It’s here! Kind of

I'm writing this on Veteran's day, but scheduling it for Thursday. I still have a fairly active post about my promotional efforts and want to leave it on top over night.

My parents promised me an iPad Pro for my birthday. My birthday didn't exactly coincide with Apple's release plans, but they finally came through.

I watched the rumor mill for weeks. Apple vaguely said, “November.” The first rumor was for November 3rd, followed by the 6th. A fresh rumor said the 11th, then the 13th. Then it could be ordered on the 11th, but delivered on the 13th.

These posts were followed by a rash of comments that embarrassed all of humanity. All the commenters bashed iPad Pro as if they'd already used one. Everyone said it was a Microsoft Surface clone, or a Surface for posers. Some asked how Microsoft dared to call it a Pro, because it wouldn't run programs designed for a PC.

A few brave souls suggested that Pro might include other occupations than the narrow scope of the first commenter.

This thing has peripherals that include a keyboard case. This keyboard links directly to the Pro, and doesn't require Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a huge battery sucker, and I like the idea. It also has an optional Pencil device. This is a stylus that looks absolutely wonderful. It comes with a bunch of options like Highlighter and various other tools. It works inside various apps.

As far as the Pro designation goes, I can see a football coach drawing Xs and Os for plays right on the sidelines. I can also see the value to an author. Maybe it isn't suitable for AutoCad, but there are some folks who are really going to enjoy it.

I may never produce my own cover art, but I like to play around. Maybe I could send a rough sketch to a real cover artist to illustrate what I want. I can see an electronic Highlighter being handy too. It might even be useful for critiques. I'm sure more apps will be along soon with Pencil support.

I marched my butt down to the Apple Store today to place my order. I wanted to pick it up from them and have them transfer all my data.

To my surprise, it wasn't available for pre-order, it was available right now. I checked out the colors, and chose one in Space Grey. They got me out the door in about one hour. My novels took a lot of time to download.

Sadly, the peripherals aren't there today. I downloaded the Apple Store app and ordered them when I got home. I don't need anyone to help set up the peripherals. I've been fiddling with it ever since I got home.

I like the updated internal keyboard. It's nice to have numbers available without having to shift. I can see using the physical keyboard more, but today it's nice. I'm writing this post with it.

The visuals and audio are awesome. This bugger is fast too. It is surprisingly light being nearly twice as big as my other iPad. It's a bit slippery without a cover, but that will change soon.

I like the split screen option too. I can write in one window, and Google in another. I could make notes in a different app while writing. (Even by hand when the Pencil arrives.) The split is either 50/50 or something like 70/30. I like the 70/30 option. When I drag it completely away, I can drag it right back without losing my place.

I wrote about a bit of micro-fiction that came to me recently. This one involved magpies. I created this screenshot to show you what I'm talking about.

The writing window is on the left, and Bing is on the right.

I'd love to have the Pencil right now. Maybe I'd mark up some of those telling sentences and update the draft.

Im pretty excited about my new tool. Thanks Mom & Dad!