For the second year in a row, I’m attempting to use an iPad Pro as my personal computer, and I think I’ve figured out why everyone seems so salty about the iPad Pro not being able to replace their laptop like Apple says it can. I haven’t felt this fleeced since I purchased a pair of “Beats” earbuds in a strip mall parking lot.
I returned from Best Buy just moments ago with the brand new Apple Pencil, an accessory I tried to live without for my first six days with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. I already regret the purchase thirty minutes after sliding my card. Its plastic body feels utterly cheap, it only comes in a single color, and the plastic tip doesn’t do a great job of simulating the sensation of moving a pen across a sheet paper. It’s like writing with a replica wand from Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park.
But what really sticks in my craw is that this pen, which is outdone by Microsoft’s Surface Pen in every other way than how you charge it, costs a whopping $129.99.
The regret I’m feeling at this very moment has me thinking about cost and how it plays into how we feel about our stuff. What if the real reason people are salty about the iPad Pro’s software limitations is the truly absorbent amount of money one costs? My model, which has 256GB of storage and LTE connectivity, cost $1,299.99. Imagine paying that and the $199 keyboard I refuse to buy and not getting everything out of it you wanted?
Clearly, this Apple Pencil is going right back to where I purchased from. I’ll let you know if the iPad Pro itself ends up there too when I officially kick off the Expedition iPad series later this week.
Trav in Real Life is a collection of random musings.
