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Anyone use a 12.9 at church?

zipur

zipur

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 3, 2011
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The great state of Texas
I’ve been using my iPad for years and years at church. My iPad and the Olivetree bible app Has been a perfect match for me. Now I’ve upgraded to the 12.9 iPad, more is better right? Well it’s been four days and now I’m thinking maybe this 12.9 is just too big an I’m jumping the shark. I may need to revert back to my old iPad for church. Now don’t get me wrong I love this 12.9 completely! But it just may not work for my situation.
Can anyone give their experience of using a 12.9 at church? Too bright, clumsy, privacy, drop prone?
 
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wmadan

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Nov 14, 2013
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zipur said:
Can anyone give their experience of using a 12.9 at church? Too bright, clumsy, privacy, drop prone?
Click to expand...

I have used my 11 inch iPP and mini at church. I replaced the 11 with the 12.9 I have used my 12.9 at church once. I agree the 12.9 is a little big, but it is doable if I didn't have a mini. I mainly use it for taking sermon notes in Notability and reading before and during the service using the Logos app. Regarding brightness, I make sure I go into the accessibility settings and invert the colors prior to the service starting. This eliminates the bright white screen and puts everything on a dark background.
 
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BigMcGuire

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I use my 10.5 Ipad Pro at church. Notability and the YouVersion Bible app. I tried Olivetree but I already had 3-4 years of highlights in the YouVersion app :(. I did buy the OliveTree app - I use that on my MacBook more than anything.

12.9 inch tablet, I've seen in the wild, seems to me it would be way too big. But whatever works. The biggest problem I have is not making tap tap noises with the Apple Pencil while I write during quiet moments in the sermon. But I wouldn't feel bad for using it if I had one.

Love my 10.5 - perfect size. That + my iPhone = perfect. Church wifi sucks so I just initiate a hotspot on my iPad and I'm good to go.

Used a 9.5 budget iPad size for many years before this - but typed my notes on screen until 2018.
 
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zipur

zipur

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Original poster
Mar 3, 2011
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The great state of Texas
BigMcGuire said:
.

Love my 10.5 - perfect size. That + my iPhone = perfect. Church wifi sucks so I just initiate a hotspot on my iPad and I'm good to go.
Click to expand...

That's exactly why I use the Olivetree app. Bible's are downloaded to your iPad so you're not dependant on the church WIFI that everyone else is using.
I guess I'll just give it a try (in dark mode) and see. It's so wonderful to be able to dig deeper, take notes, look up translations and bounce to confirmation versuses quickly. With the iPad you have an entire library at your finger tips!
 
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Ambulater

Ambulater

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Dec 14, 2012
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I used to take my 9.7” IPP to church, but even that seemed like a lot. I’ve never taken my new 12.9” IPP to church. Just seems like an awfully big screen that might possibly be distracting to others. For what it’s worth, I think Olive Tree looks and works great on the iPhone and that’s all I take now. I love having instant access to Strong’s Numbers with Greek and Hebrew dictionaries.....and it fits in my pocket.
 
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sracer

sracer

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Apr 9, 2010
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Ambulater said:
I used to take my 9.7” IPP to church, but even that seemed like a lot. I’ve never taken my new 12.9” IPP to church. Just seems like an awfully big screen that might possibly be distracting to others. For what it’s worth, I think Olive Tree looks and works great on the iPhone and that’s all I take now. I love having instant access to Strong’s Numbers with Greek and Hebrew dictionaries.....and it fits in my pocket.
Click to expand...
I've never taken my 12.9 iPP to church... it is just too large to use and difficult to put aside during worship. I've take my 9.7 2018 iPad w/Apple Pencil a few times. That's not too bad. I find that my Mini 4 w/Adonit Dash 3 stylus is the perfect size.

I use YouVersion, OliveTree, Logos, and e-Sword Bible software, but much prefer e-Sword for not only for personal study, but for sermon prep. e-Sword has a display mode that shows the Bible verses, Commentary, Lexicon, and personal notes simultaneously. It is surprisingly usable on even the iPad Mini.
 
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Momof9

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I ust my iPhone Max with a Wacom stylus. I do use my 12.9 at a Bible Study. I do keep hoping we can get pencil support on the iPhone.
 
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zipur

zipur

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Original poster
Mar 3, 2011
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The great state of Texas
Update: I tried the 12.9 at church and it was just too big in a crowded service. However there was a guy a few rows away who had an MS Surface virtually the the same size if not bigger. So for me I guess it's back to the old Air or maybe a new Mini.

Thanks for the input
 
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Works4Me

macrumors regular
Aug 29, 2007
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alphaswift said:
But on a 12.9", the split screen function (bible/football game) must be wonderful.
Click to expand...
Oh man! I’m sitting at home nursing couple of fractured ribs from a biking crash, and that really made me laugh. Best comment of the day for me and worth the discomfort. Oh and I just bought a mini which I intend to use at church once in a while.
 
coreyk

coreyk

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Oct 20, 2011
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SF Bay Area
I can't speak to church because I'm not a religious person, but I worry about my iPad being distracting in quiet meetings and such with the tap-tap-tap of the Pencil and the bright display. I usually turn the brightness down a little in the hope that it isn't AS distracting.
 
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Works4Me

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Aug 29, 2007
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Canada
coreyk said:
I can't speak to church because I'm not a religious person, but I worry about my iPad being distracting in quiet meetings and such with the tap-tap-tap of the Pencil and the bright display. I usually turn the brightness down a little in the hope that it isn't AS distracting.
Click to expand...
That’s a good point. I turn the brightness down so as not distract others. And yeah I can imagine the pencil could be an issue unless there were enough ambient noise I suppose.
 
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willmtaylor

willmtaylor

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Oct 31, 2009
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BigMcGuire said:
I use my 10.5 Ipad Pro at church. Notability and the YouVersion Bible app. I tried Olivetree but I already had 3-4 years of highlights in the YouVersion app :(. I did buy the OliveTree app - I use that on my MacBook more than anything.

12.9 inch tablet, I've seen in the wild, seems to me it would be way too big. But whatever works. The biggest problem I have is not making tap tap noises with the Apple Pencil while I write during quiet moments in the sermon. But I wouldn't feel bad for using it if I had one.

Love my 10.5 - perfect size. That + my iPhone = perfect. Church wifi sucks so I just initiate a hotspot on my iPad and I'm good to go.

Used a 9.5 budget iPad size for many years before this - but typed my notes on screen until 2018.
Click to expand...
I use the identical setup. 10.5" iPP with YouVersion, Notability, and Apple Pencil.
 
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BigMcGuire

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willmtaylor said:
I use the identical setup. 10.5" iPP with YouVersion, Notability, and Apple Pencil.
Click to expand...
Hah nice! I just wish YouVersion could do split view like OliveTree does. I still prefer you version because of the years of highlighting I have in it from back to my Droid 1 days. Lol
 
sracer

sracer

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Apr 9, 2010
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Works4Me said:
That’s a good point. I turn the brightness down so as not distract others. And yeah I can imagine the pencil could be an issue unless there were enough ambient noise I suppose.
Click to expand...
I think it also depends upon the particular iPad and whether or not one uses a screen protector. I have matte protectors on all of my tablets and using the Pencil on the 2018 iPad, it is very quiet... not silent, but the sound is low enough that it isn't distracting to those sitting next to me.

As for brightness, I put my iPad in inverted color mode (which may eventually turn into "dark mode" in a future version of iOS). That's a "trick" used by those who preach using an iPad... it eliminates the upward lighting/glow on the pastor's face from the iPad resting on the pulpit.
 
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