Apple may have revamped the iPad, but it's still not the future of computing

Apple unveiled its biggest, most powerful iPad last week. But it's doubtful the iPad Pro will produce a second renaissance for the tablet genre, as The Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims suggests.

Given the iPad Pro's extra productivity features - a keyboard, a pressure-sensing stylus, and processors that make it more powerful than 80% of notebook computers shipped last year - Mims argues we've reached "a weird moment in computing history when every major desktop and mobile OS, with the notable exception of Mac OS, will be competing on devices with the same ultra tablet form factor."

It's true, computers in general keep getting thinner - and soon, it's not difficult to imagine lots of people owning computers as thin and light as tablets, or tablets as powerful as computers.

Mims believes tablets and laptops will soon be indistinguishable, since you can easily connect peripherals to help you do work on your tablet that's traditionally performed on a desktop or laptop computer.

The iPad Pro is aimed at creative and working professionals, since it has the mobility and flexibility of an iPad but the power of a desktop computer. But it might not appeal to the mainstream crowd just yet since it's not yet cheaper or better than a laptop in many ways, and it's far too big and heavy to be a one-handed device (it's the heaviest iPad since the first-generation iPad).

But even if the iPad Pro were cheaper, it still wouldn't be the future of computing.

Of course, there needn't be only one way to get to the "future of computing." But more so than tablets, I'm putting my money on virtual and augmented reality.

Instead of looking at flat displays, VR and AR completely engrosses our eyes in three-dimensional environments, which makes content significantly more captivating. And even though it's not cheap right now, lots of big tech companies like Facebook and Sony are spending billions of dollars making it more accurate and efficient.

We've seen the applications: The potential for AR and VR is practically limitless. You can play games, watch videos, but most importantly, create and do work using virtual elements that appear in your field of view, using the same intuitive gestures you're familiar with on smartphones and tablets. All of this has incredible potential for education, entertainment, and so much more.

Virtual and augmented reality does things normal computers - phones, tablets, laptops and desktops - can't do. You can take a field trip to another country, or another world, without leaving the classroom. You can sit courtside at a basketball game without paying thousands of dollars or traveling to a crowded arena. Doctors and patients can learn more about conditions of the human body. Soldiers can conceptualize and simulate better tools for flight, vehicles, and combat. Architects can design buildings in a 3D space.

Tablets can certainly emulate some of these things, but not nearly at the level of immersion that virtual and augmented reality can achieve - you'll always feel like you're holding a tablet, which reinforces this idea that there's a real physical barrier between you and your content. Not so with AR and VR: Instead of owning devices for every screen size, you can immediately adjust the screen size of any images you're looking at through your head-mounted display, just by pinching and zooming. As Microsoft demonstrates, you can create a "TV" on your wall, resize it, and move it around.

The iPad is and will be a terrific device for many people for years to come. But with augmented and virtual reality, you won't even need any screens in your house except for the ones directly in front of your eyes. It certainly feels like the "next big thing" in technology; hopefully Apple doesn't miss out.

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