• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
TechThe Mobile Executive

Why Apple Wants You to Believe iPad Pro Is a Computer

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 3, 2016, 9:44 AM ET
Apple's iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard.
Apple's iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard.Photo by Jason Cipriani
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Apple really, really wants you to believe that its iPad Pro is a computer—and there’s good reason for that.

The tech giant recently released an iPad Pro ad called “What’s a Computer?” In it, the company extols the virtues of its iPad Pro, a high-end tablet designed first for corporate users, showcasing how with help from its keyboard-cover combination, it can act like any notebook you’ve used before.

“Just when you think you know what a computer is, you see a keyboard that can just get out of the way. And a screen you can touch—and even write on,” the ad’s narrator says as iPad Pro is shown in-use. “When you see a computer that can do all that, it might just make you wonder, ‘Hey, what else could it do?'”

The ad ends with “Imagine what your computer could do if your computer was an iPad Pro.”

Even on Apple’s (AAPL) website, the company makes the pitch that the iPad Pro is a computer, calling the device “Super. Computer.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

To many, Apple’s argument might seem odd. The iPad, which launched in 2010, has long been known as a tablet, and has been bundled in every analyst report on tablets since its inception. Now, though, Apple wants customers to believe that at least one of its models is really a computer.

Admittedly, making such an argument could be difficult. The iPad Pro is running a mobile operating system in iOS that customers would find elsewhere in its iPad mini and iPad Air 2 tablets, as well as the company’s line of iPhones. Apple’s computers, named Macs, run on a different, desktop-friendly operating system.

But pitching customers that an iPad Pro is really a computer could be critical to Apple overcoming what has been a troubled tablet division while appealing to what appears to be a growing customer base interested in so-called two-in-one hybrid devices. Indeed, never before has the line between computers and tablets been so blurred.

What exactly is a hybrid?

Defining exactly what a two-in-one hybrid isn’t even simple. While they’re nearly all running on Windows and each features a touchscreen, they come in a slew of variants. PC makers like Dell, Lenovo, and others, sell devices that have hinged keyboards, allowing them to whip around and use the device as a tablet or as a standard notebook with ease. Others, like Acer, offer products with detachable screens that similarly allow them to be used as both a notebook or tablet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zPYW6Ipgok

The only reasonable definition for a hybrid computer, therefore, is that they should be convertible from a tablet to a notebook.

In that respect, then, Apple might be right that its iPad Pro is a computer. After all, if a hybrid is a traditional computer, the iPad Pro isn’t all that different, even if it’s running a mobile operating system instead of a desktop operating system.

Characterizing the iPad Pro as a hybrid (and making customers believe it) also helps Apple fill one, huge gap in its product lineup: it’s the only major computer maker that doesn’t sell a traditional hybrid.

According to research firm IDC, hybrids are boosting an otherwise troubled PC market. In March, IDC said that the PC market is “bottoming out.” Soon after, IDC reported that hybrids would see shipments grow, despite declines in both the PC and tablet industries.

PC makers witnessing that growing demand is likely why so many companies are launching more hybrids than ever before.

It’s also likely why Apple wants to demonstrate how its iPad Pro can transition from a tablet and notebook with ease.

For more about the Apple iPad Pro, watch:


But there’s more to it than that for Apple. While the company’s iPad division (which the iPad Pro is still included in) is in decline, in its last-reported quarter, Apple said that its iPad average selling price was up, due in no small part to the higher-priced and higher-end iPad Pro. The iPad Pro, in other words, could be critical to rebuilding Apple’s iPad business.

The Apple conundrum

All of that—market demand, lack of a true hybrid, and iPad dynamics—apparently left Apple with a conundrum: how can it attract customers to a tablet?

Based on Apple’s latest ad, it seems clear the company has seen demand for hybrids soar and, with nothing quite like a hybrid to offer itself, is pitching its most-powerful iPad as an option for those seeking hybrids.

But there are some important items missing from that equation that Apple will need to address to make its case. Hybrids today mostly launch with desktop operating systems that are more powerful than iOS. In order to truly get the full two-in-one experience, customers will need to buy an attachable keyboard either from Apple or a third-party accessories maker. Out of the box, the iPad Pro is just a big tablet.

With the right accessories, though, it could be a hybrid computer.

Therefore, it’s not as simple as Apple or its critics who say the iPad is just a tablet might claim. Maybe the definition of “computer” is just changing.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
11 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s AI models are back online after a two-week government standoff—settling the company and administration into a fragile truce
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
12 hours ago
Nikesh Arora, chief executive officer at Palo Alto Networks
SuccessJobs
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
13 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
In this photo illustration, a Cisco logo is displayed on a smartphone with Artificial Intellingence (AI) symbols in the background.
AICFO Daily
Cisco is rolling out AI agents to every single one of its 90,000 employees
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
senate
CommentaryCongress
One rare bipartisan AI bill is moving through Congress. Here’s why it deserves to pass
By Neil Björkman and Betsy BrewerJuly 1, 2026
17 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
21 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
19 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.