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iPad Pro Going Back to the Mini from the 12.9 Inch M4 OLED!

Y

Yourbigpalal83

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 22, 2015
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Now dont get me wrong the M4 OLED iPad is a wonderful device. Its screen alone is fantastic. Its performance, i couldn't tell you one way or another apple doesn't do anything that takes advantage of it.

The keyboard is almost perfect except for that top heavy wobble it has every time you tap the touch of the screen, and the new Apple Pencil pro is great. This is NOT a hate post on the device in any way shape or form.

The problem is...for me...its TOO MUCH iPad. Its too big and too thin and i'm terrified to lay on the bed or on the couch with the thing off the magic keyboard as i know sooner or later i feel like its going to bend.

Also...i want something that i can take with me on the go. This thing is very much laptop size and thats fantastic but i really dont need that for my uses.

I've been using it since Wednesday and i just feel like the Mini suited my needs much better (I traded in my Mini a while back to put the money from that towards this)

Know what would be my perfect dream device that i doubt apple will ever make? A Foldable OLED Iphone that opens into a Ipad Mini or even ill settle and compromise...A M4 OLED Ipad Mini with 120HZ Screen and Landscape FaceID.

That be perfection.

This device...is close to it in every single way except for size for me. If you want a basically Ipad OLED Laptop, by all means go out and get yourself the M4 OLED with pencil and keyboard case. Its wonderful for that use.

Me...i just wish to god this came in the Mini form factor or a intentionally foldable format where it was both Iphone and Ipad mini in one!

I get going back i have to compromise on the screen and fingerprint sensor over FaceID but im ok with that for now!

Thoughts?
 
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The biggest problem I have with the new iPads is that Apple wants them to be something they are not…a laptop replacement.

I‘ve never used an iPad for serious laptop work mostly because they are hampered by the Operating System. iOS is not MacOS.

I work on my laptop. I mostly consume on my iPad. I’m not sure how to bridge that divide.
 
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revfife said:
The biggest problem I have with the new iPads is that Apple wants them to be something they are not…a laptop replacement.

I‘ve never used an iPad for serious laptop work mostly because they are hampered by the Operating System. iOS is not MacOS.

I work on my laptop. I mostly consume on my iPad. I’m not sure how to bridge that divide.
Click to expand...
I think just because they pose it that way doesn’t mean it has to be for everyone. I can work exclusively on my iPad Pro and my laptop collects dust for months at a time
 
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revfife said:
The biggest problem I have with the new iPads is that Apple wants them to be something they are not…a laptop replacement.

I‘ve never used an iPad for serious laptop work mostly because they are hampered by the Operating System. iOS is not MacOS.

I work on my laptop. I mostly consume on my iPad. I’m not sure how to bridge that divide.
Click to expand...
Yeah I’m the same way. They would be great hybrid devices but they are limited by iPadOS. It’s frustrating.

Like if this could replace my iMac I’d be very happy. But it can’t sadly. It just seems redundant given what I have. I rather have the mini and be able to fit it in a pocket and take it with me for notes and sketches. It’s over kill for what I use it for ya know.
 
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Nikhil72 said:
Why not the 11”?
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I got the same question.

I just went from the mini to the 11. It still feels a bit big but now on day 3 I’m starting to get used to it.

The screen is way better, and reading news app and books feels way more luxurious with the extra space and crispness of the text.

13 would have been too big for sure, totally the other extreme.

Before the mini, I had the 9.7 inch pro and I miss this size.
 
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I have both sizes and use both constantly—the big Pro for productivity and the small Mini for casual consumption (most movies/shows I watch on my TV). Each are great for their respective tasks. Couldn’t get rid of either, even if replacing them with a medium-sized iPad which would be worse at both tasks.
 
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Gregintosh said:
I got the same question.

I just went from the mini to the 11. It still feels a bit big but now on day 3 I’m starting to get used to it.

The screen is way better, and reading news app and books feels way more luxurious with the extra space and crispness of the text.

13 would have been too big for sure, totally the other extreme.

Before the mini, I had the 9.7 inch pro and I miss this size.
Click to expand...
I did a side-by-side comparison with mini, the added physical size of 11” is notable but still manageable, whereas iPad mini screen becomes a tad too small for me, even with less bezels of that iPad mini 6. To me 11” strikes the perfect balance between portability and generous screen estate.
 
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revfife said:
The biggest problem I have with the new iPads is that Apple wants them to be something they are not…a laptop replacement.
Click to expand...
I think this is a misinterpreted message that has turned into a false narrative. Apple wants iPads to be a Mac complement, and a laptop (preferably PC laptop) replacement for those whom it can. As far as I know Apple never claimed it would replace all or even most people’s laptops.
 
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It’s interesting you just posted this. I have an iPad Pro 11 from 2020 and whilst i do enjoy it, i think it’s too much ipad for me. I have an M2 MacBook Air. And I end up reaching for that much much more than my iPad 11 with keyboard. I figured, what am I actually using the ipad for, and it’s literally, YouTube, browsing the internet, reading articles and watching TV / movies on flights. NOTHING ELSE. Given that, the mini seemed to be a great form factor.

Last week I got a 64 GB mini from the refurb store, and my husband got an m4 11 inch. I’m going to keep my pro till the next mini comes out. and sell both and get a decent storage size. Since I got the mini i happened to have torn my calf muscle and it’s been great to have a little device.

Thats a very long winded way of saying, it’s a great form factor for normal use.
 
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I would only get a mini if I could find a place to put it when out and about.
 
As a Mini fan the UI is just botched. Portrait orientation is the only useful one but I’m sensitive to jelly scroll which is the most noticeable in portrait (thanks Apple). Landscape is just awful and requires you to zoom on most things you want to read or do.

I’m no web developer but I would argue most websites are optimized for mobile or 13”+ for desktop. My iPad Pro 13” in desktop Safari mode has the same layout as my current gen MBA when it comes to viewing web pages.
 
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Nikhil72 said:
I think just because they pose it that way doesn’t mean it has to be for everyone. I can work exclusively on my iPad Pro and my laptop collects dust for months at a time
Click to expand...
I don't know what work you do. I am do lots of research and writing. I want a good keyboard, ability to have multiple windows, programs running at the same time, and a word processor not developed for a phone/tablet OS. Same with people in Graphics Design, Photography, Videography, etc...

My iPad is good for sending emails, reading news, books, social media, taking notes, sketching designs, but I don't expect more from it than that. Even using things like Canva, I would rather do on a laptop than on a tablet.

subjonas said:
I think this is a misinterpreted message that has turned into a false narrative. Apple wants iPads to be a Mac complement, and a laptop (preferably PC laptop) replacement for those whom it can. As far as I know Apple never claimed it would replace all or even most people’s laptops.
Click to expand...

If this is true and Apple wants the iPad to be a Mac complement then there really is no place/market for an iPad Pro. The processor is the same that runs their laptops. The iPad Air is already overkill for most every single application on the iOS store right now. They are selling bigger (1 TB of storage?) and better plus a keyboard folio (imho the weirdest Apple product because of how most people type). An iPad complement to a Mac would be an iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini. The Pro is just overkill.

While I dislike they keyboard and sold it right after I aquired it, I will say the Apple Pencil is pretty incredible design and I use it every single day. The iPad does make a wonderful notetaking tablet.

iPadified said:
Apple do not. Techies do.
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I think there is a certain niche that wants a Mac version of the Microsoft Surface, for which I would see as the most similar product on the market to the iPad Pro.

For most people, the iPad Air introduced alongside the Pro is probably the maximum tablet they will ever need.
 
I don't understand why anyone would be deciding between a Mini and a 12.9" iPad

The specs are irrelevant -- it's like cross shopping a sporty coupe and a quad cab pickup truck

Totally different sizes for different uses
 
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hch720 said:
Even if it’s bent a little it still works so I wouldn’t worry about it
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Seriously? Drop over $2K on the iPad, pencil and keyboard and "even it if bends a little"? That's a crock.

Apple's obsession with "thin" is one thing, but to do it to the detriment of the product line is asinine. And even moreso for those who drop $2K and say "I wouldn't worry about it".

Mind blown.
 
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