WEBVTT

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Remember that commercial Apple released a couple of years ago

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with the young girl living her epic life with an iPad?

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At the end, while typing away on her smart keyboard, her neighbor asks what she's doing on her computer.

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To which she responds, what's a computer?

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Ugh. Oh, that still hurts today, man, how we hated that line.

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It's interesting though, because since then, Apple's been working very hard to make the iPad

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more computer-like with things like a USB-C port

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and trackpad and mouse support. It leads us to this.

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The Kensington Studio Dock. It's the first accessory of its kind,

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and it asks the question, what if iPad was a desktop?

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So, does it earn its $379 price tag?

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And if it does, can the iPad even keep up?

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The Kensington Studio Dock is one of the most comprehensive iPad docks out there.

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It's designed for the ultimate Apple user, compatible with the latest-gen, flat-edged USB Type-C iPads,

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sporting two wireless charging pads, perfect for your iPhone and AirPods,

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and supporting the Apple Watch with this optional charging adapter too.

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It plants your iPad firmly on the desk through a built-in hub that sports Gigabit Ethernet

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four USB-3 ports, SD card reader, headset jack,

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and an HDMI 2.0 output. Design-wise, it's all nicely integrated.

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I do love the fabric mat on the wireless chargers

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and how the iPad sits on the dock with minimal intrusion,

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unlike other stands with their massive grabby grips on either side.

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It rotates 90 degrees. This feels great, and it tilts beyond 90.

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This feels okay. There's no swivel or height adjust, but I didn't really miss that.

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But that doesn't mean I don't have gripes. Firstly, it's nowhere near Apple's standards

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of build quality. The back is black plastic that creaks if you grab it,

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and the placement of this power button is going to kill me.

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Why isn't it in the center? The other sticking point is that it's not that easy

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to place the iPad in here. It's supposed to slide into this USB-C plug

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and stay secure with magnets, but there's also this grippy rubber pad and guard rails,

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which are great at holding things together once docked, but all these components are fighting each other

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on the way in, to the extent that

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the experience is just finicky rather than easy. You have to slide it in at a slight angle like this,

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and then just kind of mush it in. It's just not satisfying, but once it's in,

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your iPad really well and truly does become a computer,

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rotating between portrait for focused writing sessions

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and landscape for multitasking. And if you do hook it up into an external monitor

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with a mouse and keyboard, it really starts to feel like a desktop.

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Well, almost. Here's the problem.

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iPadOS really isn't a desktop operating system. External display support from the HDMI output

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is only a mirror of the iPad interface unless you're viewing photos or video.

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Oh, and 4K resolution only works with the pros. This iPad Air Max is out at 1080p.

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Regardless of resolution, you're going to get pillar boxing. And though the iPad on paper is a four by three aspect ratio,

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don't expect it to fill those old monitors completely.

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Now, how about going in the other direction and bringing your Mac screen to the iPad with Sidecar?

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You can do that, but only wirelessly. So it's not the most responsive experience.

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Unfortunately, this USB-C port won't pass through.

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That being said, I use the iPad and the stock for a whole week, and it is remarkably capable.

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I could easily write scripts, edit photos with Lightroom,

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and when I was web browsing, I'd even forget I was on an iPad.

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But the problem is that there are some times where it's very clearly not capable enough,

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like when I needed to add a hyperlink to an email or multitask while on a video call

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without having my camera turn off.

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So then, who is the StudioDoc for?

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This was the cause of much discussion in the office as we puzzled over this.

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The product bump shows a photographer person doing something with photos, but that's not enough.

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So here's the list I came up with.

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Is it for realtors? Asked mine, said no.

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Salesperson, asked when I know, also said no.

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Artists, don't ask.

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Point of sale, spoiled children, writer.

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People with tiny desks?

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Yeah, people with tiny desks, especially considering how much new apartments

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have been shrinking these days. So should you buy the Kensington StudioDoc?

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At $379 for the small and $399 for the large model,

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it's certainly a steep price. But the iPad has come a long way

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since the days of half-baked accessibility mouse support and a lack of file server connectivity.

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And if you buy all the elements of the StudioDoc separately,

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the hub, the wireless chargers, the stand, you'd be saving at least $115.

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So that certainly would be a less expensive route, but it won't be as clean on your tiny baby hands desk.

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If you like what the StudioDoc offers, it's really the only game in town.

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Those who are really committed to what the iPad has to offer

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and use it for everything will find this quite perfect.

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But while I personally may feel the iPad is best as a comfortable computer for the bed, living room,

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and bathroom, I can't help but feel

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that what Kensington is saying with the StudioDoc is, your move, Apple, you know what a computer is,

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it lays bare the iPad's capabilities and limitations.

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Clearly Kensington thinks the iPad is ready to sit, elevated, at the desk, ready for business, or whatever.

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Thank you for popping into this Mac Address. I'm really curious who you think this iPadDoc is for,

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so please explain in the comments. There's something about the iPad conceptually

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that gets people passionate for or against it. This StudioDoc won't help that discussion.