Skip to Content

Tim Cook: iPad Pro Will Replace Notebooks and Desktops for 'Many, Many People'

Ahead of the launch of the iPad Pro, Apple executives have been doing a series of interviews to drum up excitement and interest in the device. Earlier today, The Independent published an interview with Tim Cook where he shared his thoughts on the Apple Pencil and the iPad Pro's target market.

MacBook-iPad-Pro
This afternoon, The Telegraph published a second interview where Tim Cook spoke further on his vision of the iPad Pro as a PC replacement and how tablets are subsuming the PC market. According to Cook, the iPad Pro will serve as a replacement for a notebook or desktop computer for "many, many people."

"I think if you're looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?" [...]

"Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones."

Cook also said the iPad Pro will be highly appealing to artists and other creatives, pointing towards the ease of use of the Apple Pencil and the iPad Pro's sound system, two features he also highlighted in his earlier interview with The Independent.

appletvappstore
According to Cook, sales of the new Apple TV were "very strong," a sentiment he echoed for the Apple Watch, which will "set a new record this quarter." Cook also said Apple doesn't have plans to introduce sensors or other health features that would cause the FDA to get involved with the device. He didn't rule out the possibility of other products that require FDA approval, like apps.

We don't want to put the watch through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) process. I wouldn't mind putting something adjacent to the watch through it, but not the watch, because it would hold us back from innovating too much, the cycles are too long. But you can begin to envision other things that might be adjacent to it -- maybe an app, maybe something else."

Tim Cook's interview, where he also speaks on the iPad mini 4 and device cannibalization, the health benefits of the Apple Watch, and the possibility of an Apple subscription service is well worth reading over at The Telegraph.

Apple's iPad Pro will go on sale online on Wednesday, November 11. Pricing for the iPad Pro starts at $799 for the entry-level 32GB Wi-Fi only model. A 128GB Wi-Fi only model is available for $949, and a 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model is available for $1,079.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

MacBook Neo Feature Pastel 1

First MacBook Neo Benchmarks Are In: Here's How It Compares to the M1 MacBook Air

Thursday March 5, 2026 4:07 pm PST by
Benchmarks for the new MacBook Neo surfaced today, and unsurprisingly, CPU performance is almost identical to the iPhone 16 Pro. The MacBook Neo uses the same 6-core A18 Pro chip that was first introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro, but it has one fewer GPU core. The MacBook Neo earned a single-core score of 3461 and a multi-core score of 8668, along with a Metal score of 31286. Here's how the...
MacBook Neo Feature Pastel 1

Apple Announces $599 'MacBook Neo' With A18 Pro Chip

Wednesday March 4, 2026 6:15 am PST by
Apple today announced the "MacBook Neo," an all-new kind of low-cost Mac featuring the A18 Pro chip for $599. The MacBook Neo is the first Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip; the A18 Pro debuted in 2024's iPhone 16 Pro models. Apple says it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads,...
Multicolored Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature

Apple Accidentally Leaks 'MacBook Neo'

Tuesday March 3, 2026 7:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have prematurely revealed the name of its rumored lower-cost MacBook model, which is expected to be announced this Wednesday. A regulatory document for a "MacBook Neo" (Model A3404) has appeared on Apple's website. Unfortunately, there are no further details or images available yet. While the PDF file does not contain the "MacBook Neo" name, it briefly appeared in a link...

Top Rated Comments

Crosscreek Avatar
135 months ago
Yeah...No, I don't think so Tim.
Score: 96 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Slix Avatar
135 months ago
"PCs are going to be like trucks. They are still going to be around. However, only one out of x people will need them."
- Steve Jobs

For a lot of people, this idea that only some people need a full fledged laptop or desktop computer is already a reality. Us techie people don't see it though, because we love our computers. We're the truck drivers.
Score: 94 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jaro65 Avatar
135 months ago
In related news: iPad Pro Will Not Replace Notebooks and Desktops for 'Many, Many People' until it runs full OS X.
Score: 75 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Alvi Avatar
135 months ago
Many many people? I guess that's less than a handful in my perspective. The thing isn't much more useful than a 300$ iPad Mini and it can cost as much as a MacBook, I guess there are only a few artists that can take advantage of the Stylus game for real
Score: 67 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Flow39 Avatar
135 months ago
Until it can run full desktop apps, it won't be replacing my MacBook Pro.
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Flow39 Avatar
135 months ago
Apple doesn't care about PRO consumers anymore.
Unfortunately the truth. The "Pro" moniker basically means "spend a lot more to get something marginally better than the standard version."
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)