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iPad Pro 11 or 12.9 Pro ?
- Thread starter George Dawes
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It depends on your use case.
11 is designed as more of a bed/couch/train type of device where you can read and watch videos.
12.9 I have noticed has a better table presence, and is far better with the keyboard attachment in the lap.
I would say that the 12.9 is a true laptop replacement and the 11 is more of an entertainment device.
I got the 11 and it is perfect in every way.
11 is designed as more of a bed/couch/train type of device where you can read and watch videos.
12.9 I have noticed has a better table presence, and is far better with the keyboard attachment in the lap.
I would say that the 12.9 is a true laptop replacement and the 11 is more of an entertainment device.
I got the 11 and it is perfect in every way.
I guess that could be the case for some. Doesn't bother me not even the least and I have an Oled TV and the iPhone X
Went to check out the new iPads in Best Buy yesterday. Was fiddling around with the 12.9" model for about 5 minutes before I realized it wasn't the 11" model. That kind of blew me away. The 11" looked tiny in comparison, once I finally noticed it, LOL.
Take it home around the house and then pull it out in the coffee shop etc (if that's your thing) - then do the same with the 11' - you will then appreciate the difference, there is one.
I did this with both and the 12.9, to me, in day to day use (not just next to 11" in a store) is still slightly big. I really wanted the 12.9 to be my main iPad but it didn't feel like a tablet I can grab and manipulate as a tablet... still just alittle big unless its going to stay at home... I want a 12" iPad. Until then 11" is great.
Update : Also depends if its going to be your main device. But I use my 11" a lot - second screen, tv, consumption, casual browsing, emails, planning, notes, journal... but I do my work on a 15" MacBook Pro.
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Do people carry both iPad and Mac laptop?
I compared the 12.9 to my 13". The dimensions are similar. Without any case, the 12.9 is lighter. But with a case, the difference is not huge.
Bought the 12.9 hoping that it would my sole device on travel. But I realized that I still need my Macbook for work. For example, there's no way to open 2 or 3 word documents for easy copy and paste ...
However, reading academic PDF papers and writing notes are far better on the 12.9 than my 9.7 Pro. Would 11" be too cramped for these applications?
I will be in a store tomorrow, want to see if I can still exchange the 12.9 for a 11" ...
I compared the 12.9 to my 13". The dimensions are similar. Without any case, the 12.9 is lighter. But with a case, the difference is not huge.
Bought the 12.9 hoping that it would my sole device on travel. But I realized that I still need my Macbook for work. For example, there's no way to open 2 or 3 word documents for easy copy and paste ...
However, reading academic PDF papers and writing notes are far better on the 12.9 than my 9.7 Pro. Would 11" be too cramped for these applications?
I will be in a store tomorrow, want to see if I can still exchange the 12.9 for a 11" ...
So im one of the ones affected by the "indecision bug." I've had both for the last three weeks and have gone back and forth. I had the 10.5 and I really really want to have the 12.9. But ultimately I can't. I've tried...i've tried to say that the difference is not that much in weight for the extra screen you get. meaning, you get far more screen for very little increased weight. i get that when in my bag, they are both basically the same.
but while the 12.9 is awesome, its still just a bit big for "some" things. I have tried using the 12.9 without the folio while around the house and i think that's the best way to use it so that it feels more comfortable and this can be done so easily with the new folios. But there is still just a bit of extra discomfort and it comes because, while the weight diff is only .4 lbs, the distribution is different. the 12.9 has slightly more weight further away from your hand and fingers so it creates a larger moment(like in physics) that makes maneuvering it noticeably different. i walk around the house a lot with the iPad and read blogs or texts while doing so and after a few weeks, its noticeable that the 11 is just effortless while walking around. it literally disappears and you aren't even aware of the weight, specially without the folio. (the 11 iPad with its folio cover is the exact weight as the 12.9 Without the cover according to my kitchen scale)
I love the 12.9 while laying in bed as i don't have to look down as far and i rest it on my chest. I love it while im on the sofa and usually i can rest it on my lap and its a little further away from my eyes that way and i can still read comfortably. i love it while its propped up and im watching Netflix on it. and i want to love it because its the large leap from the 10.5 that i had.
however... I've always had a 13 inch MacBook air as my laptop at home and i've had the 10.5 iPad. there are somethings that i've always just put the iPad down and grabbed the Macbook for. My wife just got a MacBook Air 2018, and loves it...and when i put my 12.9 right next to the Air, the difference is very very small, the MacBook Air is basically a little longer but the same height. the MacBook air and the 12.9 both fit in my bag. if the Macbook Air is so small now, and so portable, and if im going to HAVE to have a MacBook for somethings, it does not make sense to keep the 12.9.
if i ever want to travel with a large 12 inch display, the Macbook Air is just as portable as the 12.9 iPad to me. so if that's what i need on a trip(large display and keyboard), i can't really say the iPad is better.. i'll just throw the Macbook Air and go that route for that trip. Any other time, the 11 inch iPad is so much more portable and easy to carry. so if im going to get a MacBook air for things like multi window productivity, multiple documents open at the same time, banking spreadsheets, a proper desktop to organize files and move things around on, and so on, the 12.9 iPad feels more and more like im trying to justify having it while deep down, knowing that i just need to keep the 11 and get the Macbook for the best of all worlds.
so, if this helps anyone... for me, of course, the iPad is not my only or main device and I do have to have a MacBook for things that i just don't know how you'd do it on the iPad, or it'd be so cumbersome that i'd get frustrated.
maybe im just old and used to old school ways of doing things! lol!
long story short: after much much deliberating, i'm keeping the 11.
but while the 12.9 is awesome, its still just a bit big for "some" things. I have tried using the 12.9 without the folio while around the house and i think that's the best way to use it so that it feels more comfortable and this can be done so easily with the new folios. But there is still just a bit of extra discomfort and it comes because, while the weight diff is only .4 lbs, the distribution is different. the 12.9 has slightly more weight further away from your hand and fingers so it creates a larger moment(like in physics) that makes maneuvering it noticeably different. i walk around the house a lot with the iPad and read blogs or texts while doing so and after a few weeks, its noticeable that the 11 is just effortless while walking around. it literally disappears and you aren't even aware of the weight, specially without the folio. (the 11 iPad with its folio cover is the exact weight as the 12.9 Without the cover according to my kitchen scale)
I love the 12.9 while laying in bed as i don't have to look down as far and i rest it on my chest. I love it while im on the sofa and usually i can rest it on my lap and its a little further away from my eyes that way and i can still read comfortably. i love it while its propped up and im watching Netflix on it. and i want to love it because its the large leap from the 10.5 that i had.
however... I've always had a 13 inch MacBook air as my laptop at home and i've had the 10.5 iPad. there are somethings that i've always just put the iPad down and grabbed the Macbook for. My wife just got a MacBook Air 2018, and loves it...and when i put my 12.9 right next to the Air, the difference is very very small, the MacBook Air is basically a little longer but the same height. the MacBook air and the 12.9 both fit in my bag. if the Macbook Air is so small now, and so portable, and if im going to HAVE to have a MacBook for somethings, it does not make sense to keep the 12.9.
if i ever want to travel with a large 12 inch display, the Macbook Air is just as portable as the 12.9 iPad to me. so if that's what i need on a trip(large display and keyboard), i can't really say the iPad is better.. i'll just throw the Macbook Air and go that route for that trip. Any other time, the 11 inch iPad is so much more portable and easy to carry. so if im going to get a MacBook air for things like multi window productivity, multiple documents open at the same time, banking spreadsheets, a proper desktop to organize files and move things around on, and so on, the 12.9 iPad feels more and more like im trying to justify having it while deep down, knowing that i just need to keep the 11 and get the Macbook for the best of all worlds.
so, if this helps anyone... for me, of course, the iPad is not my only or main device and I do have to have a MacBook for things that i just don't know how you'd do it on the iPad, or it'd be so cumbersome that i'd get frustrated.
maybe im just old and used to old school ways of doing things! lol!
long story short: after much much deliberating, i'm keeping the 11.
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As much as I love the 12.9 I have to agree that the OS holds it back
Trying to show off it's capabilities of split screen etc , I gave up when I had to send multiple images to clients
Begrudgingly went back to my iMac
Roll on iOS 13 !!!
What happened?
But one thing you don’t take account of is that the MB Air is so much more vulnerable to damage while traveling — the spilled drink, etc. And 12.9 iPad is more flexible on a plane or other tight space than a 13-inch MBA even though their screens are almost the same size.
I do. I have 15” MBP and 11” iPP. My main use case for my iPad is taking notes and occasional light work when I’m away from my desk. I can probably do 80% of my work on iPad, but it’s just so much faster for me to do it on Mac, especially when connected to my external displays... And then there is that 20% that I can’t do on my iPad, so I have to have my Mac with me anyway when traveling for work. And I don’t really want to replace my laptop, not yet, just augment it. It’s also more convenient this way, as I can present slides from my Mac while taking notes on the iPad, for instance.
So, given that I have to carry both anyway, I decided to go with 11 inch model as 12.9 inch feels more like a laptop, and I don’t feel like carrying 2 laptops with me. I do have seconds thoughts sometimes, as I really like the larger screen of 12.9...
I really enjoy using the 12.9 version. But, if I have to bring it and my MacBook, I should probably get the 11 instead.
My concern is that if the 11 inch is too cramped for taking notes and reading two column academic paper. I felt the 9.7 inch was too small for these purposes.
It is a bit cramped, but manageable if you zoom in to page margins. On the other hand, I can read in bed by holding it with one hand by the corner (without the folio) - not sure if I can do it with 12.9 given the extra weight and size...
As for notetaking, not a big concern for me. It would be nice to have larger screen sometimes, especially when I need to draw large diagrams, but I always used smaller paper notebooks, so 11 inch feels just right.
I tried holding one corner with the 12.9 while sitting. It doesn't last long. I have to rest it on something.
My other passion is photography. The 12.9 is probably better for this as well. But, again, if I have to carry the MacBook, I might as well do that on the laptop.
Going to see if they would still allow me to exchange for the 11 tomorrow. If not, I'll just keep the 12.9. Both are nice. Can't go wrong with either
Just before Thanksgiving, I returned my 11 to give the 12.9 a try. I gave it almost two weeks, but I went back to the 11 today for many of the reasons that Oarx states above. I have a MacBook Pro already, and while I agree that the 12.9 iPP is much more portable than my MBP, I still found it to be unwieldy. One of my main uses is reading on the couch or in bed, and 12.9 was just a little big for that. I'm about 5'3" and have small hands--using the onscreen keyboard was tough. I noticed after a few days that my wrists were aching in a way they never had before.
For me, I'm glad to be back with the 11. I must say that they are both beautiful machines, no matter the size. No wonder so many of us had trouble choosing!
For me, I'm glad to be back with the 11. I must say that they are both beautiful machines, no matter the size. No wonder so many of us had trouble choosing!
As much as I like iPad as a photo viewer, I prefer my MacBook Pro for editing. Importing/exporting photos is not as simple as on Mac, you have to go through your camera roll for this. And while I tolerate fingerprints when consuming media on my iPad, I can’t stand them when working with graphics. Those smudges just get in the way - you never know if that’s an artifact in your photo or your screen is just dirty. Plus my photo library lives on my Mac, synced to my NAS and backed up on external hard drive anyway - won’t make iPad my main photo storage.
So I posted a while back about going from 12.9 to 11 due to feeling overwhelmed by the size.
Well...I used the 11 for two weeks, which included some travel, and could not get the feeling of this iPad looks “small” out of my head. This was particularly evident on a flight. I’m not sure if it’s the curved corners, but coming from a 10.5 that I have used extensively at home and during travel, it just felt small. Too small. It may be my crazy indecisiveness and nagging feeling I made the wrong choice with a 12.9.
Anyway I decided to return the 11 and due to no stock on the 12.9 I was able to take a moment to gather my thoughts on the best size for me.
I was able to get access to a 12.9 (gen1) and decided to try using that device for a week and see how I got on with this size, my thinking was if I could get over the size of this then new new 12.9 would seem relatively small. Long story short I was surprised how many of my overwhelmed size thoughts disappeared after a couple of days.
I have now gone back to the 12.9. I’m loving the size. I have a weird genuine excitement to use the iPad, something I wasn’t getting from the 11. It feels like a real upgrade for me. I’ve used both at home and a trip to London without issue. In fact the opposite. Was really immersive during the coach travel to London.
I have read the posts here and I enjoy seeing other people’s experiences. But ultimately it is what works for you in reality. The arguements of its too big or small is just relative to your personal use case. My advice to those still deciding is to try both options in the wild for at least a week. I found that helped me determine what worked best for me.
Well...I used the 11 for two weeks, which included some travel, and could not get the feeling of this iPad looks “small” out of my head. This was particularly evident on a flight. I’m not sure if it’s the curved corners, but coming from a 10.5 that I have used extensively at home and during travel, it just felt small. Too small. It may be my crazy indecisiveness and nagging feeling I made the wrong choice with a 12.9.
Anyway I decided to return the 11 and due to no stock on the 12.9 I was able to take a moment to gather my thoughts on the best size for me.
I was able to get access to a 12.9 (gen1) and decided to try using that device for a week and see how I got on with this size, my thinking was if I could get over the size of this then new new 12.9 would seem relatively small. Long story short I was surprised how many of my overwhelmed size thoughts disappeared after a couple of days.
I have now gone back to the 12.9. I’m loving the size. I have a weird genuine excitement to use the iPad, something I wasn’t getting from the 11. It feels like a real upgrade for me. I’ve used both at home and a trip to London without issue. In fact the opposite. Was really immersive during the coach travel to London.
I have read the posts here and I enjoy seeing other people’s experiences. But ultimately it is what works for you in reality. The arguements of its too big or small is just relative to your personal use case. My advice to those still deciding is to try both options in the wild for at least a week. I found that helped me determine what worked best for me.
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Fantastic, now that I decided to stay with the 11 instead of the 12.9, the display of the 11 went broken due of a defect: I have a vertical line in display … and the 11 is nowhere on stock.
This defect occurred just after I paired the Apple Pencil.
This defect occurred just after I paired the Apple Pencil.
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Last year, I replaced my 2013 MacBook Pro (I still have it but it’s unused) with a 2017 iMac since I rarely took my MacBook anywhere, it was permanently on my desk. My iPads Pro (10.5 and 12.5) had become my portable devices. So I’ve gone with the 12.9 this year (delivers in around 2 weeks time) since that size will be my main portable device and I don’t take a laptop with me as well. If you do take use a laptop out and about, then I think the 11” is a great companion device and even if you don’t, the 11” is a great size. The problem now for myself is that I’ve grown accustomed to using my 2017 12.9” and now my 10.5 feels more like a mini. I like it still, but use it like a mini.
The folio cover arrived today for my 12.9 and it feels like it’s going to be the perfect size for me when it arrives.
that's true. I guess I'm thinking the iPad is more fragile in a bag if traveling since its so much thinner. My first thought was that the MacBook would fair better since its more rigid and the iPad is already getting complaints of it bending by being in people's bags.
I've done this too, something in my own head that just says "you've made a mistake, you HAVE to like the bigger one, its better" I think i'm still holding strong that just because its bigger its not what's best for me. But man, you guys are not making it easy for me to keep my conviction LOL.
I don't want to have to keep both, rationally for me, it does not make sense...right? its crazy to keep both, right? i shouldn't...
12.9 - Go big or go home
...maybe I should just stop reading this thread...
Only used the 9.7 air
Always wanted the 12.9
Couldn’t justify price
Bought it anyway
9.7 looks tiny now(that’s what she said)
Always wanted the 12.9
Couldn’t justify price
Bought it anyway
9.7 looks tiny now(that’s what she said)