So both tablets arrived today. I opened the 12.9” and have been using it all day, and haven’t even opened the 11”. Compared to my 10.5” it doesn’t feel any heavier (I appreciate that it actually is, but i think the distribution of weight makes it feel less burdensome).
As the day has gone on, however, I do find it’s size slightly too large. I will order the keyboard in May and that is ultimately what will probably make me keep the 12.9”; it’ll allow me to travel with just my iPad, whereas currently I take both my 15” MBP and 10.5” IPP. So there will be a huge weight and hassle saving there.
I’ll open the 11” this evening and see how they compare. I really do wish there were a 12” as that would probably be pretty perfect (for my use).
I’ve been through my workflow today and I think the only thing limiting me from using the iPad 100% of the time is Affinity Publisher. Once that is out, I can probably get rid of my MBP, and I’m inclined to do that because the iPad is just more “fun” to work on. It’s also so much more usable to me in everyday situations: being able to sign documents, write notes, and then move back to traditional keyboard/mouse input is game-changing. The display is so much better than the MBP as well, and the 120hz is really noticeable after a few hours use. Interestingly, I didn’t really notice this too much when I was using my 10.5” and then jumped to the MBP.
Anyway after many posts and much deliberation, I find myself leaning towards the 12.9” but will see how I feel in a few hours. In an ideal situation, I would keep both.
For those interested, here is my followup after using the 11” yesterday evening and again this morning: The weight difference between the two sizes is actually more noticeable than I had first realised, but only in some situations. In addition to on my desk, I typically use my iPad a lot on the sofa and in bed to read a few articles before I sleep. On the sofa, the weight difference isn’t an issue, and nor is the size of the 12.9”. I use it with my knees raised and rest the iPad on there; this is pretty comfortable and the additional real estate is much appreciated. In bed, the difference is large enough to be slightly annoying, and I actually reverted to using the 11” or my iPhone over the 12.9”. This probably is more due to the size and bulk, rather than the weight, though.
have really been enjoying using the 11” the more I have used it, and although the screen definitely feels significantly smaller after using the 12.9” for a few hours, the size is more usable for casual use. This of course won’t be a surprise to anybody!
I compared both to my MBP 15”, because I started to wonder whether the size difference between the 12.9“ and MBP for travelling would even be noticeable: it is (see photo for reference). So, if I am to use the iPad as a MBP replacement on the road, both will save me a huge amount of space and weight, and this is something I wouldn’t have even considered prior to the mouse support in iPadOS 13.4.
Conclusion: both are amazing devices, and the Magic Keyboard will only make them greater, albeit at a hefty cost. For my current use, I am going to stick with the 11” for now. I caveat this by saying I will likely move to the larger iPad in the future, as and when the apps are updated to the point where I can get rid of my MBP. The larger iPad is amazing, and the bigger screen is great, but right now I don’t need that additional space as I can just use my laptop. For when I’m on the road, I think the 11” is large enough to do some basic work and I will definitely be buying the keyboard once released.
As many others have said, the 11” is a great companion for a Macbook or iMac setup, whilst still allowing work to be done too. The 12.9” serves the same purpose, however, is probably better suited for somebody who will use that as a complete computing replacement device. For my own use, the gap is getting closer and closer to the point where just using an iPad only should be a realistic possibility in the not-too-distant future - for my use. For now I will stick with the lovely 11” and hopefully app developers and Apple (at WWDC) will bridge the gap further.
YMMV, as always. And having owned every generation iPad since launch (except for the 2018 edition), I am astonished how far these devices have come. This is the future of computing, but software developers need to take it more seriously for this to be realised, and hopefully the mouse support provides ultimate catalyst for this to happen.
