Boring tablet space heats up as Microsoft exec says iPad Pro wouldn’t exist without Surface

Apple's just-released iPad Pro represents a brief moment of excitement in a market segment that is otherwise a terrible bore. Tablets are great devices, of course, but the market is already in decline following the realization that for most people, tablets cannot actually replace either a laptop or a smartphone. That places them squarely in a category with other luxury items; they're nice to have, but they're hardly a necessity.
The new iPad Pro is the most powerful iPad Apple has ever made. In