Ok. So after hovering in this forum today I have finally picked up an 11” from the apple store today. That’s after having a good play with the 12.9” for the past 12 days. I’m a teacher so I use whiteboard apps (Show Me, EE, etc) a lot - particularly when I go out to tutoring jobs. I also use Notability, GoodNotes, when important Exam Papers (pdf) and annotate them. But I mainly use the iPad for my own entertainment (web browsing, music, Netflix, YouTube etc) and occasional Reading (iBooks).
These are my impressions
12.9”
+ Screen fantastic for whiteboard
+ Not too heavy
+ Full webpages in Safari
+ 4:3 aspect ratio seems nicer for writing
- In bed the screen size is overwhelming
- Can be a little cumbersome when someone else in the same bed is tossing/turning. Often dropped it.
- Considerably more expensive
11” (Only played for about 2 hours)
+ Much more portable
+ Lighter and not cumbersome to hold one hand - doesn’t make hand tired
+ Still able to watch Netflix YouTube comfortably
- A lot of the apps I use (SHow me, YouTube etc) still not updated and black borders - ugly
- The screen in portrait when writing on it seems narrow (almost like Surface Pro)
- Websites seem to load in mobile mode - not full pages like on the 12.9”
In context, I do have a MacBook Pro 15” for the bulk of my work such as planning etc - so at the moment leaning towards the 11”. I have initiated a return on the 12.9” already -but I have a feeling I will miss the screen estate. Still unsure what to keep!!