How will iOS 11 affect the iPad Pro 9.7?

[Broadus]

I've read many reviews that say we can't fully see the excellence of the iPad Pro 10.5 until iOS 11 is released. What about the IPP 9.7 and iOS 11? Granted, the 9.7 has only 2GB RAM, but what will iOS 11 mean to it? Will the 9.7 become a more "Pro" tablet than it has been with iOS 10? Will iOS 11 tax the 2GB RAM?

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

iOS 11 beta is running fantastic on my 9.7 pro. It will be a huge benefit. It can only have 2 (instead of 3) active apps at the same time... but I personally don't care about that.

 

[Broadus]

iOS 11 beta is running fantastic on my 9.7 pro. It will be a huge benefit. It can only have 2 (instead of 3) active apps at the same time... but I personally don't care about that.

Thanks. That's good to hear. That is encouraging to those looking at upgrading to a nicely-discounted 9.7 Pro instead of the 10.5 Pro.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I think it will run just fine. It will benefit from all of the iOS 11 iPad specific updates and handle the OS smoothly.

 

[BigAppleNYC123]

The beta decreased my battery life but it ran just as quickly as iOS 10. As long as battery life isn’t a huge issue, go sign up for the beta

 

[gobikerider]

I've read many reviews that say we can't fully see the excellence of the iPad Pro 10.5 until iOS 11 is released. What about the IPP 9.7 and iOS 11? Granted, the 9.7 has only 2GB RAM, but what will iOS 11 mean to it? Will the 9.7 become a more "Pro" tablet than it has been with iOS 10? Will iOS 11 tax the 2GB RAM?

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Yes it'll run fantastic...considering the Air 2 runs iOS 11 fantastic as well.

 

[Broadus]

So couldn't a reviewer say that you can't really see how excellent the 9.7 Pro or the Air 2 is until iOS 11 is released? It seems that iOS 11 may be bigger news than the 10.5.

Just speculating out loud.

 

[JohnnyGo]

iOS 11 beta is running fantastic on my 9.7 pro. It will be a huge benefit. It can only have 2 (instead of 3) active apps at the same time... but I personally don't care about that.

Same here. A bit shorter battery life but it’s a beta after all.

I’m planning to stick with my 9.7” iPP for another year at least while Apple develops iOS 11 and developers adapt their apps to larger screens (both 10.5 and 12.9 suffer from some scaled apps).

 

[rowspaxe]

So couldn't a reviewer say that you can't really see how excellent the 9.7 Pro or the Air 2 is until iOS 11 is released? It seems that iOS 11 may be bigger news than the 10.5.

Just speculating out loud.

When was the last time a major feature was added after a product went beta?

 

[Broadus]

When was the last time a major feature was added after a product went beta?

Sorry, but I don't understand your comment.

 

[DNichter]

So couldn't a reviewer say that you can't really see how excellent the 9.7 Pro or the Air 2 is until iOS 11 is released? It seems that iOS 11 may be bigger news than the 10.5.

Just speculating out loud.

iOS 11 is big for all iPad's, but the 10.5 really hits on what iPad hardware should be. Not many shortcomings or compromises there. Software is key though, everyone benefits.

 

[Broadus]

iOS 11 is big for all iPad's, but the 10.5 really hits on what iPad hardware should be. Not many shortcomings or compromises there. Software is key though, everyone benefits.

Thanks. Is the biggest feature for iOS 11 the 10.5 has over the 9.7 Pro the 4GB RAM?

 

[MacDevil7334]

I upgraded my iPad Pro 9.7” to iOS 11 starting with public beta 2 and was super worried. Apps were constantly getting purged from memory and having to be refreshed when you switched back to them. I was afraid iOS 11 was going to be bad news for iPads with 2 GB of RAM. Thankfully, this has gotten noticeably better with the current public beta 3. The limitations of having only 2 GB of RAM are definitely more noticeable than they were on iOS 10 simply because the new features in iOS 11 encourage multitasking so much more. However, I’m not seeing constant app refreshes like I was with the last beta.

If I were buying a new iPad Pro right now, I would get a 10.5” or the new 12.9” model for the 4 GB of RAM alone. While 2 GB seems to be passable for iOS 11, it’s definitey not optimal and it was kind of crappy of Apple to gimp the 9.7” Pro so badly. I doubt 2 GB will really cut it when iOS 12 comes around next year. If you already have a 9.7” Pro or even an Air 2 and don’t need the pro accessories, you’re probably ok using iOS 11 and buying a new iPad in 2018. That’s what I plan to do. But, if you’re looking to buy new right now, I think you will be happy you got a device with 4 GB of RAM in a year or two.

 

[DNichter]

Thanks. Is the biggest feature for iOS 11 the 10.5 has over the 9.7 Pro the 4GB RAM?

Hmm I don’t know if it’s the biggest but it’s one of the main reasons I upgraded. The increased screen size, although small, makes a pretty big difference. ProMotion is also a really nice feature that you really need to feel in your hands to appreciate. Lastly, this thing is super fast and you can definitely feel the difference.

 

[ryxn]

If I were buying a new iPad Pro right now, I would get a 10.5” or the new 12.9” model for the 4 GB of RAM alone. While 2 GB seems to be passable for iOS 11, it’s definitey not optimal and it was kind of crappy of Apple to gimp the 9.7” Pro so badly. I doubt 2 GB will really cut it when iOS 12 comes around next year.

Agreed. I've got a 9.7, and I use it mostly for media streaming and typing emails via Smart Keyboard. It works nicely on iOS 11, but the fact they only gave it 2GB of RAM is really crappy imo. I'm not worried about it running iOS 12 because Apple does such a good job with RAM management, but I certainly wouldn't use it for professional use.

 

[Broadus]

Agreed. I've got a 9.7, and I use it mostly for media streaming and typing emails via Smart Keyboard. It works nicely on iOS 11, but the fact they only gave it 2GB of RAM is really crappy imo. I'm not worried about it running iOS 12 because Apple does such a good job with RAM management, but I certainly wouldn't use it for professional use.

I'm not sure how "Pro" will be my usage, though the Pencil for marking books is attractive to me. I tend to purchase for at least 3 years. The 2017 iPad may be sufficient for my usage, but I can't abide continuing with a non-laminated screen.

So . . . the 9.7 Pro could be a good, frugal choice, but will it be a good choice three years from now? A 9.7 Pro with 4GB could be, but that's not an option.

 

[MacDevil7334]

What’s the price difference between the 9.7” and the 10.5” right now?

 

[chevelleguy3]

iOS 11 has been running pretty good on my IPP 9.7 128GB Wifi+LTE. The first Public Beta had a bunch of issues but those seem to be sorted out with the current Public Beta. It actually runs very smooth even for a beta.

 

[Broadus]

What’s the price difference between the 9.7” and the 10.5” right now?

The difference between a 128GB 9.7 and a 256GB 10.5 Pro (mid-tier options) is $200-$250, depending on what sale is being run on the 9.7.

128GB is what I'd want, but that's not an option with the 10.5. 64GB is too little and 256GB is probably overkill.

 

[ryxn]

I'm not sure how "Pro" will be my usage, though the Pencil for marking books is attractive to me. I tend to purchase for at least 3 years. The 2017 iPad may be sufficient for my usage, but I can't abide continuing with a non-laminated screen.

So . . . the 9.7 Pro could be a good, frugal choice, but will it be a good choice three years from now? A 9.7 Pro with 4GB could be, but that's not an option.

In my opinion, absolutely. I also have an Apple Pencil with my 9.7, and it works great. There isn’t ProMotion with the 9.7, but I don’t notice any latency with using my Apple Pencil. I’m a technical writer, so I markup PDFs pretty frequently and take notes, and it works fantastic in that regard. With the ambient lighting sensors, the display looks attractive regardless of your surroundings.

Charging the Apple Pencil with the iPad looks silly, but luckily, battery life is great and you have the option to use an adapter (which is included with the Pencil) to charge it via any lightning cable.

I expect my iPad to start slowing down after 3 years though, and that’s mostly because of the 2GB of ram. However, I’ve had mine since the 9.7 first came out and it’s as fast as ever. If the current iPad Pro lineup isn’t an option for you, and you want to use the Apple Pencil, I highly recommend the 9.7. There are lots of 3rd party keyboards available too, but I stick with my Smart Keyboard.

 

[MacDevil7334]

The difference between a 128GB 9.7 and a 256GB 10.5 Pro (mid-tier options) is $200-$250, depending on what sale is being run on the 9.7.

128GB is what I'd want, but that's not an option with the 10.5. I'm considering mid-tier.

Yeah there are defeinitely some nice sales right now on the 9.7” models as stores try to clear out stock. I think the question is are you better off saving that money now with the chance that you need to replace the iPad in less than 3 years because the 2 GB of RAM means it has trouble running future versions of iOS? For your use cases, the 9.7” model is probably fine, but it’s a question as to how long that will be true.

In general, I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to buy old technology, even at a discount. Technology is always evolving quickly and buying an old model just seems like deliberately limiting the device’s useful lifespan. Over time, that extra price up front doesn’t work out to very much. That price difference of $250 works out to an extra ~$7 per month to own the newer 10.5” model. Of course, everyone’s budget and needs are different. But, I feel like that is extra money well spent now since that 4 GB will get you much farther than the 2 GB in the 9.7” model down the road. Just my two cents!

 

[Broadus]

Yeah there are defeinitely some nice sales right now on the 9.7” models as stores try to clear out stock. I think the question is are you better off saving that money now with the chance that you need to replace the iPad in less than 3 years because the 2 GB of RAM means it has trouble running future versions of iOS? For your use cases, the 9.7” model is probably fine, but it’s a question as to how long that will be true.

In general, I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to buy old technology, even at a discount. Technology is always evolving quickly and buying an old model just seems like deliberately limiting the device’s useful lifespan. Over time, that extra price up front doesn’t work out to very much. That price difference of $250 works out to an extra ~$7 per month to own the newer 10.5” model. Of course, everyone’s budget and needs are different. But, I feel like that is extra money well spent now since that 4 GB will get you much farther than the 2 GB in the 9.7” model down the road. Just my two cents!

You make some valid points, and those are some points that give me pause concerning the 9.7 Pro. Buying a year-old MacBook Pro is less a conern than an iPad, it seems. I bought my Apple-refurbished 2012 rMBP in 2013, and it still serves me well. iPads, though, haven't quite reached that point, but they seem close.

The 2GB RAM of the 9.7 may be a negative factor by iOS 13.

 

[henryyy]

i'm really considering into buying an ipad pro 9.7, but one thing keep stuck in my consideration.. do we need to get 365 subscription to use basic stuff microsoft office (like create & edit document) in ipad pro 9.7?

because official microsoft website & app store both said that: microsoft office is free to use for basic task (create&edit docs) in ipad, but for ipad Pro you need get 365 subscription for even basic task like create & edit doc, otherwise you just can view the docs..

here what microsoft website said:
"A qualifying Office 365 subscription is required to use premium features on the iPad®. A qualifying Office 365 subscription is required to create and edit documents in Word, Excel and PowerPoint on the iPad Pro®."
and here what app store said:
"Read Word documents on iPad Pro for free. To create and edit docs, you need a qualifying Office 365 subscription."

I'd really appreciate for the feedback.. thankyou..

 

[Broadus]

i'm really considering into buying an ipad pro 9.7, but one thing keep stuck in my consideration.. do we need to get 365 subscription to use basic stuff microsoft office (like create & edit document) in ipad pro 9.7?

because official microsoft website & app store both said that: microsoft office is free to use for basic task (create&edit docs) in ipad, but for ipad Pro you need get 365 subscription for even basic task like create & edit doc, otherwise you just can view the docs..

here what microsoft website said:
"A qualifying Office 365 subscription is required to use premium features on the iPad®. A qualifying Office 365 subscription is required to create and edit documents in Word, Excel and PowerPoint on the iPad Pro®."
and here what app store said:
"Read Word documents on iPad Pro for free. To create and edit docs, you need a qualifying Office 365 subscription."

I'd really appreciate for the feedback.. thankyou..

My understanding is that the basic Office for iPad will work on those under 10", so I would think you're okay. Regardless, I decided to switch over to the included Mac iWork bundle on my MBP, iPad Pro 10.5, and iPhone. While not as elaborate at MS Office, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote (Keynote is as good as, some would say better than, PowerPoint) are better than the free iOS Microsoft Office apps.

 

[henryyy]

My understanding is that the basic Office for iPad will work on those under 10", so I would think you're okay. Regardless, I decided to switch over to the included Mac iWork bundle on my MBP, iPad Pro 10.5, and iPhone. While not as elaborate at MS Office, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote (Keynote is as good as, some would say better than, PowerPoint) are better than the free iOS Microsoft Office apps.

Thank you very much for your suggestions.. Hope microsoft will never restrict free access to Office on iPad pro 9.7, otherwise i will also considering switching to iWork.. Thank you..