iPad Pro I'm not excited about my first iPad (new 11" Pro)

[mansplains]

I have had five iPads and am now down to one as I just sold my 2018 11" Pro. My use cases have dwindled and is why I have gotten rid of most. The use cases Adelphos33 noted are what I encountered, notably content consumption. My iMac is the best for when I want to make music but if I want to lay in bed and watch something the iPad is far better than my iPhone. I think the issue with people trying to replace a computer is a result of the cost of Macs nowadays. I think the MacBook Air is solid, but if I wanted a portable alternative to my iMac, a MacBook Pro starting at $2400 is an insult. The iPad has been marketed heavily as a portable computer and it is capable, but not the same.

 

[LFC2020]

Use a android tablet for a week, you’ll be over the moon about your new iPad after that 😊

 

[Joniz]

The biggest mistake people make with iPads is to try to replace either a phone or a laptop/desktop with it. iPads have always augmented other devices. They are

1) Good web browsing / media consumption / news reading / book reading devices. These consumers really should be buying iPad or iPad Airs

2) Good productivity companions to desktops or laptops that provide flexibility, a second screen, cellular connectivity, and access to thousands of apps, some of which may be custom to to work. iPad Pros of either size work for this

3) High end video / audio / artistry devices

The lower end iPads are quite capable of doing many professional things. I ink comic strips every day, 5-6 hours a day and I was using my personal iPad Mini 5. Finally broke down and got a refurb iPad Air 4, mostly because I want to separate my personal stuff from professional. Any ipad would work fine for me except the base iPad, because I can’t stand the non-laminate display. But an iPad Pro would be a waste because I wouldn’t be able to draw any faster.

The Air & the Mini are both very powerful devices. Never a problem. (Though I find I do actually miss the Home button on the Air 4. I guess I’ll get used to it eventually.)

 

[MisterSavage]

Definitely can't relate because I use my 11" pro constantly.

It's difficult to type on. Awkward to hold and find my wrists getting tired holding it up.

I alternate between a stand and a tablet pillow. It makes a world of difference. As for typing have you tried using the smaller keyboard? I use that for swipe typing but actually have Siri dictate most of my text.

Use the floating keyboard on your iPad – Apple Support (UK)

With iPadOS, you can use the floating keyboard on your iPad to make the keyboard smaller, so it's easier to type with one hand. Then you can change the keyboard back to its full size.

support.apple.com

 

[Kierkegaarden]

You have to decide for yourself if it is worth it. For me, the iPad is a great study tool — and that alone makes it worth the cost. Outside of that, GarageBand is actually the app that turned things around for me back in 2011.

I bought the first iPad and couldn’t find a use case, so I returned. I later bought the iPad 2 with GarageBand and I’ve been an iPad user ever since. I now primarily use the iPad as a study tool, but there are certain apps that are just easier to use on the iPad — so this is why I continue to use the device.

 

[skaertus]

Use a android tablet for a week, you’ll be over the moon about your new iPad after that 😊

Well, I have an 11-inch Samsung Galaxy S7 which I bought to replace my 2016 9.7-inch iPad Pro. And honestly? The two only advantages of the iPad so far are the less reflexive screen and the screen ratio (4:3) for reading documents and browsing the web. As I do not use the tablet for much else than consuming content, it does not make a difference whether a ton of apps exist for the iPad.

 

[skaertus]

The biggest mistake people make with iPads is to try to replace either a phone or a laptop/desktop with it. iPads have always augmented other devices. They are

1) Good web browsing / media consumption / news reading / book reading devices. These consumers really should be buying iPad or iPad Airs

2) Good productivity companions to desktops or laptops that provide flexibility, a second screen, cellular connectivity, and access to thousands of apps, some of which may be custom to to work. iPad Pros of either size work for this

3) High end video / audio / artistry devices

The truth is that the iPad was conceived as a better alternative to netbooks. It was a cheap device basically for consuming content. Over the years, people developed new ways to use their iPads and now Apple made some of them as powerful as Macs.

But still, I do not see too much use for it apart from consuming content. I would love to have an iPad with a 12.9-inch screen to consume content, but I cannot justify the price for doing just that (especially here in Brazil where the entry-level 12.9-inch iPad Pro costs USD 3,000). While I like the screen, the processor seems to be overkill for my needs, and Apple does not offer a cheaper version.

Also, I can see that most use cases are for entry-level iPads. Many people buy it for watching videos and browsing the web. The iPad is good for these tasks, and it could be even better should Apple offer the option of a larger screen. And paying $329 for it is fine.

But what about the iPad Pro? It is certainly a very nice device, but it starts at $799 with 128 GB storage, no LTE, no cover, no keyboard, and no pen(cil). For the price of an iPad Pro, you can get a laptop, and a very nice one. I see people justifying the iPad Pro as a very nice device for working with photos or videos or music or for drawing on the screen.

That is just great and I understand it. Why else would you need a tablet which is faster and more powerful than most laptops out there? But how many people are actually graphic designers or photographers or musicians? Most people are not artists and, I dare to say, the vast majority of them are not.

And many people, even not being graphic artists, may be tempted by the iPad Pro. How not to be? A beautiful and bright mini-LED 12.9-inch screen. And it has ProMotion, which makes browsing the web so smooth. And it can do so many things. So many possibilities open with the Pencil and the keyboard. And there are over one million apps for the iPad only.

But then, after a while with the beautiful and powerful iPad Pro and its accessories, people may find out that all they needed is a simple device for watching videos and/or browsing the web. That a laptop is far better for writing. That Microsoft Office, which is widely used by office workers worldwide, is much better and fully featured on a laptop than on a tablet. That being a graphic artist requires a certain level of skill, which they do not have and are not willing to develop.

So, the iPad Pro gets underused. I am sure this is the case of many, many people that bought one. The iPad Pro is a niche device, with great features that Apple should have made available to the lower-end models.

 

[Kung gu]

Compared to something like Surface Pro X keyboard + pen for $200

The Surface Pro X is a so bad. Overpriced like to the moon. If I wanted a surface I would pick up an intel surface.

Windows on ARM sucks. It really does. The SoC that comes in the Surface X is bad too.

As for Magic Keyboard that too is overpriced I would much rather get a cheaper Logitech Keyboard case.

This is why I prefer MacBooks/laptops. They are so versatile potable and better.

 

[omzig]

The truth is that the iPad was conceived as a better alternative to netbooks. It was a cheap device basically for consuming content. Over the years, people developed new ways to use their iPads and now Apple made some of them as powerful as Macs.

But still, I do not see too much use for it apart from consuming content. I would love to have an iPad with a 12.9-inch screen to consume content, but I cannot justify the price for doing just that (especially here in Brazil where the entry-level 12.9-inch iPad Pro costs USD 3,000). While I like the screen, the processor seems to be overkill for my needs, and Apple does not offer a cheaper version.

Also, I can see that most use cases are for entry-level iPads. Many people buy it for watching videos and browsing the web. The iPad is good for these tasks, and it could be even better should Apple offer the option of a larger screen. And paying $329 for it is fine.

But what about the iPad Pro? It is certainly a very nice device, but it starts at $799 with 128 GB storage, no LTE, no cover, no keyboard, and no pen(cil). For the price of an iPad Pro, you can get a laptop, and a very nice one. I see people justifying the iPad Pro as a very nice device for working with photos or videos or music or for drawing on the screen.

That is just great and I understand it. Why else would you need a tablet which is faster and more powerful than most laptops out there? But how many people are actually graphic designers or photographers or musicians? Most people are not artists and, I dare to say, the vast majority of them are not.

And many people, even not being graphic artists, may be tempted by the iPad Pro. How not to be? A beautiful and bright mini-LED 12.9-inch screen. And it has ProMotion, which makes browsing the web so smooth. And it can do so many things. So many possibilities open with the Pencil and the keyboard. And there are over one million apps for the iPad only.

But then, after a while with the beautiful and powerful iPad Pro and its accessories, people may find out that all they needed is a simple device for watching videos and/or browsing the web. That a laptop is far better for writing. That Microsoft Office, which is widely used by office workers worldwide, is much better and fully featured on a laptop than on a tablet. That being a graphic artist requires a certain level of skill, which they do not have and are not willing to develop.

So, the iPad Pro gets underused. I am sure this is the case of many, many people that bought one. The iPad Pro is a niche device, with great features that Apple should have made available to the lower-end models.

that is actually a brillian and very sane summary. could not have said it better myself. imho that should be pinned for every one who consider bying ipad pro to read.

 

[spiderman0616]

I've got an iMac and an iPhone 7+, and I just bought my first iPad, the new 11" iPad Pro (128gb). I've had the iPad for 2 days now and I'm not super excited about it. I think my biggest issue is that I don't really know what use case it's solving for me.

If I want to get stuff done, I use my iMac. When I want to just browse stuff, I use my phone. I just got it because I thought it would be cool to have around, but I find it a little hard to use because it's so big. Browsing the web is easier for sure and most things are easier to read. It's difficult to type on. Awkward to hold and find my wrists getting tired holding it up. I don't do any drawing or take any notes, so two of the most touted features aren't things I really take advantage of. I also tried sidecar which I thought would be an interesting feature, but there's latency and the image quality didn't seem great to be honest (I don't have any cable to try it over USB which I assume is the more correct way to use it).

I was hoping it would be a bit of a family device, but it doesn't support separate users, so there's no way to separate out messages, photos, contacts, etc (I assumed it did, but got it confused with tvOS that just added multi-user support).

I don't mean for this to be a criticism of the device, because it's a tool used for a job. I just don't seem to have a use for it. I'm hoping over time I start to see where the iPad can be beneficial over the iPhone.

OP, I feel your pain, I really do. Apple has mastered the art of creating FOMO for their customers, and my wallet has suffered for it over the years. I have been flip flopping back and forth between the iPad and the Mac ever since I joined the Apple ecosystem, though my last stint with the iPad Pro as my full time computer lasted several very enjoyable years.

I consider myself a more advanced user of both macOS and iPadOS, but every few years I seem to hit a brick wall with the iPad. The first time that happened to me was back in about 2013 or so, when I got my iPad Air 1. Not long after that iPad came out, the Air 2 was released, and it could run all the new multitasking features in iOS, while my Air 1 was struggling to handle them. I eventually got rid of it and switched back full time to a MacBook Pro. 2 or 3 years later, right when I was REALLY getting sick of the heat, fan noise, and poor performance of the MBP, the first iPad Pro models launched and I was like, "Ok, THIS is what I was waiting for." I bought one immediately and used iPad Pro exclusively for my personal computing from 2015 to 2020.

And it really was the computer I was waiting for all along. But then when the M1 Macs came out, they solved all of the Intel-related problems I had with the old Macs, and they had the capability of filling in the blanks with iOS compatibility if I had an iPad app I really needed to use (yes, I realize this isn't quite a perfect solution yet). Compared to the current design and performance of just the base model M1 MBA, the 12.9" 2020 iPad Pro I was using with Magic Keyboard started seeming like a big fat heavy brick that was hard to open while laying flat and didn't hold a candle to the new Macs as far as speed, battery life, and power.

I will say this--I really do enjoy the Apple ecosystem better when I have every piece in play: Watch, iPhone, HomePod, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, CarPlay, etc. Having the complete setup from top to bottom makes it a much more enjoyable place to live. That being said, when I recently sold the 12.9" iPad Pro mentioned above and switched to MacBook Air, I reformatted and re-set up my old iPad mini just for reading, watching TV in bed, etc. It still does fine for those tasks, and is a little better than my iPhone in those situations. But I can count on one hand how many times I've picked it up to actually do those things. More often than not I reach for my 12 Pro Max instead.

The iPad is probably my third favorite device Apple has ever made, only behind the iPhone and Apple Watch. I get immense satisfaction from doing big, professional grade projects on a thin, light, powerful, portable tablet, and then using that same tablet to watch TV later in the day or read a magazine. It's just that I have progressed enough in the usage of my current stable of software that the iPad isn't keeping up anymore. The M1 Macs just shoved me in that direction a little faster than I thought they would.

No shame in returning the iPad if it's not for you. Like others have said, if you want it just for watching TV and listening to music, you might feel a little better about the base model. They're still very powerful and work great with the first gen Apple Pencil.