9.7 inch iPad Pro News: iPad Pro Promoted as an Ultimate PC Replacement, Is it There Yet?

In a recent "Let's Loop You In" event at Apple Inc, marketing chief, Phil Schiller, called their new range of iPad Pros as the ultimate PC replacement. At the face of it, this seems like a good idea for a user of an obsolete PC, at least five years or older.

However, it is not clear how Apple plans to deliver on the promise it made. Mostly because the new Apple iPad Pro lacks the fundamental PC tools to make it work like a PC. To make things harder, Apple weakens the tablets' utility by making it accessible only through App Store.

In a rat race to compete in hybrid of tablet and PC with Microsoft and Google, Apple may actually be loosing an opportunity to master the touch-based technology that they founded with iPhone.

PC sales may be declining as of today, but they are still a strong market with over 250 million units sold in previous year. But perhaps Apple went a step too far by calling their iPads a laptop replacement. It has the very failings that Apple execs once called as "deal breakers" for doing "real work" on a PC.

iPad Pro is not entirely a lost cause for the company. It has garnered mixed reviews for its performance and functionality. Joanna Stern of WSJ complained about the lack of a touch pad, highlighting the awkwardness of using a tablet for a PC.

While touch screen interface can be sophisticated and easy to use, trackpads and a mouse are still necessary for some of the most basic functions, such as selecting text. Using touch for something so simple can get cumbersome after a while.

The challenges that surround an iPad are not undefeatable. However, whether or not an iPad can fully replace a PC may be misleading. Hybrid's potential can only be ascertained with users, Apple and developers work together in merging a hardware and software that allows people to work in a seamless way.