iPad Pro iPad has become quite useless and I regret purchasing it

[DeepSix]

I believe the iPad still has its place. Even though I have three computers, it still has its place in my life. It’s an instant on device that is much larger than my phone. It’s half the weight of my surface pro and can actually be used on its battery, whereas my surface pro I always had to carry around my 65 watt USB battery pack with it because Surface Pros are absolute garbage for battery life. Very annoying. Plus of course using an iPad as a digital notepad and its a superior media consumption device to your phone and to any laptop.

I wouldn’t have bought another iPad had my surface pro touchscreen not stop working just after the new year. The cost to fix my surface pro was more than what the device was worth. It basically needs a new motherboard and totally was not worth it. Even the cost of selling it for peanuts and getting the newest model, the Pro 8 was not justified for me. Because I would still have the same trash tablet experience and the same trash battery life. So this is when I decided that I would just get an iPad to be used as my big touch device. My first iPad since 2013. Now when I look back, my surface pro touchscreen malfunctioning was a blessing in disguise. I am so happy it malfunctioned.

But I would never use an iPad with a keyboard, it totally defeats the purpose of the light weight and form factor. I believe iPads are best used as a tablet not with a keyboard. Want a keyboard? Get a laptop. IMO there’s no such thing as a perfect device that does everything. Each device excels for specific use cases.

 

[Night Spring]

Just wait until Apple comes out with larger iPads. I bet a 40" iPad would be a hot seller.

Touchscreen devices that are too big to hold don't really work. My partner bought a Windows touchscreen desktop once, and after the novelty wore off, we just used it like a regular computer, with mouse and keyboard, and didn't use the touchscreen at all. Granted, that was before the OS was modified for touchscreens, but even with an OS optimized for touch interactions, when a screen is so big you can't hold it while using, you end up having to reach out and up to tap the screen, which gets old fast.

 

[Analog Kid]

Touchscreen devices that are too big to hold don't really work. My partner bought a Windows touchscreen desktop once, and after the novelty wore off, we just used it like a regular computer, with mouse and keyboard, and didn't use the touchscreen at all. Granted, that was before the OS was modified for touchscreens, but even with an OS optimized for touch interactions, when a screen is so big you can't hold it while using, you end up having to reach out and up to tap the screen, which gets old fast.

I seem to remember the early MS Surface ads showing table sized interactive displays. Not sure it’s what I’d want in a restaurant, but an iPad drafting table would be pretty nifty.

I agree though that a large vertical touch interface is a bad idea. It’s more than just being vertical and not hand held— the bigger the display, the further you want to sit from it so the further you need to reach to touch it…

 

[Night Spring]

But I would never use an iPad with a keyboard, it totally defeats the purpose of the light weight and form factor. I believe iPads are best used as a tablet not with a keyboard. Want a keyboard? Get a laptop.

For my own use case, I totally agree with this sentiment, and it's why I never bought a keyboard to use with my iPad Pro. But I can imagine someone, like a college student, wanting both a computer and a tablet, but maybe having a budget where they can only buy one device. With the combinations of hardware and software available now, I'd advise such a person to get a laptop, but I can see how a device that can switch between tablet mode and computer mode would be attractive to many people. A tablet is more relaxing for reading, light internet browsing, YouTube videos, etc., a full computer is better if you have to do heavy typing, coding, editing long papers, etc. My current setup is iPad + iMac, but if only I could afford one device, I'd probably have to settle for a laptop, which is the worse of both worlds for me. So I totally understand the frustration of people who want iPads to do more.

 

[Night Spring]

I seem to remember the early MS Surface ads showing table sized interactive displays. Not sure it’s what I’d want in a restaurant, but an iPad drafting table would be pretty nifty.

Agree that an iPad drafting table would be neat, but it'll also be a space hog. If you keep it at an angle, that space can't be used for anything else. If you store it horizontally or vertically, every time you want to use it, you'd have to clear the area so you can prop it to the usage angle.

 

[sparksd]

I believe the iPad still has its place. Even though I have three computers, it still has its place in my life. It’s an instant on device that is much larger than my phone. It’s half the weight of my surface pro and can actually be used on its battery, whereas my surface pro I always had to carry around my 65 watt USB battery pack with it because Surface Pros are absolute garbage for battery life. Very annoying. Plus of course using an iPad as a digital notepad and its a superior media consumption device to your phone and to any laptop.

I wouldn’t have bought another iPad had my surface pro touchscreen not stop working just after the new year. The cost to fix my surface pro was more than what the device was worth. It basically needs a new motherboard and totally was not worth it. Even the cost of selling it for peanuts and getting the newest model, the Pro 8 was not justified for me. Because I would still have the same trash tablet experience and the same trash battery life. So this is when I decided that I would just get an iPad to be used as my big touch device. My first iPad since 2013. Now when I look back, my surface pro touchscreen malfunctioning was a blessing in disguise. I am so happy it malfunctioned.

But I would never use an iPad with a keyboard, it totally defeats the purpose of the light weight and form factor. I believe iPads are best used as a tablet not with a keyboard. Want a keyboard? Get a laptop. IMO there’s no such thing as a perfect device that does everything. Each device excels for specific use cases.

No - you can’t detach the keyboard from the laptop and make it a tablet. Feel free not to use a keyboard yourself but don’t tell us not to.

 

[teh_hunterer]

All of a sudden, in 2021 they visibly -- almost outrageously -- brought it to exact parity with their Macs!

While I don't disagree with your post as a whole, it is more accurate to say they brought the Macs to exact parity with the iPad. The iPad didn't get a Mac chip so much as the Mac got an iPad chip.

 

[teh_hunterer]

The problem is that you are comparing the 12.9 to a laptop - they are two very different devices. I want the larger screen but I don't want the Mac laptop - I want a tablet form factor so it makes sense to me.

It's fine if it makes sense to you. But as I said it doesn't make sense to me, because I'm not someone who would ever want or need a 12.9" tablet.

 

[Night Spring]

It's fine if it makes sense to you. But as I said it doesn't make sense to me, because I'm not someone who would ever want or need a 12.9" tablet.

Wait until you get older and your eyes can't make out small print!

 

[MajorFubar]

So sad, because the iPad Pro looks to be one of the best pieces of hardware Apple has ever made. But iPadOS still feels like a branch of a mobile phone operating system and doesn't seem to approach the power and flexibility of MacOS. Maybe I'm just set in my ways, but any time I've tried to do much on iPadOS, I've gotten frustrated with how many more steps it takes than on a Mac, and how much harder those steps are to discover. Multitasking, for instance, is just baffling on an iPad. Can you figure it out and make it work? Sure, but it's kludgy and awkward, requiring some special swipe or pinch to do correctly. I guess it's not a fair comparison, because cursor-based interfaces have a several decade head start.

It's a pretty fair comparison to me though when you can spend Macbook money on an iPad. But again, I accept all our needs and expectations are different.

 

[rui no onna]

Agree that an iPad drafting table would be neat, but it'll also be a space hog. If you keep it at an angle, that space can't be used for anything else. If you store it horizontally or vertically, every time you want to use it, you'd have to clear the area so you can prop it to the usage angle.

Dad is a retired architect (pre-AutoCAD) so we used to have a drafting table at home. For someone who draws for a living, I don't think it's unusual to have a drafting table constantly taking up space.

 

[Night Spring]

Dad is a retired architect (pre-AutoCAD) so we used to have a drafting table at home. For someone who draws for a living, I don't think it's unusual to have a drafting table constantly taking up space.

Yes, if you do it for a living it makes sense. But it's a specialized market. It's not something everyone would want in their home/office.

 

[DeepSix]

For my own use case, I totally agree with this sentiment, and it's why I never bought a keyboard to use with my iPad Pro. But I can imagine someone, like a college student, wanting both a computer and a tablet, but maybe having a budget where they can only buy one device. With the combinations of hardware and software available now, I'd advise such a person to get a laptop, but I can see how a device that can switch between tablet mode and computer mode would be attractive to many people. A tablet is more relaxing for reading, light internet browsing, YouTube videos, etc., a full computer is better if you have to do heavy typing, coding, editing long papers, etc. My current setup is iPad + iMac, but if only I could afford one device, I'd probably have to settle for a laptop, which is the worse of both worlds for me. So I totally understand the frustration of people who want iPads to do more.

I can understand why some people want a device that does everything (I would love it too, would love to live a minimalist lifestyle). But like with just about everything in life, there are pros and cons to each device. This is a reason why many have both a laptop and a desktop, because what a desktop doesn't offer a laptop does and vice versa. Even for laptops, there are so many kinds now with gaming laptops for power, ultrabooks for weight, 2 in 1's for versatility, that it's very difficult to find one that checks off everything off your list unless you're someone who doesn't have high use cases for it.

It's also why when I travel, I bring both laptops because they each have their own use case. Sure I would love to travel with just one but there is no such device that is perfect, so we get two to compliment each other. I always tell people, buy devices to compliment each other and yes there will always be some overlap but nothing wrong with that. Buy a device that fills the void, the weaknesses or cons that another device of yours has.

 

[DeepSix]

Touchscreen devices that are too big to hold don't really work. My partner bought a Windows touchscreen desktop once, and after the novelty wore off, we just used it like a regular computer, with mouse and keyboard, and didn't use the touchscreen at all. Granted, that was before the OS was modified for touchscreens, but even with an OS optimized for touch interactions, when a screen is so big you can't hold it while using, you end up having to reach out and up to tap the screen, which gets old fast.

I think big ipads would sell well for those who want to use it as a pure home device and not a handheld one. Imagine having a 27" ipad mounted on your desk like a monitor, I think it would have interest. I could see parents getting it for their kids and then they don't have to worry about the ipad getting dropped or thrown around.

 

[Night Spring]

I think big ipads would sell well for those who want to use it as a pure home device and not a handheld one. Imagine having a 27" ipad mounted on your desk like a monitor, I think it would have interest. I could see parents getting it for their kids and then they don't have to worry about the ipad getting dropped or thrown around.

For kids, just get a good TPU case, and teach them to not throw them around. Kids can be taught to treat things carefully at a surprisingly young age. I remember one family gathering where an elder relative asked a pre-k kid to carry ceramic dishes to the table. We all held our breaths but the kid very carefully carried the dishes, aware that they were fragile, and proud of the responsibility the relative had entrusted her with.

 

[Digitalguy]

I think big ipads would sell well for those who want to use it as a pure home device and not a handheld one. Imagine having a 27" ipad mounted on your desk like a monitor, I think it would have interest. I could see parents getting it for their kids and then they don't have to worry about the ipad getting dropped or thrown around.

I think the concept of handheld is not the same to everyone. I use iPads a lot during the day (I mainly work from home, since well before the pandemics), and while the pros all have their keyboards, most of the time they are used without one. I NEVER use my iPads as Jobs intended. Maybe because I am not someone with a 9to5 job who wants to lay on a couch to relax after work, I am at home most of the day. Couch is just for guests.
I often move my iPads around the house, while doing other things so I hold them but only for a couple of minutes and the put them down on a tablet stand (every room has at least one). Most of the time I use them to watch videos or to listen to something, or even to control one of my Windows devices from another room. The longest I hold them is when I read while standing, but I have different sizes for that, and most of the time I have Siri read for me anyway...
For me anything under 800gr is fine, including the new 14.6in Samsung tablet, which is barely heavier than a M1 iPad pro (which by the way I preordered and will almost exclusively use without a keyboard, essentially for movies, since my tablets are also my TV)

 

[DeepSix]

For kids, just get a good TPU case, and teach them to not throw them around. Kids can be taught to treat things carefully at a surprisingly young age. I remember one family gathering where an elder relative asked a pre-k kid to carry ceramic dishes to the table. We all held our breaths but the kid very carefully carried the dishes, aware that they were fragile, and proud of the responsibility the relative had entrusted her with.

Kids will still misplace ipads or leave them in bad spots to accidentally get stepped or sat on.

 

[DeepSix]

I think the concept of handheld is not the same to everyone. I use iPads a lot during the day (I mainly work from home, since well before the pandemics), and while the pros all have their keyboards, most of the time they are used without one. I NEVER use my iPads as Jobs intended. Maybe because I am not someone with a 9to5 job who wants to lay on a couch to relax after work, I am at home most of the day. Couch is just for guests.
I often move my iPads around the house, while doing other things so I hold them but only for a couple of minutes and the put them down on a tablet stand (every room has at least one). Most of the time I use them to watch videos or to listen to something, or even to control one of my Windows devices from another room. The longest I hold them is when I read while standing, but I have different sizes for that, and most of the time I have Siri read for me anyway...
For me anything under 800gr is fine, including the new 14.6in Samsung tablet, which is barely heavier than a M1 iPad pro (which by the way I preordered and will almost exclusively use without a keyboard, essentially for movies, since my tablets are also my TV)

The new 14.6" Samsung ultra is suppose to be very light. I want to see it in the store first. I believe ipads are great as devices on desks too, many prop theirs up on desk stands. But like you, ipads are best as multi use devices. Quick and easy and instant on, no computer can do that without draining the battery. I take my ipad with me everywhere with me. Viewing contents on a 11" Pro when out or in the car is so much better than on the phone. Some people make the full size ipads to be cumbersome and too big to be portable, I find them still super portable.

 

[Angler]

Ipad is the best apple purchase I make every time a new model comes out. Just love the device

 

[Digitalguy]

The new 14.6" Samsung ultra is suppose to be very light. I want to see it in the store first. I believe ipads are great as devices on desks too, many prop theirs up on desk stands. But like you, ipads are best as multi use devices. Quick and easy and instant on, no computer can do that without draining the battery. I take my ipad with me everywhere with me. Viewing contents on a 11" Pro when out or in the car is so much better than on the phone. Some people make the full size ipads to be cumbersome and too big to be portable, I find them still super portable.

I tried it in the store where I preordered it and man it feels so light. There is something about a large device this light and thin that always surprises you. It's like those ultra light laptops that have no right to feel so light and you think they are just dummy units when you pick them up. It felt lighter than the 12.9in iPad pro even if it's slightly heavier. And it's definitely lighter than a smaller surface pro.
I don't use my smartphone as my media consumption device, even my iPad mini feels too small for videos, except those where there is just someone talking...
The truth is I barely use my iPad mini at home and between the 11 and the 12.9 I tend to use the 12.9 more, unless I need to read something while standing for a while. 12.9 is very light. And the 14.6in Tab S8 ultra will be a joy with movies.
Outside home it's a different story. It's not just weight, it's also size. The 12.9 does not generally go outside unless I need it for a specific purpose (like reading sheet music somewhere). The max size I bring outside is the 11 pro.

 

[GuruZac]

It’s about seeing what tools you need for what.

This sums it up. Many of the frustrations I have with Apple holding software back on the iPad Pro my 12.9 iPad Pro is still my favorite all time device. I use it every day for 10 hours a day at least right now. It is the best tool for the job I have right now. I think if I’m also honest, anything Apple adds in the way of software is just icing on the cake for me. Fortunately I have my M1 MacBook Air for when I need macOS, and I really love that computer, but there is something nice about how the iPad Pro, with Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil fit in to my work flow. There is no better tool. Since it has the M1 inside of it, it would be nice for Apple or the developers to bring us some changes to the OS in June.

 

[GuruZac]

I'll give Apple credit that there probably isn't another device out there capable of polarising opinion so much.
Depending on your use the iPad might be everything you ever need.
Or the limitations of its OS and apps might leave you exasperated at every turn.
But if it's everything you ever need, it probably also was everything you ever need before they shoved a giant-slaying M1 processor in it, selling it for the price of a Macbook Air which has a desktop-class OS with desktop-class apps available for it, and also has the same processor.
For me, that's when my expectations changed.

That is fair, but to also be honest, the iPad Pro is capable of things the M1 MacBook Air is not. It has a significantly better (more expensive) display, much better speakers, cellular capability, the ability to scan documents, Apple Pencil support, and FaceID. Whether or not one sees value in those is somewhat subjective, although the display and speakers are objectively better. Is it overpriced? Certainly. Or maybe the the M1 MacBook Air is just really good (I love mine!) for the $1000. I have both the M1 MacBook Air and M1 iPad Pro and they serve different roles but have a lot of overlap as well for me. If I had to pick one, it would be the iPad Pro simply because I don’t have to have macOS (long term), and the versatility of the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil trumps it.

 

[Angler]

Agreed, it’s always about the best tool for the individual and what they value. For me I use it for consumption 98% of the time, while pushing out stuff 2% of the time. So it’s perfect for me. Not sure why people bash tools that do not fit their needs. Just get the tool that works best. Why would I buy a lap top and complain it doesn’t do the things that an iPad would? Just silly IMO….

 

[bondr006]

Love my M1 iPad Pro 11. I am a Realtor and Property Manager, and my iPad Pro has completely replaced my MacBook Pro as my business device. The iPad Pro is literally the perfect computer for what I do.

Read the rest here

 

[DeepSix]

I tried it in the store where I preordered it and man it feels so light. There is something about a large device this light and thin that always surprises you. It's like those ultra light laptops that have no right to feel so light and you think they are just dummy units when you pick them up. It felt lighter than the 12.9in iPad pro even if it's slightly heavier. And it's definitely lighter than a smaller surface pro.
I don't use my smartphone as my media consumption device, even my iPad mini feels too small for videos, except those where there is just someone talking...
The truth is I barely use my iPad mini at home and between the 11 and the 12.9 I tend to use the 12.9 more, unless I need to read something while standing for a while. 12.9 is very light. And the 14.6in Tab S8 ultra will be a joy with movies.
Outside home it's a different story. It's not just weight, it's also size. The 12.9 does not generally go outside unless I need it for a specific purpose (like reading sheet music somewhere). The max size I bring outside is the 11 pro.

No doubt Samsung really nailed it for the weight on their ultra. Bigger than the 12.9 iPad Pro but lighter. If people can find a way to prop it up without the keyboard to be used as a bed screen that would be amazing. Not sure why Samsung wouldn't sell a simple one piece stand for it that just props it up. If anyone wants to use it as a second monitor on windows, how are they going to prop it up as a monitor?

I don't find the 11 Pro big or cumbersome at all to take with me everywhere. But then again I've been using 2.1lb Surface Pros with the type cover in a sleeve and a 2lb USB-C battery pack (which makes it 4.1lbs) that it always had to be plugged into for years so the 11 Pro feels so much lighter. I agree that videos on the mini can be too small. Many websites in portrait mode on the mini are borderline too small too. I feel Apple should have made the mini 6 at 8.9" and not 8.3. the extra 0.5 inch would be really noticable.

I still prefer the aspect ratio on the iPad over the 16:10 on the ultra. But for content consumption 16:10 is far superior, no contest. The ultra would be killer for movie watching. I think Samsung set the bar even higher for the 2022 iPad pros.