iPad Pro Getting iPP, Pencil & Smart Keyboard to demo!

[artfossil]

My college's IT group received the iPad Pro and accessories they ordered and they are giving it to me to demo for a couple of weeks starting Monday! (With any luck I'll be able to stretch that out until the first of the year.)

It'll be on the college's account, so I can't test out all of my apps, but they have loaded Procreate, AutoDesk Graphite and Notability for me, and it'll have all the Apple apps of course.

Anything you think I should know/do/test/report?

I'm planning on purchasing my iPP in January after I receive some "found money."

And yes, I will carry it in a bag as I am a klutz.

 

[ifman]

Who are you testing or demoing for? Is this for possible instructor use? Or is it for student use or lab use? Also, what is your background? As a retired instructor and a former IT person, knowing what the university is looking to accomplish will help us help you.

 

[artfossil]

Silly me, I forgot all that. I teach studio art and creative thinking at the university level and do creativity research and am a practicing studio artist. I've taught a course for two semesters called "Creating with the iPad" where we supplied students with iPad Airs and styluses for the semester. In that course students photographed, drew, made animations and videos, and communicated using a variety of formats and formats. Those iPads are now getting outdated although they will continue to be used in courses aimed at iOS development, so "we" are wondering if "we" should invest in new iPads.

I am considering whether I want to develop a course using the iPP, and what direction that might take. (My colleagues only teach traditional drawing courses; I am more interested in drawing as thinking.) I will be looking at drawing on the iPad, of course, but also at the whole spectrum of creative and productive activity. I myself have the top of the line rMBP and a 30" Cinema Display but use my iPad Air 2 for 80 or 80% of my work, both academic and creative. One of my personal interests is in the particularities of the touch interface (for me, it was a revelation and quickly made my iPad 2 my device of choice, hence my choosing to develop a course where students worked solely on the iPad.) I find it fascinating to look at both the limitations and constraints of the iPad and how they both affect my thinking.

And for me personally, I want to see whether I want to buy the Smart Keyboard. And what kind of cover or sleeve I might want when I do buy my own iPP.

 

[ifman]

Thanks for the additional info. I retired as a visual arts instructor and also worked for several years with the DOE on staff training with technology. Your iPad course title sounds like something I would have loved to teach. If you were in my area, I would take that course too. I have used every version of iPad since its inception, every art app I could find and I have tried every stylus that was made. In my opinion they all pale in comparison to the iPad pro (except for portability due to size). If you have the wifi connectivity in your classroom so that you can send your iPad image up to a big screen, you have it made!

I have had my IPP for two weeks now and with the ipencil and Procreate it has been wonderful. With split screen on a very large screen I can read tutorials and view images on one half while working on the other. The pencil is the real game changer. It is the closest to a real pencil/paper experience I have seen. The glass is still slick but I might get a mat screen protector to give the screen surface more of a paper feel. I read that others say that is a good option.

I didn't want a keyboard case, I have a Bluetooth keyboard that will work for this. I have the Apple Smartcover, but for your needs I wouldn't recommend that. I also got the Orzly http://www.m.amazon.com/Orzly®-Multifunctional-Case-Apple-Model/dp/B017O2HGLC case for the hand strap option. I like to hold it with one hand by the strap for safety, and draw with the other. This will work till something better comes along. It was inexpensive.

 

[ifman]

For drawing apps check out Procreate, of course,...(I think you said you had that one), ArtStudio, Concepts, and Sketchbook Pro.

other apps I found classroom useful :
Socrative teacher (quiz app....must have student version on their iPads)
Socrative student
Essential Skeleton, (and companion apps, etc)
Sticky board 2 (flow chart, organization post its)
IF by IFTTT (if this, then, that)
My script calculator (great with ipencil)
And all the art history apps I could find ( too many to list)

 

[artfossil]

Thank you for all the info

Thanks for the additional info. I retired as a visual arts instructor and also worked for several years with the DOE on staff training with technology. Your iPad course title sounds like something I would have loved to teach. If you were in my area, I would take that course too. I have used every version of iPad since its inception, every art app I could find and I have tried every stylus that was made. In my opinion they all pale in comparison to the iPad pro (except for portability due to size). If you have the wifi connectivity in your classroom so that you can send your iPad image up to a big screen, you have it made!

I have had my IPP for two weeks now and with the ipencil and Procreate it has been wonderful. With split screen on a very large screen I can read tutorials and view images on one half while working on the other. The pencil is the real game changer. It is the closest to a real pencil/paper experience I have seen. The glass is still slick but I might get a mat screen protector to give the screen surface more of a paper feel. I read that others say that is a good option.

I didn't want a keyboard case, I have a Bluetooth keyboard that will work for this. I have the Apple Smartcover, but for your needs I wouldn't recommend that. I also got the Orzly http://www.m.amazon.com/Orzly®-Multifunctional-Case-Apple-Model/dp/B017O2HGLC case for the hand strap option. I like to hold it with one hand by the strap for safety, and draw with the other. This will work till something better comes along. It was inexpensive.

Thank you for the information and for the app suggestions, ifman! Like you, I have EVERY Bluetooth and pressure sensitive stylus and they are all interesting and all flawed. In my course we would talk about the technological challenging of replicating on the iPad what is so easy and trivial on paper: varying line weight and line pressure.

The classroom I taught in is equipped with modular, comfortable, upholstered rolling chairs and ottoman (ottowomen?), a hugely expensive projector and an Apple TV. As you note, one you can project your iPad screen for all to see, thin gas become interesting, and the beauty of AirPlay is anyone in the class can present at any time from anywhere. This completely changes the classroom environment, making it participatory and collaborative.

I will definitely test out the apps you suggested as well as take a look at the case option. Thanks again.