If you look across the entire iPad portfolio, I think the most popular sizes are between 10" and 11". This is presumably because the majority of users employ the iPad as a companion device & prioritize portability. Is there a trend among the "large majority" toward the 12.9" size Pro? I don't think so.
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iPad Pro Apple should make the iPad Pro bigger to make it smaller
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If you look across the entire iPad portfolio, I think the most popular sizes are between 10" and 11". This is presumably because the majority of users employ the iPad as a companion device & prioritize portability. Is there a trend among the "large majority" toward the 12.9" size Pro? I don't think so.
I remember when 12.9 was considered a niche of a niche product. Time for a 15+ version so we have such a niche of a niche product again.
I remember when I briefly had a Surface 2, that thing was miserable to hold and try and use in portrait mode because of the weight distribution. Plus it looked comical.
Same, it always seemed so huge to me, but I went back to it after a few years with a Mini 5. The 2018+ design is just portable enough compared to the 2015-2017 chassis, and the Magic Keyboard really is a game changer for making it a more flexible MB Air.
Apple will be happy to sell an 11" iPad to those people who now find their 15" iPads stay at home because they are too large. ?
A 14 inch in the 2018 design would be nearly the same size as the 2015-2017 models.
15+ inch would be for work that requires a desk or any support (just like any laptop) so I don’t see the problem of it being too large. Like any work tool, it is transported with a suitable carrying case. Since the air got a M1 and by the ways is a very good deal, it is a risk that iPP 11 inch disappears for two larger sized iPP.
Surface 2 was my main tablet for a couple of years. I don't think I ever used it in portrait mode. 16:9 was never meant for portrait. But I really liked it for watching videos or even briefly remoting into a laptop.
Apple would never do it but 3 sizes is the solution to the majority of user happiness.
They won’t do it because it’s too much choice. We have both 11 and 12.9 Pros here and they’re both amazing. Split screen for studying on the 11 is complete ass though, especially with a PDF on one side. 12.9 os just a dream to work on though.
With a briefcase or messy ever bag I don’t find any difference between the 11 and 12.9, but when walking around holding them, the 11 is so much nicer. Anyone that’s on their feet a lot and holding these things definitely needs to be on the 11. The real Pro experience is only truly on the 12.9 though. You really do need that extra space to truly appreciate how good all features can be.
Split screen on the 12.9 was what won me over the tablets for the first time (I’d owned iPads before but thought they were junk). Most people won’t have a use for split screen though for those that do it’s a game changer, a real power user feature.
They won’t do it because it’s too much choice. We have both 11 and 12.9 Pros here and they’re both amazing. Split screen for studying on the 11 is complete ass though, especially with a PDF on one side. 12.9 os just a dream to work on though.
With a briefcase or messy ever bag I don’t find any difference between the 11 and 12.9, but when walking around holding them, the 11 is so much nicer. Anyone that’s on their feet a lot and holding these things definitely needs to be on the 11. The real Pro experience is only truly on the 12.9 though. You really do need that extra space to truly appreciate how good all features can be.
Split screen on the 12.9 was what won me over the tablets for the first time (I’d owned iPads before but thought they were junk). Most people won’t have a use for split screen though for those that do it’s a game changer, a real power user feature.
Yes, I wouldn’t go bigger than 11” either, and personally I would be fine with just 10” (with the same aspect ratio than the 11” Pro). But even at 10”, I would still buy the Pro, because of the triple camera set, build quality (remember what‘s happening with the Air’s aluminum back case) and pro-motion. Still, a smaller device is more useful for me because I use it on the bus, at the library, on the studio, etc.
A 12 inch might be just the right compromise between still being able to be used as a handheld device (which the 13 inch hardly is) and being actually big enough to do more than one thing simultaneously (which the 11 inch clearly is not).
But it might also be the odd man out being bad at both and convincing neither user demographic. Since, and I guess some don’t see it as I do, both 11 and 13 inch have totally different use cases and reasons why people buy them.
The audience buying the 13 inch, I feel like, basically wants a touch screen convertible laptop. That’s not actually really a tablet anymore. Those would probably welcome a 14 inch since holding ergonomics are secondary anyways.
But then why not go all out and offer a 15 inch iPad Studio additionally to the 11 and 13 as the premier artistic device that is as technically portable as a 16 inch mbp is „portable“?
Plus: nah, the current aspect ratio is very much fine imho. If anything I see laptops move more towards that.
But it might also be the odd man out being bad at both and convincing neither user demographic. Since, and I guess some don’t see it as I do, both 11 and 13 inch have totally different use cases and reasons why people buy them.
The audience buying the 13 inch, I feel like, basically wants a touch screen convertible laptop. That’s not actually really a tablet anymore. Those would probably welcome a 14 inch since holding ergonomics are secondary anyways.
But then why not go all out and offer a 15 inch iPad Studio additionally to the 11 and 13 as the premier artistic device that is as technically portable as a 16 inch mbp is „portable“?
Plus: nah, the current aspect ratio is very much fine imho. If anything I see laptops move more towards that.
I'd go apes**t for a iPad Mini Pro. M1, 2TB, HDR. That woud be sweet.
Your missing the point that the current 12.9” iPad Pro form factor… edge to edge is almost 14” of possible screen. you don’t need to change the current size or aspect ratio of the screen; that complicates things. Simply remove the bevels... Currently there are a few real problems that are standing in the way for this to become a reality.
First… screen embedded cameras: You can’t eliminate front facing cameras from design, and for the screen to be pulled to the absolute edge(unless you use fiber-optic slit reform or punch out); the camera must be embedded in the screen.
Second… durability from required tighter tolerances: screens generally twist and flex more than even the metal bodies they sit in. When everything is pulled to the edge, screens and the bodies they sit in must accommodate extreme tolerances(at the point of edge to edge design, material expansion relief would need to be included). In many ways we are already there, but it will become more of a requirement as we get to tighter tolerances if the devices are to survive.
Third… Quality: there is no point offering a larger screen size, if the additional size isn’t usable or just as useful as the rest of the display(I mean there is, but it would be perceived). We see the 12.9” iPad Pro Halo effect, and while it doesn’t decrease the use, it does reduce it’s overall quality a bit; same applies, bringing a screen edge to edge must look good all the way to the edge even after years of use.
First… screen embedded cameras: You can’t eliminate front facing cameras from design, and for the screen to be pulled to the absolute edge(unless you use fiber-optic slit reform or punch out); the camera must be embedded in the screen.
Second… durability from required tighter tolerances: screens generally twist and flex more than even the metal bodies they sit in. When everything is pulled to the edge, screens and the bodies they sit in must accommodate extreme tolerances(at the point of edge to edge design, material expansion relief would need to be included). In many ways we are already there, but it will become more of a requirement as we get to tighter tolerances if the devices are to survive.
Third… Quality: there is no point offering a larger screen size, if the additional size isn’t usable or just as useful as the rest of the display(I mean there is, but it would be perceived). We see the 12.9” iPad Pro Halo effect, and while it doesn’t decrease the use, it does reduce it’s overall quality a bit; same applies, bringing a screen edge to edge must look good all the way to the edge even after years of use.
The regular iPad with home button has a 10.2” display. Alas, chassis dimensions are similar to Air 10.9/Pro 11
That's true, I forgot about the chassis size. Its 1/4 narrower, but otherwise the same size as the 11" iPads.
Yup, keep the body size but make the bezels thinner for an ~8.9" screen. M1 and ProMotion / mini-LED with more storage. Delicious.
We may not get such a device until the iPhones can fold out into it, though.
I’m happy with my 11” iPad Pro. If you gave me a 12.9”, I would sell it and buy an 11”. (Well probably not since I already have one but you get the idea). The 12.9” is too big for what I want to do. I rarely do split screen. It might be nice to have the better blacks for streaming but I’m not too worried about it. The main thing is the size and weight. The 12.9” is too bulky and much too heavy. If I’m going to do things that require extra screen or complexity, I’ll switch to my MBA. The 11” is perfect for casual use.
I would be ok with the 11 turning in an 11.5 or 11.9inch as long as they can keep it at 1lb. I don’t want a tablet any heavier than 1lb. If I need something bigger I will use a 15-17 inch laptop or my desktop with a 32 inch screen.