iPad Pro 2021 12.9" XDR screen and text? 2018 Apple Refurb? 2020 new?

[sublunar]

I am of the opinion that if one of the earlier models turned up at a significant discount i might get it. But the discounts here are not significant enough to outweigh the performance and longevity that the M1 would offer.

video editors and photo editors might have been interested in the screen on the iPad pro but while the hardware is now outstanding the iPad OS itself doesn’t stand up well next to macOS.

As an experience the iPad is great for the limited use cases that would benefit it but you have to be sure of what you are buying to use it because the numbers just don’t add up as a laptop replacement (when you add a magic keyboard to the bundle).

hardcore Mac users need not worry yet, but I am all the more interested in how iOS 15 will turn out because the hardware is ready, even if the OS isn’t Yet.

 

[Broadus]

I am of the opinion that if one of the earlier models turned up at a significant discount i might get it. But the discounts here are not significant enough to outweigh the performance and longevity that the M1 would offer.

video editors and photo editors might have been interested in the screen on the iPad pro but while the hardware is now outstanding the iPad OS itself doesn’t stand up well next to macOS.

As an experience the iPad is great for the limited use cases that would benefit it but you have to be sure of what you are buying to use it because the numbers just don’t add up as a laptop replacement (when you add a magic keyboard to the bundle).

hardcore Mac users need not worry yet, but I am all the more interested in how iOS 15 will turn out because the hardware is ready, even if the OS isn’t Yet.

So you wouldn't consider a nearly $500 difference between a 2021 256GB 12.9" iPP and an Apple-refurbished 2018 256GB 12.9" iPP to be significant? The 2021 is $1199 and the refurbished 2018 is $709. With sales tax it's actually over $500 difference.

But I get what you're saying, and I've thought about simply ordering a 2021 12.9" and being done with it . . . until I consider my usage. $1200 gives me pause, not that I cannot afford it but that I have difficulty justifying it for my iPad usage.

 

[sublunar]

So you wouldn't consider a nearly $500 difference between a 2021 256GB 12.9" iPP and an Apple-refurbished 2018 256GB 12.9" iPP to be significant? The 2021 is $1199 and the refurbished 2018 is $709. With sales tax it's actually over $500 difference.

But I get what you're saying, and I've thought about simply ordering a 2021 12.9" and being done with it . . . until I consider my usage. $1200 gives me pause, not that I cannot afford it but that I have difficulty justifying it for my iPad usage.

You probably need to be a bit more specific about your usage though. if I were hoping to do something more strenuous than content consumption and very light duty work then the 2018 would be great if you can use the 256gb storage. If not then the extra bells and whistles of the 2020 might be better. The 6gb RAM would be a big reason for holding on to the 2020 for future multitasking performance over time if you wouldn’t notice the 90 dollars cash difference.

The LIDAR scanner is a novelty and I doubt you’d notice an extra graphics core but I dare say that future OSes would work nicer with the 2020 model in years to come due to the RAM. Obviously if you think the extra storage would be useful then the 2018 refurb would be fine.

 

[Broadus]

You probably need to be a bit more specific about your usage though. if I were hoping to do something more strenuous than content consumption and very light duty work then the 2018 would be great if you can use the 256gb storage. If not then the extra bells and whistles of the 2020 might be better. The 6gb RAM would be a big reason for holding on to the 2020 for future multitasking performance over time if you wouldn’t notice the 90 dollars cash difference.

The LIDAR scanner is a novelty and I doubt you’d notice an extra graphics core but I dare say that future OSes would work nicer with the 2020 model in years to come due to the RAM. Obviously if you think the extra storage would be useful then the 2018 refurb would be fine.

Right -- mostly reading, some writing, some video viewing, checking email and web browsing, that sort of thing. I have a 2018 MBP for my heavier work. Basically I wanted the 12.9" screen for relatively light iPad things.

And, true, the 6GB RAM on the 2020 128GB (that I have still unopened) may be better long term than the extra 128GB storage that I may not need in the refurbished 2018. That's a good point.

Edit: To bring this to a close, I settled on keeping the 2020 iPP 12.9" due to its 6GB RAM and Costco's customer service. I did an online chat with Costco and they applied the $50 email promo, so the price of the new iPad ended up being $750 plus tax. This should take care of my needs for a few years.