iPad Pro 2017 iPad Pro owners - are you upgrading to 2021 iPad Pro?

[MrGimper]

I have the 10.5 512 cellular Pro which was replaced last year via AC+ so is pristine with no signed of white spot and a wonderfully even panel. Battery is about 90%. I find myself watching more TV etc on the iPad while I play xbox etc so am tempted with the 12.9. Even more so with the XDR screen and probably the 1TB to get the extra RAM more than the extra storage. That's going to come in at just under 2K with AC+..... I'd be tempted to go with the 11" if it had the XDR display tho.

 

[perezr10]

The 10.5” iPad Pro was amazingly good. But it’s finally time for me to upgrade. The M1 chip and better battery life are just too sweet to pass up.

The thing I wanted more than anything didn’t come through though, A BUILT IN KICKSTAND.

 

[Broadus]

An iPad is certainly not a great “need” for me. My 2017 iPP has a white spot and the front camera doesn’t work, so I was waiting to replace it with a new 2021 until I saw the new prices. Now I don’t know. I may consider trying to get a 2020 12.9 on sale because my 15” MBP is my main computer, but I’m definitely undecided.

 

[weddlec]

Definitely yes! I had the 12.9 2015 iPad Pro and it was everything I had ever wanted. In 2017 they upgraded the screen to 120Hz. I skipped the next 2 because the screen quality had not been touched. I have put money away each year for a new one and now have $1800 socked away. As expensive as the new one is, it is far cheaper than if I had bough one last year, only to sell it now for the new one.

I'm really hoping with Thunderbolt there will be some hack to use it for video input.

 

[MrGimper]

I'm going with a "yes" from my 10.5 to a cellular 12.9 1TB. I'm unsure though lol.

I'm doing exactly this. Went to local store and played with the 12.9 and love it.

 

[iamMacPerson]

I had the 10.5" and once Apple started doing in-store trade ins again I took it to get the gift card with the idea of the keynote coming in March. After calculating eBay fees and shipping, I think I would have made $10 more going that route over trading in. I probably could have gotten more going with Swappa, but I was also having the white spot issue and would've had to disclose that bringing down the value. Since then I've fallen back to my old iPad Air 2 which still works surprisingly well on iPadOS 14, which is shocking. It's been a month with it, and I'm looking at another month with it until the new iPad arrives.

But yes, I am ordering the iPad Pro 12.9 Wi-Fi this time around, specifically 256GB Silver. Mostly it's for the display. I still think the 9.7-11" form factor is the sweet spot, but I've never really tried the 12.9". I think my thoughts on it were skewed when I saw the original model in person with that bezel-licious design, but it seems more manageable in the newer 2018+ design. To get an idea of the weight and size, I stuck a standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper on top of my original iPad (which weighed 1.5lbs) and toted it around the house. I think it might be a bit harder to type on when walking, but I don't think that will be a big deal for me. The iPad rarely leaves the house.

 

[MrGimper]

I had the 10.5" and once Apple started doing in-store trade ins again I took it to get the gift card with the idea of the keynote coming in March. After calculating eBay fees and shipping, I think I would have made $10 more going that route over trading in. I probably could have gotten more going with Swappa, but I was also having the white spot issue and would've had to disclose that bringing down the value. Since then I've fallen back to my old iPad Air 2 which still works surprisingly well on iPadOS 14, which is shocking. It's been a month with it, and I'm looking at another month with it until the new iPad arrives.

But yes, I am ordering the iPad Pro 12.9 Wi-Fi this time around, specifically 256GB Silver. Mostly it's for the display. I still think the 9.7-11" form factor is the sweet spot, but I've never really tried the 12.9". I think my thoughts on it were skewed when I saw the original model in person with that bezel-licious design, but it seems more manageable in the newer 2018+ design. To get an idea of the weight and size, I stuck a standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper on top of my original iPad (which weighed 1.5lbs) and toted it around the house. I think it might be a bit harder to type on when walking, but I don't think that will be a big deal for me. The iPad rarely leaves the house.

I couldn't do this, even on a 10.5 lol

 

[iamMacPerson]

I couldn't do this, even on a 10.5 lol

You know what they say, big hands... big tablet.

 

[MrGimper]

You know what they say, big hands... big tablet.

Big gloves.....

 

[Robert Pollard]

I’m still using my original 12.9. I’m not upgrading. It costs so much money.

 

[FloridaScrubJay]

Absolutely, I will upgrade. This the best upgrade in years. I suspect this will be prime spot and what all future upgrades will be measured.I am anxious for the new iPAD Pro 12”. Although I have a MacBook Pro 16, I use the iPAD much more. The MacBook Pro is generally used for Adobe Lightshop photo editing. Otherwise the iPAD serves my needs. For travel, I am looking forward to a new immersive video experience. My wallet is armed and ready.

 

[thadoggfather]

I’m still using my original 12.9. I’m not upgrading. It costs so much money.

For real! the 2017 12.9 was $799 MSRP, and I got it for $699 with a price match a couple months after launch

And got the ASK for $30 or something on eBay.

My how the times have changed.

$1099 for 12.9 MSRP, and $349 for Smart Keyboard. again, what a whopper. I can't get over this.


it's not that I don't want a new 2021 12.9, it's that I'm wrestling with the price and what I get extra out of it. I am a sucker for screen quality too.

I feel proud I've gotten 4 years of wonderful use out of my 2017, and counting. Backlighting warts and all.

 

[Wackery]

I’ve come around and feel like I might just get a 12.9 Pro, I need to change basically my whole setup, but I really want the new screen

 

[Robert Pollard]

For real! the 2017 12.9 was $799 MSRP, and I got it for $699 with a price match a couple months after launch

And got the ASK for $30 or something on eBay.

My how the times have changed.

$1099 for 12.9 MSRP, and $349 for Smart Keyboard. again, what a whopper. I can't get over this.


it's not that I don't want a new 2021 12.9, it's that I'm wrestling with the price and what I get extra out of it. I am a sucker for screen quality too.

I feel proud I've gotten 4 years of wonderful use out of my 2017, and counting. Backlighting warts and all.

I got the original for $599 from Best Buy on a flash sale. I’m dreading the day it bites the dust.

 

[Danae02]

For real! the 2017 12.9 was $799 MSRP, and I got it for $699 with a price match a couple months after launch

And got the ASK for $30 or something on eBay.

My how the times have changed.

$1099 for 12.9 MSRP, and $349 for Smart Keyboard. again, what a whopper. I can't get over this.


it's not that I don't want a new 2021 12.9, it's that I'm wrestling with the price and what I get extra out of it. I am a sucker for screen quality too.

I feel proud I've gotten 4 years of wonderful use out of my 2017, and counting. Backlighting warts and all.

I agree!! I got my 10.5 pro 64gb on sale after about 7 months from release at Best Buy for $549. It’s hard to wrap my head around the new higher prices. Especially hard to make the leap to the eye-popping $1,100 12.9.

 

[iamMacPerson]

For real! the 2017 12.9 was $799 MSRP, and I got it for $699 with a price match a couple months after launch

And got the ASK for $30 or something on eBay.

My how the times have changed.

$1099 for 12.9 MSRP, and $349 for Smart Keyboard. again, what a whopper. I can't get over this.


it's not that I don't want a new 2021 12.9, it's that I'm wrestling with the price and what I get extra out of it. I am a sucker for screen quality too.

I feel proud I've gotten 4 years of wonderful use out of my 2017, and counting. Backlighting warts and all.

If you can deal with the white spots, more power to you. Personally I cannot. Drove me up the wall. Plus Apple offered $300 for it and that's when I said... okay fine lets do it. Bigger, faster, brighter: all the things the new 12.9 is versus my old 10.5. I have no problem paying for something I use daily and enjoy. My Apple Watch, sure I paid extra for the Titanium (although I bought it used for a steal) and I could have gotten a newer Aluminum one for less, but I love the premium material. I love the device. I use it *every* day. I can justify the price. Some people cannot and that's fine, it's not for everyone. I enjoy the Max series of phones, which some people scoff at the price of. I've had my Xs Max since launch day 2.5 years ago and do not plan on upgrading until 2022 when (if rumors are true) Apple is bringing a massive new camera sensor. My iPad Pro 10.5 I got on launch day back in 2017 and got almost 4 years out of it. I was very happy with it.

What I'm finding is at around 4 years that's when I upgrade nowadays. And I think for the price, that's a good break even. If I keep this iPad for the same amount of time - maybe even longer depending on how the M1 ages - I would have paid about $23/mo for it. And after that 4 years it'll still be worth something. If I can sell it for $400 after 4 years that reduces the cost to about $15/mo. Keeping it 5 years would bring it to $18/mo and selling it for $350 at that point would bring it to $12.50/mo. It's worth it to me. Might not be to everyone, but it is to me.

 

[thadoggfather]

If you can deal with the white spots, more power to you. Personally I cannot. Drove me up the wall. Plus Apple offered $300 for it and that's when I said... okay fine lets do it. Bigger, faster, brighter: all the things the new 12.9 is versus my old 10.5. I have no problem paying for something I use daily and enjoy. My Apple Watch, sure I paid extra for the Titanium (although I bought it used for a steal) and I could have gotten a newer Aluminum one for less, but I love the premium material. I love the device. I use it *every* day. I can justify the price. Some people cannot and that's fine, it's not for everyone. I enjoy the Max series of phones, which some people scoff at the price of. I've had my Xs Max since launch day 2.5 years ago and do not plan on upgrading until 2022 when (if rumors are true) Apple is bringing a massive new camera sensor. My iPad Pro 10.5 I got on launch day back in 2017 and got almost 4 years out of it. I was very happy with it.

What I'm finding is at around 4 years that's when I upgrade nowadays. And I think for the price, that's a good break even. If I keep this iPad for the same amount of time - maybe even longer depending on how the M1 ages - I would have paid about $23/mo for it. And after that 4 years it'll still be worth something. If I can sell it for $400 after 4 years that reduces the cost to about $15/mo. Keeping it 5 years would bring it to $18/mo and selling it for $350 at that point would bring it to $12.50/mo. It's worth it to me. Might not be to everyone, but it is to me.

I just hope there's decent Smart Keyboard alternatives or a fire sale on it.

$350 is straight up crazy talk... my base mini 5 wifi from early 2019 was barely more than that ($375) but the 12.9 pairs so well with a keyboard attachment. Especially since people who bought the 2020 one can't use it with the 2021 one, though that's not me - still rubs me the wrong way. No matter the engineering explanation

They should buy back the 2020 Smart Keyboards for $250 or something and refurbish them. As it stands it's ill will on Apple's part.

 

[FloridaScrubJay]

Well, I feel that this new 12” pro will in the long term to be a game changer. I use the Pro laptop for email, reading the Wall Street Journal, Tampa Bay Times, and watching Tampa Bay baseball and Football when in or out of town. I suspect the video experience will be brilliant on the new iPAD Pros.

I thought the Apple Watch was a mess until the Series 4. It has been a game changer on pushing me to help my life with exercise. Yes, I feel a whole better.

The new iPAD pro 12” will not change my exercise routine, but with my old 64y eyes, it should make reading better and enjoyment of video streaming of local teams and on travel movies better. I think this will be the tipping point for acceptance of the iPAD, just as the Apple Watch Series 4 achieved. Time will tell if my predictions play out.

 

[gears99]

I'm torn between a new PC or the new 11" pro, i had the 10.5 2017, still working good (great if i decided to not update to os 14 at that time). I think i'll wait to see if the new pro had any issues with it before i decide to buy it or not, more ram and storage is a good choice as i mainly use the ipad to draw illustrations.

does yours have backlight spotlighting too along the vertical spine (horizontal if attached to ASK) ?

wait what vertical spine? i had the backlight spotlighting near the home button, and a horizontal (if held on portrait) kind of backlight issues near the home button, is this normal?

 

[UBS28]

Yes. Because the 2018 had bending issues. Then the 2020 iPad Pro had basically the same CPU as the 2018, so no way in hell I was going to buy it, it was basically the same iPad as the 2018 one.

So the 2021 iPad, is the one that I will finally be the one to upgrade to because:
- with some apps, I do have some lag. So the M1 will solve this.
- smaller bezels which will make the 12.9 iPad Pro smaller in size.
- backlight keyboard which is nice for typing late at night.
- Apple Pencil is now magnatic also

However I won’t go for the 16GB/1TB option most likely, due to iOS limitations. And I think ”future proofing” is a terrible idea to begin with, as there will be a much better iPad in 3 years.

I guess I will have to start figure a way to utilize the Cloud to be able to do similar things on the iPad as I can do on a Mac.

 

[tann]

I think I will go for the 256gb, undecided on cellular.

I would like 512, but Apple prices are just far too high still. Ultimately the iPad pro should be 256gb base I think.

 

[dandrewk]

- backlight keyboard which is nice for typing late at night.

Not sure what you mean by this. Are you referring to the magic keyboard?

 

[MarkC426]

I’m still using my original 12.9. I’m not upgrading. It costs so much money.

I hear ya, me too.
As usual Apple #### us over, can't use my full price Smart Keyboard or Pencil with any newer iPad Pro.... ? What's that all about, a pencil is a pencil. You can use a cheap crappy other make, so why not 1st gen Apple Pencil.

 

[Robert Pollard]

I hear ya, me too.
As usual Apple #### us over, can't use my full price Smart Keyboard or Pencil with any newer iPad Pro.... ? What's that all about, a pencil is a pencil. You can use a cheap crappy other make, so why not 1st gen Apple Pencil.

Copy that. I’ve been a loyal Mac user since 2004. But I just can’t justify it anymore. I don’t understand how people can afford these products anymore.

 

[rui no onna]

Copy that. I’ve been a loyal Mac user since 2004. But I just can’t justify it anymore. I don’t understand how people can afford these products anymore.

No kids. Right now, no vacations either because of COVID. ?‍♀️