The iPad Pro – First Impressions with Carolyn Hall Young – The Artist’s Perspective

Yesterday, the brand new iPad Pro became available in over 40 countries worldwide, including in stores and online. Many mobile artists were among the first to purchase this epic 12.9 inch device, including of course, none other than Carolyn Hall Young. You may recall Hall Young’s recent TrueView Interview as well as our podcast, where she explained how much she loves iPad painting and has completed 1,450 serious digital portrait paintings on her older iPads and she confessed she has been drooling about the release of the iPad Pro, ever since it was announced.

Well, usually bed-bound Hall Young collected her brand new iPad Pro in person, yesterday, at her local Apple Store in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.  Sensibly, Hall Young contacted the store first and Mac Expert – Suzanne Clute reserved one ready for collection. (We have images below of Hall Young in the Apple Store). Following this purchase, she then went to visit her neighbour Bobbie Aamodt, for her 98th birthday to show her the brand new iPad Pro (photos below). This phenomenal woman, 98 year old Bobbi Aamodt, took to the iPad Pro “like a duck to water”, explained Hall Young. She cannot wait to make her own purchase of this unparalleled device.

We asked Hall Young for her first impressions of the iPad Pro, from an artist’s perspective. Hall Young explained, when she first entered the Apple Store and saw the iPad Pro, she was initially disappointed that it was not larger. When she held it and started to use it, she realised it was the “perfect size”. For digital painting, of which Hall Young does tirelessly, she explained that there’s a “huge improvement in the viewable painting area and the screen itself is utterly beautiful, the scale for viewing the ergonomics work for me”, expressed Hall Young.  “The transfer rate between picture, uploads and downloads is significantly faster than with the iPad Air 2 and the transition from her iPad Air 2 to the iPad Pro was seamless,  said Hall Young. The new Apple Pencil and smart keyboard that Apple have launched alongside the iPad Pro were available to test in store (delivery will be later) and Hall Young has ordered both. Procreate and iColorama are favourite apps for Hall Young and these were not available to test in store with the new pressure sensitive Apple Pencil, however her first impressions were favourable. The design of the new capacitive pencil is slim and “it’s a little slippery and not a ‘gripable’ design” per se, however, as with many of Hall Young’s other styli she has rigged them to aid her painting. The smart keyboard she found to be”‘very responsive” and “utterly amazing”.

When Hall Young left the Apple Store in her wheelchair with oxygen attached and her husband Warren pushing her through the doors, the Apple Staff and their surrounding customers all stopped and turned and congratulated her on her purchase and expressed their good wishes. What an incredible day! What an atmosphere! We cannot wait to see what she creates with her iPad Pro!