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. 如今谁还必须平板电脑呢？这是个无法问的问题。6年前，当史蒂夫乔布斯(Steve Jobs)发售iPad时，这一产品允诺了“向后靠”的数字未来。

在那时，窝在扶手椅中，手执一款薄薄的科技产品，好像代表一种放纵。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. 现在，我们大多数人享有目前为止屏幕尺寸仅次于的智能手机，这竟然另一款大屏设备变得多余了。就像众所周知的最差照相机一样，最差的屏幕就是你随身携带的那块——也就是你口袋或包在里的那块。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. 为了让平板电脑重拾活力，苹果(Apple)于是以把iPad显得“专业化”，配上上更高的配备和价格。

这款平板电脑牢牢地盯住传统PC的功能，其设计不是为了让人们向后靠着读者文字或观赏视频，而是为了老大人们身体前倾、已完成工作。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. 时隔去年11月苹果公布新的12.9英寸iPad Pro之后，上月又发售了尺寸更加小、价格更加较低的9.7英寸iPad Pro。现在，我用于12.9英寸iPad Pro（还包括键盘和Apple Pencil）有数一段时间了，部分原因是为了报导苹果在库比提诺(Cupertino)举办的9.7英寸iPad Pro发布会。

我还在那里试用了一下后者。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. 对我来说，这两款iPad都不是PC的替代品，尽管它们都更加相似于符合输出和研究等日常工作。

比较iPad Air 2而言，它们的硬件都有了相当大提高，还包括性能好得多的扬声器，并为12.9英寸版获取了4G的大容量内存。Yet more interesting than the tablet itself are the iPad Pro’s dedicated accessories. 不过，比iPad Pro本身更加有一点注目的是它的专属附件。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. 苹果的键盘又重又轻巧，跟去年新的出品的MacBook有些类似于的感觉。

12.9英寸iPad Pro备有全尺寸键盘，十分好用，相结合“自动修正”功能，让我在苹果的主旨演说过程中能在腿上飞快地键入。亚光的织物表面一开始令人感觉额古怪，但我的确习惯了它。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.) 至关重要的是，iPad Pro配有了一个相连键盘的物理连接器，所以就不不存在我用于谷歌(Google)的Pixel C时遇上的蓝牙涉及问题。我在2月对Pixel C展开了评价。

（Pixel的部分键盘问题通过软件升级获得了解决问题，最近的Android beta试用版允诺减少分屏应用于，但Google Play应用于商店中合适平板电脑用于的软件自由选择受限，仍是一个问题。） 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的键盘就变得过于过灵活。尽管我就试用了几次，但对于一个盲打输出者而言，长时间文学创作不有可能感觉很难受。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，将近1重达的9.7英寸iPad Pro比12.9英寸iPad Pro要重得多，而且更加合适手执展开长时间读者。

尽管12.9英寸iPad Pro比大多数笔记本电脑重，但它还是让人感觉太重，特别是在当我整天用肩包装载它的时候。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. 在好用的键盘和更加重的屏幕之间做到自由选择，让我实在，这两款iPad Pro都不过于合适在工作中常常用于。

Pencil to paper 从笔到纸 By positioning the iPad Pro as a PC killer at its launch event, Apple is underplaying a different opportunity: replacing pen and paper. 苹果在发布会上把iPad Pro定位为PC刺客，却杀掉了另一个机会：代替笔和纸。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. 我不是素描艺术家，但苹果的Pencil附件意味著是我用过的最差的触感笔，它更容易设置，在整个屏幕上书写都很简洁而且对压力十分脆弱。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. 在柔软的表面上写和所画仍缺乏纸面的那种摩擦感觉，但它已非常适合于给文档做到注解（参看Planet of the Apps）和简要地做到笔记。

Pencil的主要缺失是我自己对它过于熟知：我常常记得把它拿出来或者带上在身边。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. 我在用于iPad Pro工作时没错失的一个附件是鼠标。

我讨厌轻敲屏幕，在段落之间跳来跳去，或挑选文字——我找到，这样做到比四处页面更加慢，更加符合人体工程学。Verdict 结论 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. 尽管三星(Samsung)和微软公司(Microsoft)出售备有键盘和触感笔的平板电脑有好多年了，但iOS和苹果应用于商店获取的软件体验仍是最差的，如今苹果有了与之给定的硬件。

The combination of increased computing power and new accessories does open up the tablet to many more new uses beyond Netflix and newspapers. 计算能力的强化再加新的附件，显然让平板电脑在Netflix和报纸之外减少了更加多的新用途。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也许不会代替PC，但目前，它仍是又一块可选屏幕，而不是必不可少的屏幕。

本文来源：云开平台app官方-www.nmsdrs.com