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2017 iPad Pro owners - Will you upgrade in 2018?
- Thread starter Fireball Dragon
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I got my 10.5 IPP at release last year, (following a return to iPads in March that year with an Air 2 and then a 9.7 IPP in the April, so I'm no stranger to quickly updating). Do I need to upgrade? No. Will I want to upgrade? Definitely! Will I upgrade? Probably.
My MBP is from 2015 and I was super tempted to get one of the new 2018s, but at £2,500 (net £1,500 or so after selling my old one, I just couldn't justify it). But with a new IPP coming in at £800-£1,000, and only a few hundred £ once i sell the 10.5, that becomes much more palatable.
I'll have to wait and see though. Whilst i want more screen i do wonder how holding it might need to change, as the current bezel areas are nicely sized for that.
I also have the ASK and pencil. The ASK is almost certainly not going to be compatible, but maybe the pencil will be a forced upgrade too? all adds to the cost.
I like touch ID and Face ID, though can see face ID being a bit more cumbersome on the iPad as i don't always pick it up so, touch ID works well for that.
All that said I do love the mock ups of the 12.9 reduced down to not much more than the footprint of the 10.5 though. that would be very tempting (though a 16:9 aspect ratio would be even better).
I guess it will come down to what the new iPhone X and apple watch offerings are, as i can probably only stretch to upgrading 2 of the 3.....
My MBP is from 2015 and I was super tempted to get one of the new 2018s, but at £2,500 (net £1,500 or so after selling my old one, I just couldn't justify it). But with a new IPP coming in at £800-£1,000, and only a few hundred £ once i sell the 10.5, that becomes much more palatable.
I'll have to wait and see though. Whilst i want more screen i do wonder how holding it might need to change, as the current bezel areas are nicely sized for that.
I also have the ASK and pencil. The ASK is almost certainly not going to be compatible, but maybe the pencil will be a forced upgrade too? all adds to the cost.
I like touch ID and Face ID, though can see face ID being a bit more cumbersome on the iPad as i don't always pick it up so, touch ID works well for that.
All that said I do love the mock ups of the 12.9 reduced down to not much more than the footprint of the 10.5 though. that would be very tempting (though a 16:9 aspect ratio would be even better).
I guess it will come down to what the new iPhone X and apple watch offerings are, as i can probably only stretch to upgrading 2 of the 3.....
One of the more accurate leakers Onleaks has got his hands on a CAD for the iPad Pro, it looks interesting but no one seems to know what the thing on back is (It's NOT Touch ID since the new iPad Pro's will have Face ID)
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The rumored “second” smart connector on the portrait side? Perhaps the new pencil sticks to that portion for charging and transport.
That's good thinking i never even thought about a new Apple Pencil let alone the fact it could be to do with that. I think they should do what Microsoft did with the Surface and allow the Apple Pencil to magnetically stick to the side.
IF this CAD turns out to be the real thing i will probably get one of the new iPad Pro's it looks like a new design, the corners look different and it looks thinner as well. Add Face ID and i think it will be a great design.
Not sure where I read it but I did see some rumors about an Apple Pencil 2. (Fingers crosses we get a proper Smart Keyboard with backlighting and function keys too).
The design does “look” accurate. The new pro was supposed to have diamond chamfered edges like the SE and this one looks more squared off on the sides.
I’m just speculating about the Pencil part but I don’t see what else that back strip could be. Stuck the Pencil there to charge and keep it attached to the iPad like, as you said, the surface pro. Especially if they’re losing the headphone port that’s a lot of things depending on just one single lightning port now. Makes sense to move the Pencil charging someplace else.
I was one of those who advocated avoiding the 9.7 Pro... particularly because of the 2 GB RAM, (but also because it was overpriced). Even 2 years later, I stand by that position. The 9.7 Pro was discontinued 15 months after it was introduced and it retailed at nearly double the price of the 2018 iPad (for what is essentially the same device). Given the trajectory that iPads were on, in particular with respect to iOS enhancements, it made more sense to go with a 4GB model. Obviously that trajectory changed...and that is a good thing in some respects, bad in others.
That's not to say that people who bought the 9.7 Pro should feel differently than they did when they first bought it. They bought it, enjoyed it, keep on enjoying it!
It would make sense to release new accessories with the new redesigned iPad Pro (New keyboard, Apple Pencil 2). If they did a new improved keyboard this time around with backlight i would buy it, i love my iPad Pro for drawing and using the Apple Pencil with no lag or issues is brilliant, BUT i use my Mac mainly for long periods of writing and i don't see that changing, however a new keyboard and i could also use the new iPad Pro for taking notes.
I think a better charging solution could be on the horizon, Apple has to know that the current one is not ideal with it sticking out of the lighting port. Altho i mainly charge mine using my iPad charger and the Apple Pencil adapter that's provided in the Apple Pencil box.
Even on that CAD the edges and speaker grill look new and great, IF that is the genuine one just imagine what the rest of it will look like, less bezel, no home button, Face ID (my favourite feature of my iPhone X), i'm also guessing that they will improve the speakers (with those grill changes i can't see them passing up an opportunity to improve them even more)
I also wonder if we will see some new features announced along side it? they do sometimes do that, like with the iPhone they sometimes hold back a couple of IOS features to demo along side the new devices (usually iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad ).
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Heck, my 2013 iPad Air is still service most all my needs and does everything except the Apple Pencil.
I do *desire* the Apple Pencil, and I do *desire* the Smart Keyboard.
As long as I don't need Apple Pencil usage (which certainly is a probability on the horizon) and Apple updates my iOS, money would not be well spent on a new Pro.
I do *desire* the Apple Pencil, and I do *desire* the Smart Keyboard.
As long as I don't need Apple Pencil usage (which certainly is a probability on the horizon) and Apple updates my iOS, money would not be well spent on a new Pro.
I have a 256GB 10.5" and a 256GB 10.5" w/LTE. I am going to try very hard to resist a new Pro. I have no issues with performance, and although I appreciate FaceID on my X, I'm not sure it's a must-have for the iPP.
Actually, if the 10.5" had a solid state home button, and a bit more water-proofing, I'd say it would be pretty much ideal.
Actually, if the 10.5" had a solid state home button, and a bit more water-proofing, I'd say it would be pretty much ideal.
Update: a new report matches the CAD from Onleaks, The report comes from Macotakara but interestingly the picture shows the iPad that matches the CAD with that weird thing on the back just above the lightning connector.
https://pocketnow.com/2018/07/29/ipad-pro-2018-rumors
https://pocketnow.com/2018/07/29/ipad-pro-2018-rumors
I was turned off by the 2 GB of RAM when I found out that it would not be able to fully make use of iOS 10 functionality with multitasking. Whenever I mention that, a lot of people shrug it off as "Meh, most people don't use that feature. Who cares?" The problem is that I DO use it fairly often. I love having the ability to have two apps open in split screen, a third app over the top of that, and have them all be active so I can do what I need to do with all three at once.
I am very much in need of an Apple Watch upgrade this year, as my series 0 is really starting to show its age. My wife would never put up with me upgrading my Apple Watch AND the iPad I just upgraded a year ago at the same time. I have to pick my poison this year, and it's going to be Apple Watch. In that regard, I'm very thankful to have gotten the 10.5" Pro last year.
This js
This is how bad news or propoganda gets spread. It’s not a new corroborating report. He’s simply extrapolating from Macotakara and the CAD above. It’s impossible to conceive keyboards used only vertically. Come on! Multitasking, split view , typing ... all vertical?!?! No way!
Not buying it. Neither do I agree that the 10.5 gets reduced in size. Earlier reports said that the 10.5 stays the same size with a larger screen while the 12.9 retains the screen with a smaller body. That makes sense.
This is how bad news or propoganda gets spread. It’s not a new corroborating report. He’s simply extrapolating from Macotakara and the CAD above. It’s impossible to conceive keyboards used only vertically. Come on! Multitasking, split view , typing ... all vertical?!?! No way!
Not buying it. Neither do I agree that the 10.5 gets reduced in size. Earlier reports said that the 10.5 stays the same size with a larger screen while the 12.9 retains the screen with a smaller body. That makes sense.
I got the LTE version the day of launch (thanks Costco price-match mistake!). I normally use two iPads around the house, one stays near the couch, the other journeys all around including outside, on trips, etc. I was using the 9.7 Pro, but Best Buy offered a good price on a trade in ($250+?) and I had them price match Microcenter @ $599 for the 256GB version. For ~$300 I figured it was worth the upgrade.
The CAD came from a serrate person Onleaks from Twitter, i don't by that they will make the keyboards vertically. However i do think the design will be a BIG change, reducing the size of the 12.9" is possible since the rumours state that the there will not be an increase in screen size for the 12.9" they will probably shrink it down a little to make it more portable (i actually don't think it's that bad) while shrinking the bezels to fit the screen.
Rumours also point to a 11" version so my guess is the 10.5" will not be shrunk down BUT WILL have it's bezels reduced again.
Even if they change the 10.5" by a couple of millimeters either way, that is not a noticeable change in footprint. It's even less of a change than the 9.7" to 10.5" chassis.
The 2018 iPad wasn't an option back in 2016. Technology trickles down so now similar tech is available cheaper. That's just to be expected. If the 2018 iPad (or even 2017) had been available in 2016 at $329/32GB starting point, I would have wholeheartedly recommended it.
There was a big divide between hardware released before iOS 7 and those released after. All things considered though (iPad 3 notwithstanding), subsequent releases of iOS devices were supported and maintained performance longer than previous models (and I've been using iPhones since the original back in 2007).
At the time of the Pro 9.7's release, the only 4GB RAM model at the time was the Pro 12.9 and that comes with impact on portable/mobile usage. Should someone have purchased an iPad not fit for their usage scenario just to get 4GB RAM?
Sure, there was the Air 2 (retail models: 16GB and 64GB, Apple dropped 128GB) and yes, I did recommend that for most. However, for those who needed LTE and large storage, the Air 2 didn't really save you money, not to mention the Air 2 simply wasn't available in 256GB.
As a former owner of the 9.7 Pro, I'd take it any day over the 2018 9.7". The TrueTone screen and 4x speakers makes a huge difference as a media-consumption device.
I think if they're holding any features back, it will be accessory based. We already know the extra benefits of FaceID, and I don't think anyone has found anything in iOS 12 beta code (yet) that indicates it will have added behaviors on iPad. But it could very well have more convenient features for accessories as some others have suggested. Maybe a better designed ASK, maybe an inductive charge Pencil, etc.
It's also possible, maybe even probable, that as usual, we are letting our imaginations run away with us and these new models are either not as feature laden and newly designed as we think, or are maybe even spec bumps on the current models. What if the new models are just processor bumps and Face ID with slight increases in screen size? That would be enough to entice many people to upgrade. Throw in an Apple Pencil 2, and that's a pretty big keynote announcement in the iPad category.
That's the rumour, they won't change the footprint of the 10.5" as it's only going to go up to 11" but the 12.9" will have a more dramatic reduction, which makes sense since the 10.5" has thinner bezels than the 12.9" in the current gen. It will be interesting to see how they redesign it but from what i've seen with Onleaks CAD so far it looks good (the edges look like the iPhone SE and the speaker grills look different) with reduced bezels, Face ID and internal updates i'm guessing this will be a killer update!
The price might jump a little as well, i can just imagine all the posts that will appear on this thread and the iPad section of the forum hating on the new design and calling it over priced. That will probably happen as the event takes place
Both of those features as well as the fully laminated screen are very underrated features that I love, but many seem to shrug off as no big deal. I have always hated the thumpy non-laminated screens ever since owning my iPad Air 1, and the quad audio is so great for games, movies, and music. I never really think about TrueTone until I use an iPad or iPhone that doesn't have it, and then I'm like "Jeez, this display is BLUE!" That just shows what an effective feature it is I guess.
While that is possible the leaked CAD suggests otherwise, unless it's just a tweak design, i guess we will see in September (probably). a redesign would also make sense since the iPad Pro hasn't had a design since it was introduced in 2015.
IF the CAD (picture attached) is correct in it's design, add Face ID, reduced bezels and a new Apple Pencil, that would be enough for me to upgrade even as a 2017 iPad Pro user
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Exactly. I could almost forgive the non-laminated screen (I do have a 2017 9.7" iPad and it's only bad when you're tapping it), but the TrueTone is what makes it so enjoyable to view. Very easy on the eyes.
But the only option for all windows active back in 2016 was the Pro 12.9. The Pro 10.5 with 4GB wasn't released until almost a year later. If one could've afforded to wait before upgrading in 2016, the Pro 10.5 was certainly worth the wait. If not, the Pro 9.7 was a decent option.