The Many Setups of the 2018 iPad Pro
But what makes iPad unique is that, unlike a desktop computer or laptop, it is able to take on other forms – and thus adapt to different contexts – simply by connecting to a variety of removable accessories. The iPad can be used while relaxing on a couch or connected to a 4K display with a Bluetooth keyboard; you can work on it while waiting in a car thanks to built-in 4G LTE, or put it into a Brydge keyboard case and turn it into a quasi-MacBook laptop that will confuse a lot of your friends who aren’t familiar with iPad Pro accessories. In a way, the iPad is modern computing’s version of Kirby, the famous Nintendo character that is a blank canvas on its own, but can absorb the capabilities of other characters when necessary.
See also: Marco flies next to a Microsoft commercial.
Previously: iPad Pro 2018.
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Ironically, while the hardware is incredibly flexible, the software is...not so much. It's actually more of an inverted Kirby: it can look like a lot of things, but the core functionality never actually changes (whereas Kirby always looks more or less the same, but gains drastically different abilities).
Many laptops take on a "new form" every single day when they are connected to external displays, keyboards, mice/trackpads, etc. It's s shame that Apple doesn't offer LTE modems on their laptops, but most people can tether using their phone. Not to mention that Mac laptops can turn into a gaming machine with Boot Camp and an eGPU.
It's great that people love their iPads, but lumping desktops together with laptops in terms of flexibility is just as unfair as calling iPads giant iPhones based on their OS. Laptops are darn flexible, that's why they're so popular.
Sigh.