My 12.9 iPad Pro is my most used Apple device! If it died today, it would be replaced. On screen keyboard is way better for me on the 12.9 in landscape.
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iPad Pro iPad 12.9 just as a tablet?
- Thread starter robertosh
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So what you’ve said is that an iPad cannot be a laptop replacement, but it also can be a laptop replacement.
Laptop is a form factor, not a type of work.
A device is whatever you want it to be. Some use it as a direct laptop replacement and some use it as an 'iPad/tablet'. I have an iPad Pro 11, I just use it as a tablet. I do have the magic keyboard but that's more for ease of use as the trackpad makes it easier to navigate and the keyboard is a must have because I don't like typing with the onscreen keyboard. I have a MacBook so I'm not trying to replace a laptop. If you are happy with the size I would say go for it. Like a said a device is whatever you want it to be. It doesn't have to be a laptop replacement.
Out of curiosity, which device do you use more? The iPad Pro 11 or the MacBook?
If what you really want is as a tablet, to use it for the regular things tablets are used (media consumption, web browsing, gaming, etc) then DO NOT get a 12.9. I have one and it really is too unwieldy for those purposes, if those are the main uses you'll have for it. The ONLY scenario in which I'd say you'd definitely want a 12.9 as a tablet (besides as a laptop pseudo-replacement) is if you were an artist and used the Apple pen for apps such as ProCreate/Autodesk Sketch and the like for your creations... in that case I'd see why you would want the extra real state a 12.9 would give you. Maybe also if you used your iPad for photo editing on Lightroom and the like... there the extra real state and the better IPP 12.9 display will add value, but honestly, the unwieldy nature of it would cancel out whatever benefits it brings for Lightroom or Photoshop or whatever.
This leaves the M1 10.9 IPad Air and the M2 11 IPP as your "sweet spot" choices. Personally, I think that, currently, these two devices are not sufficiently differentiated for you to spend the extra cash on the 11 inch IPP, the Air is definitely a better bang for the buck for what you get. So , IMHO, from the CURRENT models I'd go for the Air.
The key is the word "CURRENTLY" though. If I were you I'd wait three of four months to see how the rumored Spring 2024 new iPad would stack against each other. IF, and ONLY IF, the 11 inch IPP has sufficient differentiation from the Air (it might, the OLED and the M3 chip mfight make it worth it), and the price is right ( lol 😂 , yeah right, keep dreaming, this is Apple we're taking about) then maybe the 11 IPP would make sense, I dunno. then again, They might put the M2 on the Air and add the enhanced 600 nit display that the current 11inch IPP has so it might make it still a better value than the IPP. Who knows.
But if you are asking because you want to buy it NOW, then I'd go for the M1 iPad Air if I were you, definitely not the 12.9 IPP.
This leaves the M1 10.9 IPad Air and the M2 11 IPP as your "sweet spot" choices. Personally, I think that, currently, these two devices are not sufficiently differentiated for you to spend the extra cash on the 11 inch IPP, the Air is definitely a better bang for the buck for what you get. So , IMHO, from the CURRENT models I'd go for the Air.
The key is the word "CURRENTLY" though. If I were you I'd wait three of four months to see how the rumored Spring 2024 new iPad would stack against each other. IF, and ONLY IF, the 11 inch IPP has sufficient differentiation from the Air (it might, the OLED and the M3 chip mfight make it worth it), and the price is right ( lol 😂 , yeah right, keep dreaming, this is Apple we're taking about) then maybe the 11 IPP would make sense, I dunno. then again, They might put the M2 on the Air and add the enhanced 600 nit display that the current 11inch IPP has so it might make it still a better value than the IPP. Who knows.
But if you are asking because you want to buy it NOW, then I'd go for the M1 iPad Air if I were you, definitely not the 12.9 IPP.
I really disagree from my own usage perspective. I have the M1 12.9 and use it often as just a tablet with significant Lightroom usage and have never found it too large or unwieldy. The experience varies from user to user and I would advise the OP to try it and not make a decision based on what others say about their experiences.
For me the speakers alone are worth the price difference. Plus the base storage difference. And promotion is a nice bonus too. Of couse if that's important it's subjective, but for me storage and speakers are definitely non negotiable aspects which more than justify the price difference.
The 11 Pro and Air are very similar, both with Mx processors and at least 8GB RAM. The biggest determining factor to me is storage. The Airs are limited to 256GB max storage, while the Pros go up to 2TB. For those with larger storage needs, the Pro is the only way to go.
Though I hope to see next year's refresh of Airs and Minis to offer a 512GB option.
There is a level past which I don't feel I would like/need more. That level in my house is achieved by the 12" Macbook, the M1 iPad pro 12.9, the Tab S8 ultra, the Yoga tab 13 and the Tab S9 (11").
That level is NOT achieved by the 11" iPad pro or any Windows latop (I have many). The 11" is not far behind, but enough to make me want more sometimes. The 2018 12.9 is a bit louder, but it too is not at that level, though pretty close.
To be clear I talk about volume and clarity. Bass is nice but I don't listen to music on speakers, but to videos mainly.
I use mine as a tablet. Got the origami keyboard cover for my older 10.5 but ended up not using it, so I didn’t repeat that purchase with the 12.9.
When buying a case for it I noted there were relatively few ones for this use-case though. I dont want a front cover, kickstand, pockets or the like. The tablet is right at the end of being unwieldy to hold and use. I feel that even the official smartcover takes it over the edge. I eventually found a hardcover for just the back from ESR that does what I want - protecting the soft aluminium and nothing more, while adding very little extra weight. I enjoy using the 12.9 way more now, and simply have a separate stand for when it’s time for it to be used in Sidecar.
When buying a case for it I noted there were relatively few ones for this use-case though. I dont want a front cover, kickstand, pockets or the like. The tablet is right at the end of being unwieldy to hold and use. I feel that even the official smartcover takes it over the edge. I eventually found a hardcover for just the back from ESR that does what I want - protecting the soft aluminium and nothing more, while adding very little extra weight. I enjoy using the 12.9 way more now, and simply have a separate stand for when it’s time for it to be used in Sidecar.
I’m definitely not a pro user but I love my 12.9 M2. I feel like the only person alive who loves the size and isn’t bothered by the weight. I do everything on this big rectangle but I don’t have a keyboard, I enjoy typing on screen in landscape mode. Everything about it is great and I’d never want to go smaller. The size is great for watching things and reading books on Libby.
I also always get the Pro Max phones because I guess I just like larger devices.
I also always get the Pro Max phones because I guess I just like larger devices.
The thing about that screen size is that the on screen keyboard is big enough to be comfortable to type on.
As do I - M1 12.9 & 14 Pro Max. I intend to stick with large displays if and when I upgrade.
For mobile devices I like extremes, either really small or really big. Middle sizes are usually too compromised for me. For phones I like small so I have an SE3 (which I still find too big). Then I have an iPad Mini for all my casual consumption, which could be seen as either a small tablet or a ridiculously huge phone, but in either category an extreme. (Actually I’d like it to be an even smaller tablet/slightly less ridiculously huge phone.) I also have the largest iPad for drawing and light work, which similarly could be seen as a large iPad or a small laptop since I use it as a laptop with a keyboard much of the time—either way an extreme. And then I have a large laptop for heavier work.
Preferring extremes means spending more money on more devices (maybe just one more device in this situation), but in my case it’s well worth it.
Out of curiosity, how do you usually use your 12.9? In a MK?
I've really come to enjoy the mini because it feels like it can be used as a tablet. The 12.9 seems like it's a tablet trying to be a laptop.
I use it in an MK while at a desk or table but also as a free-hand tablet when sitting in a chair. I also have a cellular Mini 6 but it generally sees use only when mobile. I like large screens for reading - I recently replaced my Kindle Oasis with a Scribe and I love it.