What makes an iPad "Pro"? Not long ago, you might have included a larger screen in the list of characteristics that turns an ordinary iPad into a Pro device, but not anymore. With the iPad Pro 9.7, Apple has turned that idea on its head.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro is the most powerful tablet Apple has ever produced and it has the credentials to hold its own against many laptops. For creativity and productivity on the go, the iPad Pro offers a lot more than any other tablet on the market.

Tablets haven't had a great time lately. In the last two years, sales have plummeted and production has slowed to a crawl. While a lot of that is due to the fact they don't have the manic upgrade calendar of traditional computers or smartphones, it's also because they're really all about consuming...

If you're Apple, how do you decide what constitutes a "Pro" device? Is it in the specs? Usually Pro products are faster and offer more storage and RAM than their non-Pro counterparts. Is it something special about the hardware and software?

Great performance; The A9X is still a fast chip, and it's a big upgrade over the A8X in some important ways, Characteristically great build quality, Great screen with a wide color gamut.

Smart Keyboard is more cramped; which makes typing more frustrating; Aside from Apple Pencil support; it doesn't offer a ton of features that the now-cheaper iPad Air 2 doesn't also offer; iOS is still a limiting operating system in a lot of ways; and using an iPad as your primary computer still...

With this latest update, Apple again shows that each generation of iPad is edging closer to the capabilities that not long ago were limited to traditional desktops and laptops. The iPad actually surpasses a PC in some ways with features like the True Tone display; support for the Apple Pencil as a...

Updated processor; improved speaker design; incredible display; great cameras; variety of useful accessories

Optional keyboard can feel a bit cramped

The Apple iPad Pro 9.7 packs scads of speed and power, a gorgeous 9.7-inch screen and spectacular camera into its wafer-thin silhouette. If you want the best tablet money can buy, reviews say this is it; everything just works.

Thin and light; Powerful; Easy to use; Ultra-reliable; Fabulous screen

None noted in reviews

This is a long-term review after months of use of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro for designers and artists – whether you're a hand-drawn illustrator, a graphic or digital/UX designer, 3D artist, creative director or other creative pro. For a more general review of the iPad Pro, see our sister site Macworld .

When Apple released the 9.7-inch iPad Pro , the iPad lineup became a little more complicated. Which model should you get? A product review can help you make a decision.

I've tired of tablets, and I'm not alone. The glorious days of finger-computing arrived, certainly, but it was big-screen smartphones that benefited most from them, and persuading new or existing tablet owners to take the plunge or upgrade has proved harder than manufacturers expected.

Nearly a year and a half after the release of the iPad Air 2, Apple recently unveiled a new 9.7-inch iPad. However, this was not the iPad Air 3, but rather a new member of the iPad Pro family.