I was all set to complain that increasing the size from 9.7 to 10.5 was not a big enough jump to justify requiring people to buy new keyboards and accessories. Then I started typing on the on-screen keyboard and on the new hardware Smart Keyboard. Even though I'm dubious about Apple's claim that the software keyboard is "full size," I find the slight size increase makes touch typing much easier. It's still a little cramped, but it's much easier to bounce between this and a real keyboard now.

If you're a photographer looking for a better way to edit RAW files in the field, this might be for you. Ditto for videographers and producers looking to piece together rough cuts without running for a workstation. And if you're the kind of person contemplating a life without a traditional PC at home or in your bag, the power on display make the Pro 10.5 a good place to start ... though you may want to wait until iOS 11 launches. Long story short, this is an excellent machine with tons of untapped potential. Just make sure that it actually fits your lifestyle before dropping the cash on one.

I'd want the 10.5-inch Pro. But for many others, I don't think the upgrade is worth it. It could very well be the future of Apple computers, but in many ways the iPad Pro is doubling down on what it does best: being an iPad Pro. This is great hardware, seeking even more transformative software and accessories. More to come when we get a chance to load iOS 11 on this in the future.

Keyboard issues aside, the 10.5-inch model of the iPad Pro is a great device and loaded with a lot of potential and promise once it gets that iOS 11 update. After all these years, the iPad has struggled to find its purpose, but Apple's vision for the product is finally coming into focus. From the Microsoft Surface to the Samsung Galaxy Book, there's a lot of competition of the iPad in the pro tablet category. But even with its faults, the iPad Pro is the best tablet of the bunch.

With the iPad Pro, especially when it's armed with iOS 11, it's beginning to feel possible to see Apple in this world. The combination of custom silicon, a still robust and specifically attuned software ecosystem and a focus on security, Apple has everything it needs to make a strong showing here. Whether it leads to immediate growth of the category I don't yet know – but this particular recipe is coming to maturity. The iPad is a full-fledged computer, and you can argue against it but you're going to increasingly sound like a contrarian.

Those improved specs, the better keyboard, and all of iOS 11's new features (most notably the file manager and the new multitasking features) also earn these tablets more right to the "Pro" name than their predecessors had. The new hardware won't change your mind if you already think iPads have no business being "Pro," but in the fall when iOS 11 comes out these tablets are going to be more computer-y than they have been at any point in their seven-year history.

But if you are reckless enough to install the iOS 11 beta on the new iPad Pro? Holy smokes is this better. I used the iPad Pro for a full week with iOS 10.3.2 because that's the product that's shipping, but after upgrading to iOS 11 beta 1 this morning and using it to write this entire review,3 I'm just blown away by how much more useful this machine is, and how much easier it is to work with 5 or 6 apps at a time.

The most significant improvement to the iPad Pro is speed. The new tablet is notably faster: In speed tests run with the app Geekbench, the new iPad Pro was roughly 50 percent faster than its predecessor.

That means if you upgrade from an iPad older than last year's model, you will get a tremendous speed increase. The speed boost makes the new iPad Pro better at intense tasks like juggling multiple apps, editing high-resolution photos and playing graphics-heavy games.

The iPad's roomier 10.5-inch display can accommodate a full-sized keyboard onscreen as well as off, on Apple's Smart Keyboard cover (though you can technically use any Bluetooth keyboard with it). This makes typing more comfortable and more laptop-like, and makes the iPad Pro more deserving of its "pro" moniker.

That bigger screen is also brighter at 600 nits (lol, what a name for a spec) versus 500 in last year's model, and has a new anti-reflection coating that makes the tablet easier to work with in direct sunlight, especially outside. I used it next to a bright window, and the iPad display was still perfectly visible, but started to heat up with the brightness turned up to max.

There's something about the screen of the new 10.5" iPad Pro that feels immediately novel but quickly becomes normal, and something that seems obvious at first but reveals itself as a deeper change after a few days. As a heavy user of the 12.9" iPad Pro, I've been pleasantly deceived by this new iPad, and the more I think about it, the more I keep coming back to the display and the story behind its new form factor.

I've been using Apple's new 10.5-inch iPad Pro for five days now and there is a lot to like about the device. When you factor in what's coming this fall in iOS 11 and the features built specifically for iPad, you have a device that's more compelling than it's ever been before.