries such as the prior PowerCore and Astro E7. Here, power is indicated in clear 10% increments rather than big 25% steps, so you can easily judge how filled or empty PowerCore+ really is. Additionally, thanks to a 2.4A input, PowerCore+ can recharge itself faster than most batteries: 8 hours if paired with a 12W wall adapter such as the one that comes with the iPad Pro, or as Anker recommends, one of its own PowerPort USB recharging hubs. The speed is a major improvement over the prior PowerCore, which would only be 3/4 filled after 8 hours.

PowerCore+’s other key benefit is enhanced power output. Anker promises up to 6 Amps of total output from the two full-sized USB ports, though iPad users will tap out at 2.4A per port, as that’s the top recharging speed supported by iOS devices — notably including the brand new iPad Pro. Also new to this model are USB-C and 12″ MacBook support: unlike the micro-USB-based PowerCore, PowerCore+ comes with a USB-to-USB-C cable and a USB-C port. You can flip the included cable, connecting PowerCore+ to a USB-C device such as the 12″ MacBook, or to a standard USB port for recharging.

In my testing, PowerCore+ was able to fully recharge a dead iPad Pro (with a 38.5Wh battery) to 100%, with over 30% of PowerCore’s capacity remaining for another device — enough to give an iPad Air 2 an additional 45% charge. Since the 12″ MacBook’s battery is only slightly larger (39.7Wh), you can similarly expect a full recharge with extra power to spare — expect enough for a full iPhone 6/6s Plus recharge. That’s a great level of capacity for a single “connect it to everything” battery that’s you can carry around anywhere.

Given the range of capacities, prices, and sizes Anker’s batteries now cover, the only remaining question is which one is right for your personal needs. I still have a soft spot for Astro E7 (currently $60) due to its incredible combination of battery capacity and pricing, but as I noted when testing the original PowerCore, Astro’s size is just a little too large, and its inclusion of triple USB ports wasn’t needed. The first PowerCore (currently $40) has a great size, capacity, and price point, but the $70 PowerCore+ offers faster recharging, MacBook support, a better remaining power indicator, and superior cladding for a premium. Go with whichever one best suits your Apple devices, but regardless of the one you choose, you’ll be impressed by the quality and performance for the price.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Reviews Tagged: Anker, PowerCore+

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With the accessory in short supply at Apple Stores, the new Apple Pencil stylus for the iPad Pro is listed for as high as $400 on eBay, four times the $99 sticker price through Apple.

Most models of Apple’s new 12.9-inch iPad Pro launched last week are available at Apple Stores and shipping for online orders in 1-7 days, but accessories for the device are harder to find. Despite Apple’s new Smart Keyboard case and Apple Pencil stylus being among the the standout new features alongside the iPad Pro’s larger display, they appear to be in shorter supply with both backordered 4-5 weeks online and hard to find in stores after hardly being available on day one.

The short supply of the accessories frustrated early adopters of the new iPad Pro enough that Apple offered a comment last week, noting that it has “limited supply of Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard” and that it will continue “regular shipments” of the accessories to Apple Stores.

We, however, managed to get our hands on the new Apple Pencil for an unboxing over the weekend, while Ben has been logging his day-to-day experience with the iPad Pro.

If you’re absolutely desperate for an Apple Pencil, can’t wait a month or more for Apple to catch up with demand, and want to pay a little higher than retail price, you can find a handful of listings on eBay here.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: 4-5 weeks, 400, Apple Pencil, Apple Store, delay, eBay, iPad Pro, preorder, resale, shipment, shipping time

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Apple Watch sale at Best Buy, $50 off across the board, starting at $299 shipped (Open box $278)

20% off iTunes Gift Cards: $100 for $80, $50 for $40, $25 for $20

Amazon Gold Box – PNY storage up to 60% off: 128GB microSD $40, 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive $16, more

Best of Black Friday – HDTVs: 40-inch from $149, Samsung 55-inch Smart $580 (Reg. $1,200), more

Best of Black Friday – iPads, Tablets and e-readers: iPad Air 2 from $360, Amazon Fire $35 (Reg. $50), more

Best of Black Friday – Games: Xbox One/PS4 console bundles, deep discounts on games, more

Best of Black Friday – wearables: Fitbit Flex $59/Charge $90/more, $100 off Apple Watch, Android smartwatches, more

Giveaway: mophie juice pack reserve battery case for iPhone 6/s (multiple winners)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Daily Deals: Seiki 39-inch 120Hz 4K 2160p HDTV $250, Aukey 3-Port USB Hub w/ ethernet $16, more

LG 43-inch HDTVs: Smart 4K + $150 Dell Gift Card $600 (Reg. $800+), 1080p $300 (Reg. $350), more

• Enjoy music anywhere in your home w/ SONOS PLAY:1 Starter Set: $349 ($400 value)
• ZeroLemon SolarJuice 10,000mAh Fast Power Bank: $14 Prime shipped (Reg. $50)
• Games/Apps: NHL 16 $40, FIFA 16 $40, iOS freebies, more
• Sony 7.2-ch. 4K AV Receiver w/ AirPlay and Bluetooth: $298 shipped (Reg. $400)
• Apple MFi Certified 3.1A 4ft Coiled Lightning Car Charger $12 (Reg. $20)
• Adobe Elements 14 w/ download: Photoshop as low as $40, Premiere $60
• Mackie CR4 4-inch Multimedia Monitor Speakers (Pair) $120 shipped (Reg. $150)
• Hitman Sniper for iOS hits its lowest price yet: $2 (Reg. $5)
• GoPro HERO4: Silver (Prime only): $329 (Reg. $400), Black $395 (Reg. $500)
• Bluetooth: Venstart 10W Speaker $20 (Reg. $33), SoundPEATS In-ears $25 (Reg. $50)
• TEKTON Precision Bit & Driver Kit: $7.49 Prime shipped add-on (Reg. $12)
• Shoe-up with with casual shoes and Boots 85%+ off at Amazon’s MyHabit
• Amazon Buy Two, Get One Free board games: Monopoly, Jenga, Uno, more

BLACK FRIDAY AD LEAKS & NEWS:

Best Buy’s Black Friday ad brings deals on Apple Watch, Macs, HDTVs, games & more!

• Walmart’s Black Friday ad leak hits with 4K UHDTV deals, iPad Air 2 $100 off, more
• Target previews its top Black Friday deals, launches surprise one-day sale
• Staples Black Friday Ad Revealed: iPad Air 2 from $374, mini 4 $300, more
• Amazon plans dramatic Black Friday discounts for its Kindle, Fire TV Stick & Fire tablet
• Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business
• eBay’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday will deliver deals on MacBooks, iPhone, iPad Air 2
• GameStop Black Friday ad leak: PS4/Xbox One bundles $300, new Nintendo 3DS XL $180
• Costco’s Black Friday ad includes deals on Chromecast (2nd gen), Fitbit Flex, more
• Toys R Us Black Friday ad leak: Xbox One/PS4 bundles $300, more
• Sam’s Club Black Friday ad leak: iPad Air 2 Cellular $175 off, Google Play $100 GC $80
• Kohl’s Black Friday ad leak: more PS4/Xbox One $300 bundles, home goods, clothing
• Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off
• HHGregg Black Friday: Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless Headphones $100, more
• Sports Authority Black Friday Ad: Free gift cards w/ footwear, FitBit Charge HR $120
• eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year
• BJ’s Warehouse Black Friday ad hits with Samsung 4K UHDTV deals, fitness trackers
• Sears Black Friday Ad: deals on Samsung 4K UHDTV’s, more
• Grab 2 free ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ tickets during Black Friday at Kohl’s
• The Office Depot & OfficeMax Black Friday ad doesn’t bring much to the table

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Add 3100mAh of battery life to your iPhone 6/s with this MFi Apple-certified case: $21 Prime shipped (Reg. $43)

App Store Free App of the Week: PDF Expert 5 goes free for the first time ($10 value)

Implosion – Never Lose Hope for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($10 value)

• Apple MagSafe 2 Power Adapters from $34 shipped (Reg. $79)
• UE MEGABOOM in black: $227 shipped (Reg. $300)
• 12-month EA Access subscription: $25 (Reg. $30)
• New Trent iPhone 6s Cases for $7.25 Prime shipped (Reg. $18), more
• TechMatte 3-ft USB-C cables starting at $4.50 Prime shipped (Reg. $9), more
• USB Deals w/ Prime shipping: Lumsing 10,400mAh Power Bank $13, more
• Nest Cam 3-pack bundle launching this week for $497 ($100 savings)
• Roku 3 Streaming Media Player (refurb): $70 shipped (Orig. $100)
• Incase’s ‘Mystery Box’ gets you a $150 grab bag of Apple accessories worth $320
• LG Google Nexus 5 16GB Unlocked GSM (Refurb) $150 (Reg. $300)
• Speakers: AmazonBasics Portable Bluetooth $40, Logitech 2.1 w/ sub $25 Prime shipped
• Dual-Port USB Power Banks: Poweradd 20,000mAh $18 (Reg. $36), more
• 44 comic issues for free: Batman, Star Wars, Spawn, The Walking Dead, and more

T-Mobile is discounting iPhone 6s/Plus by $100 when bought on an installment plan or outright

Huge savings on pre-owned Apple Watches, deals from as low as $261 shipped

Apple iPod Touch 5th gen 16-64GB sizes, multiple colors: $149-$199 shipped

Apple Magic Mouse 2 (open-box): $68 shipped (Reg. $80)

Apple iPad Mini 2, space gray or silver: $199 shipped ($70 off)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

What Watch uses Bluetooth connectivity to tab the memorable moments of your life

Pulse brings Bluetooth LE + iOS connectivity to a slew of Canon and Nikon DSLRs

• Roku surprises with a new “special edition” streaming media player
• Nintendo announces Zelda Twilight Princess HD remaster, more
• Mophie introduces new power banks with a sleek aluminum design
• Yuneec introduces its own stabilized 4K action camera

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon Gold Box, Amazon Prime, Apple Black Friday, apple deals, Apple watch, Best Buy, Black Friday, Black Friday ad, Black Friday ad leak, coupon codes, Cyber Monday, Daily Deals, eBay Daily Deals, flash drive, free shipping, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6s, iTunes, itunes gift cards, Lunch Break, MicroSD, New Toy of the Day, PNY, video games

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Things have moved on rather a lot since I gave my first impressions and highlighted my core questions in choosing between my existing iPad Air 2 and the iPad Pro. Further usage of it has made it abundantly clear that the iPad Pro cannot replace a standard iPad. It’s ridiculously over-sized for reading or watching Netflix in bed, and there are other times when the smaller version was simply more convenient.

But I do still love that screen! It’s great for casual web-browsing – better than either my MacBooks or iPad Air 2. It’s fantastic for viewing photos. It’s great for ebooks so long as you’re not trying to read them in bed. Magazines are amazing. Netflix is great with the huge screen and really loud speakers. Split View makes it a genuine multi-tasking device.

So, the question now is: send the iPad Pro back, or keep both devices? I said last time that I really couldn’t see a justification for having that much cash invested in iOS devices. One commentator responded to this with “Ah, just do it” – which I have to confess is a well-argued position.

I’d certainly find that easier to justify if it could earn its keep as a mobile writing device, so that was my next experiment … 

I’d like to have tested Apple’s own Smart Keyboard, but those appear to be made from unobtainium. Apple was thus pushing the Logitech Create keyboard, made specifically for the iPad Pro. Jeremy has written an excellent full review, but I’ll throw in my thoughts too in commenting on the overall experience of using the combination as a writing tool.

The arrival of the iPad Pro was well-timed for a writing test. It’s not really practical to use it for my work here, as I need too many apps open at once, but I’m currently taking part in National Novel Writing Month – something I do every 2-3 years. I’m thus spending a couple of hours a day when my 9to5Mac duties are complete to work on a book.

That book was supposed to be the sequel to The Billion Dollar Heist, but I hadn’t managed to come up with a plan that matched the scale, spectacle and audacity of the original. I plan my novels all the way down to a scene-by-scene level before I write a word of them, so without a viable plan, I couldn’t start work on the book. I decided to give my brain a rest by writing a short-ish non-fiction book I’d had in the back of my mind for some years.

I do most of my writing on my MacBook Pro, but on Friday set that aside to write on the iPad Pro. I was out for dinner in the evening, so part of the writing was done in the office, part of it on the train there, which allowed me to kill two birds with one stone: assessing the portability of the device, and finding out how well the keyboard worked when used on a lap rather than a desk.

Open, the keyboard looks pretty nice, if nothing special. The shade is yet another variation on Space Gray, and the keys themselves are very MacBook-like in appearance. One advantage of the Logitech keyboard over the Apple one is that it’s backlit, something I’ve come to view as near-essential these days.

In case mode, with the unit closed, it really looks very ordinary. The stylishness of the iPad is completely disguised. It’s smart enough, but that’s about as much as you can say for it. The side views look a little random, though they do keep the speakers exposed and allow access for the Lightning cable.

One thing that’s very welcome is no Bluetooth pairing and no need to charge the keyboard. The Smart Connector does that most Apple-like of things, and Just Works – automatically switching on the keyboard, and keeping it powered.

Snapping the iPad Pro in and out of the casing feels frankly nasty, and I also did find it slipped out a couple of times when I first got it. That hasn’t happened since, despite lots of use, so I suspect there’s just a bit of a knack to it which I’ve now picked up. Similarly, opening the case is a little awkward, lacking a MacBook-style cutout for your fingers – but it does slot very easily into its groove.

The keyboard itself is full size and has a decent amount of movement, but is definitely not MacBook Air/Pro standard – though has a lot more movement than the 12-inch MacBook.

Used on a desk, it’s an ok but not great typing experience. The screen angle is good, but the keys are a little on the spongy side, and I found myself making more mistakes than usual. Given that this is a full-size keyboard, it really should feel a lot better than an equivalent iPad Air 2 keyboard, but it doesn’t.

It’s significantly worse on your lap. The angle of the screen is too steep when you’re looking down at it, and the base is too flimsy: the whole thing wobbles as you type. This is honestly not the experience I expected from Logitech, whose keyboards I normally like.

However, the backlighting works well – I did some writing in the back of a cab in the dark without any difficulty.

One strange omission: there is no apparent way to do a forward delete. The dedicated function keys are also a little on the small side.

Both volume and power buttons are difficult to use through the case, requiring a lot of pressure. It’s actually really hard to take screengrabs, for example, without switching the device off.

In theory, you can use the iPad as a tablet without removing it from its case. In practice, this doesn’t work well. It makes for an extremely thick device, it doesn’t fully sit flat and it wobbles. Either tablet mode was an afterthought when Logitech was designing this, or someone messed up badly. I can’t see that anyone would want to use it in that mode – it’s far better to remove it from the case.

I do most of my mobile writing on my MacBook Air 11. The size and weight is similar to the iPad Pro with Logitech keyboard, and the price is comparable, so it’s reasonable to compare the two.

The MacBook Air keyboard is a lot better, and the trackpad feels more convenient for edits than the touchscreen of the iPad Pro. The Logitech keyboard does offer the standard OS X-style CMD-C/X/V for copying and pasting, but selecting text in the first place is more awkward.

Oddly, I actually found it more annoying than on my iPad Air 2. That may be partly the size – more distance for my hand to move – but also I think the Pro looks and feels like a MacBook, so psychologically I felt it should act like one.

Overall, then, I found the iPad Pro with Logitech keyboard a disappointing writing tool: I’ll definitely be sticking to my MBA for that.

I mentioned the bag problem last time. The iPad Pro doesn’t fit my small bag – the one I take out most of the time – and needs the same bags I’d use for my MacBook Air. But the case does feel robust, and I had nothing else to carry when heading out to dinner on Friday evening, so I decided to just carry it under my arm.

I wasn’t remotely nervous about scratching it. The iPad is extremely well-protected. The rather mundane look of the casing meant I also wasn’t concerned about it attracting unwanted attention.

But even on its own, without a bag, it felt heavy. I think it suffers from the fact that we’ve all become used to iPads being featherweight devices now, and this one definitely isn’t.

Conclusions

It’s interesting how much can change in the space of a few days. On day one, I was really thinking it quite likely that I’d keep the iPad Pro in preference to my iPad Air. On day two, it was looking like a closer call. But five days in, that much of the decision was made: it can’t replace the smaller iPad. The question has now become whether I can justify keeping both.

If if had won me over with its performance as a mobile writing tool, I’d have likely decided yes. But it really hasn’t: I’ve found it significantly inferior to my MacBook Air in that role.

So the obvious call at this point would be to reject the iPad Pro as neither one thing nor the other. Not as convenient as its smaller brother for most tasks, and not as good as a MacBook for writing.

But I do still love that large screen for all the things I mentioned in the introduction, and a significant part of what I’d be rejecting is not the iPad Pro itself, but the combo with the Logitech keyboard. Other keyboards will follow (Brydge is working on one, for example). Could I hold out in the hope that a better keyboard will win me round?

That’s the decision I’m mulling now. I’m veering toward not, but I said I’d give it a week, and I will: I’ll make my final decision on Wednesday.

Filed under: iOS Devices, Opinion Tagged: iPad Pro, iPad Pro diary, iPad Pro keyboard, iPad Pro keyboards, iPad Pro review, Logitech Create, Logitech CREATE Keyboard

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Human curation matters. We trust recommendations from friends and experts more than suggestions by the best computers. That’s why millions of people come to 9to5Mac each month to discover our product recommendations!

Product reviews are great if you know the exact product you want to buy, but they rarely cover all the best products in one place. That’s why Curate With Me is here — to connect you with curated lists of great products recommended by friends and experts.

Curate With Me helps you canvas categories of products, apps, and dining experiences that other people are recommending, combining the power of Reddit-style upvotes with Pinterest-like visuals. Lots of experts, including the 9to5Mac team, are already creating Curate With Me guides. It’s a place where Apple fans, beauty mavens, foodies, gamers, home decorators and everyone with product knowledge can come together to spotlight the best of everything!

Want a shot at winning this year’s best Apple gift? Sign up for Curate With Me at this link and contribute ideas to our 2015 Ultimate Apple Holiday Gift Guide. After one week, the person who contributed the most upvoted item in the Guide will get to pick one or more items from the list (worth up to $200), courtesy of Curate With Me! So get curating right away to maximize your votes! More details are below….

Browsing Curate With Me

There are two ways to search Curate With Me. The home page lets you type any keyword like “laptop” to quickly find already-curated lists. If no list is found, you can submit a request for a new list to be curated for you by Curate With Me’s staff. You can also use the Explore feature to browse trending lists in Food & Drink, Products, and Apps & Games.

Once you’re inside a list, you see a grid of items. You can click on any item to go straight to a product page, or use icons to upvote, comment, report on, or save any item for later reference. Frequently upvoted items float to the top, while less popular items fall to the bottom. Everyone can vote on the items or add additional items to the list. Top vote-getters are shown first, enabling everyone to find popular recommendations faster.

Be A Curator: Make Your Own Lists And Add To Lists

Anyone can join Curate With Me. Signing in is as easy as using a Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ login. Top curators get special billing in the headers of each page, too.

Curate With Me is currently focused on three major categories: Food & Drink for New York City residents, Products including technology, fashion/beauty and home decor, and Apps & Games. If you have recommendations to make on any of these categories, or want to register your votes on them, sign up and become a curator!

Win A Giveaway From 2015’s Ultimate Apple Holiday Gift Guide!

Curate With Me makes it easy to find and share great recommendations. To celebrate its early preview this week, Curate With Me is offering lucky 9to5 readers the chance to win gifts from three 9to5 co-curated Ultimate Holiday Gift lists!

Here’s how you enter the contest. Start by visiting our Ultimate Apple Holiday Gift Guide page. Use the Add Item button to make an Apple-related gift recommendation. Show your friends the list and encourage them to vote. At noon next Monday (11/23), the Guide’s top vote-getter will get to pick whichever items he or she wants from the list (up to a $200 value), courtesy of Curate With Me!

Adding an item to a list is as simple as pressing the + button, choosing a (beautiful) photo, then adding a name, 120-character description, and web link. You can contribute as quickly as composing a tweet, follow lists that interest you, and share any list with friends who have similar interests. When other users upvote an item you’ve added, you earn goodwill or Karma and top curators get featured in a leaderboard!

Add your pick to the 9to5Mac list today, then spread the word to get the best chance at winning the prize. We’ll add additional lists (and chances to win your choice of holiday gifts) to 9to5Google and 9to5Toys later this week. Have fun curating!

Filed under: Buying Guides, General

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Reuters reports that the Germany antitrust body the Federal Cartel Office has opened an investigation into the arrangement by which Apple purchases audiobooks from Amazon subsidiary Audible for sale in iTunes.

“The two companies have a strong position in the digital offering of audiobooks in Germany. Therefore, we feel compelled to examine the agreement between these two competitors in the audiobooks in more detail,” cartel office chief Andreas Mundt said in a statement.

The piece notes that Apple declined to comment, while Amazon could not be reached for comment.

Apple lost a separate U.S. case in which it was found guilty of anti-competitive behaviour in its ebook sales.  The U.S. Justice Department recently agreed that Apple had now properly addressed the issues, though this may not be the end of the battle: Apple is appealing that case to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: AAPL, Audible, audiobooks, ebooks, iTunes

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