Inside Ksh185K Devices Used In Ruto's First Paperless Cabinet Meeting [PHOTOS]

President William Ruto honoured his promise made earlier this month of doing away with papers during subsequent Cabinet meetings, the first time this has ever happened since independence.

On Tuesday, January 31, President Ruto chaired his first paperless Cabinet meeting, with Cabinet Secretaries (CS) in attendance captured in photos familiarising themselves with the digital devices that were already set up within State House.

Cabinet Secretaries arrived at State House, Nairobi, without the traditional bulky folders, large briefcases and huge files. In the Cabinet room, they found secured portable digital devices interconnected and attached to their files, memos and a secure notebook to assist them to take notes in the meeting without leaving the devices.

Viral Tea established that the devices they were using during the meeting are the Apple iPad Pro devices, thought to be more powerful than the original iPad tablets.

Cabinet Secretaries using their tablets during the Cabinet meeting on January 31, 2023. /STATE HOUSE KENYA

Features

According to the Apple official website, the iPad Pro comes with an M2 chip termed as the next generation of Apple silicon, with an 8‑core CPU that delivers up to 15 per cent faster performance and a 10‑core GPU that provides up to 35 per cent faster graphics performance.

With a 40 per cent faster Neural Engine to accelerate machine learning tasks and 50 per cent more memory bandwidth, M2 brings astonishing performance and new capabilities to iPad Pro, which allows one to create photorealistic 3D designs, build intricate AR models, and play games with console‑quality graphics at high frame rates faster than ever. All while enjoying all‑day battery life.

The high‑performance media engine on M2 accelerates ProRes encoding and decoding so one can convert video projects to ProRes up to 3x faster than before.

"Now for the first time, you can capture ProRes video, using the high-performance media engine and image signal processor on M2 and advanced cameras on iPad Pro. Five studio‑quality microphones and four‑speaker audio with support for Dolby Atmos let you record and deliver theatre-like sound," Apple explained in part.

The device also comes with a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display that delivers true-to-life detail with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, great for viewing and editing HDR photos and videos or enjoying your favourite movies and TV shows.

It also features 1,000 nits of full‑screen brightness and 1,600 nits of peak brightness along with advanced display technologies like P3 wide colour, True Tone, and ProMotion, coupled with the use of Reference Mode for a more colour-accurate workflow. To achieve extremely high brightness, the screen is powered by over 10,000 mini-LEDs that are 120 times smaller than in previous generations.

The iPad is powered by the iPadOS 16 which offers powerful new ways to do more than ever, with new desktop-class apps making one's workday more productive. One can resize and overlap apps to multitask like a pro with Stage Manager as well as hook up an external display, with resolutions up to 6K, for even more room for all their apps.

Features of the iPad Pro. /REDDIT

It features an Ultra Wide camera with a 12MP sensor and a 122‑degree field of view, perfect for capturing photos and video for social posts, FaceTime calls with Center Stage or epic Portrait mode selfies. It also works with the TrueDepth camera to securely unlock iPad Pro with Face ID.

Using the Ultra Wide camera and machine learning, Center Stage changes the way one participates in video calls.

As you move around, it automatically adjusts to keep you centred in the frame and when others join in or leave the call, the view expands or zooms in. Center Stage works with FaceTime and other video conferencing apps for an even more engaging experience.

iPad has always been uniquely portable with superfast Wi‑Fi and cellular options. With Wi‑Fi 6E however, one gets the fastest wireless connection available, which means faster transfers of photos, documents, and large video files.

"With 5G capabilities, you can connect to the fastest wireless networks when you need to download files, stream movies, collaborate with colleagues, and upload content on the go. And iPad Pro has the most 5G bands of any device of its kind — so it can get 5G in more places," Apple adds.

The iPad Pro also comes with an Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard, and the Smart Keyboard Folio which allows one to draw a masterpiece, take notes or successfully come up with a business plan. With the power of Apple Pencil (2nd generation), iPad Pro transforms into an immersive drawing canvas and the world’s best note‑taking device as well as setting the standard for how drawing, marking up documents, and even filling in text fields should feel — intuitive, precise, and magical.

The Magic Keyboard features a responsive typing experience and a built‑in trackpad as well as backlit keys that allow one to type even in the darkness.

Price

Getting one of these iPad Pro devices, which have even been used by President Ruto in his public addresses, is not a cheap affair. Depending on your favoured storage specifications, it can set you back up to Ksh185,000.

Image of an iPad Pro. /THE VERGE

The bold move to roll out paperless meetings is expected to significantly reduce the cost of printing and enhance the security of Cabinet records. 

"President Ruto said the digitisation of cabinet meetings was a clear signal that the Government was going digital. He said it will enhance service delivery by fostering efficiency and eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy in government," State House stated in part.

"Kenyans will be able to access government services from anywhere, from their home or offices, without having to go unnecessarily to government offices and wait in long queues," he said. 

A paperless system is in line with President Ruto's climate change initiative.