For people with iPad Pro's (12.9 in.) as laptop replacements, how has it been so far?

[Non-Polar]

I am seriously considering picking one of these guys up. I do all of the heavy lifting on my built PC, but I'll need a tablet/laptop for typing up notes via PowerPoint, reading through emails, editing on Google Docs whilst browsing the web for research, etc. Seems like the iPad can do this quite well.

I have a MacBook Air, but the screen is definitely a hindrance nowadays. Has anyone had any experiences with the iPads in this respect? How is it?

 

[The Game 161]

Loving it

Not missed my MacBook at all. Battery life lasts all day easily and is a dream for watching stuff on but also doing the odd work stuff

Just perfect on the Apple Smart Keyboard

 

[Evan becker]

Loving it

Not missed my MacBook at all. Battery life lasts all day easily and is a dream for watching stuff on but also doing the odd work stuff

Just perfect on the Apple Smart Keyboard

agreed, took me a while to get used to the ASK because i’m used to smashing on a keyboard but now I love it. ios11 works wonders with the ipad and I use it as my daily laptop and PC in college. writing notes on it is a blast and have no problem typing up essays or powerpoints

 

[The Game 161]

agreed, took me a while to get used to the ASK because i’m used to smashing on a keyboard but now I love it. ios11 works wonders with the ipad and I use it as my daily laptop and PC in college. writing notes on it is a blast and have no problem typing up essays or powerpoints

That's the thing I've not even downloaded ios 11 yet. When that's out this will be even more stunning

 

[44267547]

That's the thing I've not even downloaded ios 11 yet. When that's out this will be even more stunning

I know the second Generation 12.9 iPad is fast and the display is amazing. But I primarily look forward to the potential with iOS 11 once it debuts this Fall. Especially
With the 12.9 iPad user interface, it will use better advantages of iOS 11.

 

[Ghost31]

I've been ipad only for quite awhile now. My transition started slowly when I had the iPad Air 2 as I noticed I was on my ipad ALOT more than my beefed up MacBook Pro and it almost upset me. I just spent a few grand on a new MacBook and here I am using my tablet more often because its just so much more fun from almost every angle. Then the first iPad Pro 12.9 came and that just sealed the deal.

Sold all my macs and went ipad totally expecting to regret my decision and be crawling back to my trusty macOS for all the important stuff. Turned out? I didn't miss mac at all and actually preferred iOS. I noticed my habits were a lot different with my ipad too. Like because the apps on it are such high quality and there's so many of them to choose from, I was more creative and productive and I actually ended up getting MORE done. And it was a relief only having to carry my ipad in my bag as my do it all device. I'm actually enjoying the hell out of it right now

https://imgur.com/a/0Jyu5

 

[Works4Me]

The thing about the question is it so much depends on your needs. Right now there's no way I could work solely on an iOS. It's just too limiting. But others may not find that to be case.

 

[Centris 650]

I started moving to iPad only waaay back during the iPad 2. It was tough back then but with the iPad 4 and then especially with the air 1 it was doable. The game changer was the original 12.9 IPP. It's been great! I do everything you listed plus I do presentations and art on it. If you don't draw on it I'd consider a keyboard case. I carry an apple wireless keyboard for when i need it.

Go for it. I think you'll love it.

 

[Tarjas]

We have been using our original 12.9 with a Logitech create keyboard as our primary machine for 2 months now while we are in the middle of an overseas move. Best purchase we have made in along time. Have yet to run into a task that we cant do better/faster on the ipad (mainly web/mail/media consumption). Won't replace the iMac for some content creation tasks but this combo is really good for what we need to to do - battery life, screen quality, speed, ease of use.

 

[joshwithachance]

Tried it. Hated it. Even loaded iOS 11 onto it, and didn't like it much. I never realized how much I enjoy having a mouse pointer/trackpad to interact with an OS at this level. Had I tried the iPP as a laptop experiment with an Apple Pencil it probably would have been a bit more enjoyable, but at the end of the day I still feel iOS isn't ready to replace a laptop. *FOR ME* I wanted to use it for the basic stuff obviously, but I also wanted to do some video editing in LumaFusion, but iOS cannot read Sony XAVC S files, which was the major deal breaker for me.

But for the average user, I can see the 12.9 being the ideal machine. It's $900 for the 256GB though. At that price point you're quite close to the 12" MacBook, which has some damn good performance in the 2017 model, and the base model 13" MBP which are both overall superior machines due to running full macOS.

 

[SDColorado]

Returned my new 12.9 at the 14 day mark. I picked up one of the new Surface Pro's and the 12.9 iPad Pro at about the same time to try them side by side. Even though I haven't used a Windows product in over a decade, it was the 12.9 iPad Pro that went back. I just didn't find it that convenient to use, even with the ASK, I didn't use it any more than I used my 9.7 iPad Pro before the experiment. Beautiful big screen that was a pleasure to look at, but just couldn't justify keeping it.

 

[David58117]

Returned my new 12.9 at the 14 day mark. I picked up one of the new Surface Pro's and the 12.9 iPad Pro at about the same time to try them side by side. Even though I haven't used a Windows product in over a decade, it was the 12.9 iPad Pro that went back. I just didn't find it that convenient to use, even with the ASK, I didn't use it any more than I used my 9.7 iPad Pro before the experiment. Beautiful big screen that was a pleasure to look at, but just couldn't justify keeping it.

Was there something specifically you were trying to do with the iPad you couldn't?

 

[Gary Ginther]

I am seriously considering picking one of these guys up. I do all of the heavy lifting on my built PC, but I'll need a tablet/laptop for typing up notes via PowerPoint, reading through emails, editing on Google Docs whilst browsing the web for research, etc. Seems like the iPad can do this quite well.

I have a MacBook Air, but the screen is definitely a hindrance nowadays. Has anyone had any experiences with the iPads in this respect? How is it?

It is really good for this with one big concern. Apple is having major problems with the Smart Keyboard. Mine started having issues a couple of months ago. So are thousands of others. Apple recently changed the warranty to 3 years on the Smart Keyboard because of these issues. The only problem is, Don't hold your breath on getting your keyboard fixed/replaced. I fought with Apple Service for over a month before they finally agreed to send me a box to return my POS keyboard. It had become worthless due to connectivity issues. Apple said they would verify it was bad and send me a new one. Instead, 4 days after shipping mine to them I received mine back. The only way I knew they did anything was on the packing list they called my keyboard "serviced". It worked fine, (mostly), for one day. It is still suffering the same issues. I am so fed up with Apple. I loved my IPad Pro when the keyboard worked. It is worthless without it. Time to ditch the Iphones, IPads, IPods, and ITunes. When I looked at how much we have payed to Apple in the last 2 years it amazed me. Time to switch I guess.

 

[Dave245]

Personally I'm having a bit of a dilemma, I currently have the first generation 12.9 iPad Pro, I'm going to be upgrading to the second generation next month, however I can't decide between the 12.9" or the 10.5" I like the look of the 10.5" as it's smaller and more portable, I've not seen one in person yet (my nearest Apple Store is miles away) my buggiest concern with getting the 10.5" is if it's enough screen estate to get things done. My usage is as follows:

Apple Pencil for taking notes with Notability

Affinity photo for photo editing

A few adult colouring book apps (they are really relaxing)

Watching movies and TV shows

Multitasking and split view - Pages and safari mainly.

Has anyone moved from the 12.9" to the 10.5" and is happy with the screen estate? Is it enough to get your work done?

 

[subjonas]

Personally I'm having a bit of a dilemma, I currently have the first generation 12.9 iPad Pro, I'm going to be upgrading to the second generation next month, however I can't decide between the 12.9" or the 10.5" I like the look of the 10.5" as it's smaller and more portable, I've not seen one in person yet (my nearest Apple Store is miles away) my buggiest concern with getting the 10.5" is if it's enough screen estate to get things done. My usage is as follows:

Apple Pencil for taking notes with Notability

Affinity photo for photo editing

A few adult colouring book apps (they are really relaxing)

Watching movies and TV shows

Multitasking and split view - Pages and safari mainly.

Has anyone moved from the 12.9" to the 10.5" and is happy with the screen estate? Is it enough to get your work done?

Sorry I only have a 12.9 but here's my two cents. In my opinion the major deciding factors for you are a) what you consider to be portable enough, and b) how much percentage of the time do you spend in each type of usage.

Regarding a) was your gen one 12.9 portable enough? Or did you often find yourself wanting it to be smaller? Regarding b) it sounds like the use case in which you would really benefit from the larger screen is multitasking. Obviously both iPads can get the job done, but also obviously 12.9 is better for this task, particularly because the 10.5 safari split screen is iPhone layout. So if that bothers you, and a large percentage of your usage is going to be multitasking, and you can get over the decreased portibility, you would want to stick with the 12.9. In all other cases it sounds like you'd be better off with the 10.5.

 

[yep-sure]

So far since buying the 12.9, I've only returned to my MacBook to copy some songs to my iPod Shuffle. And honestly, it felt like going back in time. Seeing some webpages opened in Safari and a few Finder windows open, it felt like I was using an old PC...it's crazy how your perception can change so quickly.

I love the Smart Keyboard and type better on it than I do on my MacBook Pro, so no complaints here. Uni doesn't start again for a couple more weeks, but so far it's been mainly used for content consumption, but it's been amazing. I absolutely love it. I've used Citrix to remote into my work Windows environment (which is kept permanently in the office) and it's great having a full size screen for that.

I'm keen for uni to start so I can use it for watching lectures, taking notes using Apple Pencil, and to try and write some essays on this thing. I'm sure it's gonna be great and meet all my needs. If a few months go by with no major issues, then the MacBook will be sold.

 

[Dave245]

Sorry I only have a 12.9 but here's my two cents. In my opinion the major deciding factors for you are a) what you consider to be portable enough, and b) how much percentage of the time do you spend in each type of usage.

Regarding a) was your gen one 12.9 portable enough? Or did you often find yourself wanting it to be smaller? Regarding b) it sounds like the use case in which you would really benefit from the larger screen is multitasking. Obviously both iPads can get the job done, but also obviously 12.9 is better for this task, particularly because the 10.5 safari split screen is iPhone layout. So if that bothers you, and a large percentage of your usage is going to be multitasking, and you can get over the decreased portibility, you would want to stick with the 12.9. In all other cases it sounds like you'd be better off with the 10.5.

It's nice for around the house although it can be a little cumbersome for carrying from room to room. It's a bit of a pain when I have to take it to my friends house for our podcasts but that's only once a month, before my iPad Pro I used a iPad Air 2 and it was a little cramped so I'm not sure how much better this 10.5" would be, I do use picture in picture as well.

 

[David58117]

Personally I'm having a bit of a dilemma, I currently have the first generation 12.9 iPad Pro, I'm going to be upgrading to the second generation next month, however I can't decide between the 12.9" or the 10.5" I like the look of the 10.5" as it's smaller and more portable, I've not seen one in person yet (my nearest Apple Store is miles away) my buggiest concern with getting the 10.5" is if it's enough screen estate to get things done. My usage is as follows:

Apple Pencil for taking notes with Notability

Affinity photo for photo editing

A few adult colouring book apps (they are really relaxing)

Watching movies and TV shows

Multitasking and split view - Pages and safari mainly.

Has anyone moved from the 12.9" to the 10.5" and is happy with the screen estate? Is it enough to get your work done?

I moved from the 12.9 first gen to 9.7, and now am back with 12.9 2nd gen.

What made me go back was that there was too much overlap with the 9.7 and my 7+ iPhone.

Initially I loved the gain in portability, but it eventually became to where I would just use my phone when I needed portability.

I figured if I'm going to have two iOS devices, opposite ends of the spectrum makes the most sense.

Pro apps (music recording software for me) are soo much better on the 12.9 vs the 9.7 (and I'm assuming 10.5, which I've seen), it just didn't make sense to go with that one.

However - if you're mainly using the pencil for coloring/notes and watching movies, the 10.5 may be a good choice. It's less cramped than the 9.7, and really felt better than the 9.7 when I played with one in the store.

But for pro apps - go with the 12.9.

 

[Dave245]

I moved from the 12.9 first gen to 9.7, and now am back with 12.9 2nd gen.

What made me go back was that there was too much overlap with the 9.7 and my 7+ iPhone.

Initially I loved the gain in portability, but it eventually became to where I would just use my phone when I needed portability.

I figured if I'm going to have two iOS devices, opposite ends of the spectrum makes the most sense.

Pro apps (music recording software for me) are soo much better on the 12.9 vs the 9.7 (and I'm assuming 10.5, which I've seen), it just didn't make sense to go with that one.

However - if you're mainly using the pencil for coloring/notes and watching movies, the 10.5 may be a good choice. It's less cramped than the 9.7, and really felt better than the 9.7 when I played with one in the store.

But for pro apps - go with the 12.9.

I also have the 7 Plus iPhone, I also use Affinity Photo which is a great alternative to Photoshop (without the monthly subscription ) and Notability is another great app for taking notes. I do use my Mac for actual typing which is why i haven't used an Apple Smart Keyboard yet, however with IOS 11 getting more Pro features i'm tempted to pick one up.
I type a lot, as well as being a writer i also contribute to a blog and do podcasts with friends.

I also watch a lot of content as well on my iPad with picture in picture, Netflix and TV shows/movie's i've brought through iTunes. I also play the odd game like Prison Architect but nothing to major.

 

[sracer]

I am seriously considering picking one of these guys up. I do all of the heavy lifting on my built PC, but I'll need a tablet/laptop for typing up notes via PowerPoint, reading through emails, editing on Google Docs whilst browsing the web for research, etc. Seems like the iPad can do this quite well.

I have a MacBook Air, but the screen is definitely a hindrance nowadays. Has anyone had any experiences with the iPads in this respect? How is it?

background: I have alternating mobile solutions consisting of (11" MBA + iPad Mini 4) and (12.9 iPad Pro + Pencil + Citrix X1 mouse + ASK), both of which are secondary to an iMac in my home office.

I have a love/hate relationship (more love than hate) with my 12.9 Pro. Love how.... thin and light it is, how natural it is to use as a writing tablet, how quickly and easily it switches to a standalone tablet, how natural it feels when remotely connecting to my iMac and using a keyboard and mouse, the effectiveness of using split window for writing in one window and researching in the other.

Hate... the limitations of iOS and software, lack of ports, lack of support for peripherals, and all the untapped potential.

Part of it is that the 12.9 Pro gives the illusion of being able to do more than it is actually capable of. Should Apple produce a iPad Mini Pro, I'd probably just go with my 11" MBA + Mini Pro combo.

But for what you described your tasks to be, the 12.9 Pro should handle them just fine.

 

[Yughred]

I am seriously considering picking one of these guys up. I do all of the heavy lifting on my built PC, but I'll need a tablet/laptop for typing up notes via PowerPoint, reading through emails, editing on Google Docs whilst browsing the web for research, etc. Seems like the iPad can do this quite well.

I have a MacBook Air, but the screen is definitely a hindrance nowadays. Has anyone had any experiences with the iPads in this respect? How is it?

Then you definitely want to buy an iPad Pro. I just got mine and I use it for everything, even for programming. I can connect to my desktop PC at home via the Jump Desktop RDP. It even provides mouse support (only Citrix X1) which is crucial for text editing. With the coming of iOS 11, iPad Pro is going to support multitasking and file management, which will make it more like a laptop.

The reason I chose iPad Pro over Surface Pro is the superb screen on iPad Pro. Apple claims it to have features like P3 wide color gamut, 600 nits brightness, 120 Hz refresh rate, etc. Maybe some of them may turn out to be just hypes, but at similar or even lower price, iPad Pro beats Surface Pro.

BTW, you don't need to pay for the ripping Apple accessories, expect probably the Apple Pencil. For the case and keyboard, just go to Amazon and you can get them combined under CA$50.

Forgot to mention, writing experience on an iPad Pro is unparalleled among electronic devices. With Apple Pencil, 120HZ refresh rate and fastest ever A10X CPU, I don't feel much difference from writing with an actual pen and paper.

 

[richpjr]

Tried it. Hated it. Even loaded iOS 11 onto it, and didn't like it much. I never realized how much I enjoy having a mouse pointer/trackpad to interact with an OS at this level. Had I tried the iPP as a laptop experiment with an Apple Pencil it probably would have been a bit more enjoyable, but at the end of the day I still feel iOS isn't ready to replace a laptop. *FOR ME* I wanted to use it for the basic stuff obviously, but I also wanted to do some video editing in LumaFusion, but iOS cannot read Sony XAVC S files, which was the major deal breaker for me.

But for the average user, I can see the 12.9 being the ideal machine. It's $900 for the 256GB though. At that price point you're quite close to the 12" MacBook, which has some damn good performance in the 2017 model, and the base model 13" MBP which are both overall superior machines due to running full macOS.

My feelings are the same - iOS is the weak link that drags down superb hardware. I love my 12.9, but it's not close to replacing my MPP. Perhaps someday...

 

[WilliamG]

Was there something specifically you were trying to do with the iPad you couldn't?

Could have been merely copy and paste which doesn't work reliably AT ALL on any iOS device, either selecting entire areas or being generally finicky.

I love my new 12.9, but it's not remotely a "proper" computer like a Surface Pro etc.

 

[SDColorado]

Was there something specifically you were trying to do with the iPad you couldn't?

Sracer summed it up pretty well in his list of “hates.”

Don’t get me wrong. In no way did I hate the device, in fact I quite liked it and kept it as long as I did, trying to justify in my head why I should keep it permanently. But the truth is it was never going to be much more useful to me than the 9.7 I already own and seldom use. I like the concept of it, but it simply is never going to be a laptop replacement for me, even with the larger screen and keyboard. I just couldn’t logically justify spending that kind of money on something that would more often than not be a second or third choice as the tool I would use for various tasks. The tasks that I would use or for, my 9.7 iPP is more than sufficient, but plan to sell that as well.

 

[fabianvs]

Replaced my MacBook for most uses except photo / video editing