iPad Pro Is anyone else bothered that the 12.9” XDR iPad Pro is Thicker ?

[TheRealAlex]

I am torn my M1 MacMini rocks 1440p at 144hz on my LG GL850 never imagined a Mac would do this. I’m torn getting the 12.9” XDR iPad Pro. So I go to BestBuy and get a Feel and touch on the 12.9” iPad Pro and it feels great. But then I remembered the XDR iPad Pro is thicker and heavier. And that gave me some sad vibes.
Anyone else see the extra thickness as a deal breaker ?

 

[James Godfrey]

I am torn my M1 MacMini rocks 1440p at 144hz on my LG GL850 never imagined a Mac would do this. I’m torn getting the 12.9” XDR iPad Pro. So I go to BestBuy and get a Feel and touch on the 12.9” iPad Pro and it feels great. But then I remembered the XDR iPad Pro is thicker and heavier. And that gave me some sad vibes.
Anyone else see the extra thickness as a deal breaker ?

Not at all, if anything it made me want it more, I am hoping the additional thickness makes it more structurally sound.

You have to remember it’s literally half a mm thicker (or 0.3mm thicker than the Air), it’s not much at all, about the thickness of a glass screen protector.

The extra weight is a bit meh, but with it being the 12.9 it’s not going to be bought for the portability factor as that’s what the 11” is for.

 

[Successful Sorcerer]

0,5 mm thicker, I don't think you're going to notice it. And 40 grams heavier... also not very noticeable. I really don't care about these increases.

 

[Digitalguy]

I am not bothered by thickness but a bit by the additional weight. The weight is basically the same as the second gen pro (the one with larger bezels).
As for thicker=sturdier I don't think so, at all. The extra half a millimeter, probably mainly due the additional battery to ensure 10 hours despite the miniled screen will very likely make no difference since based on the information known so far the case will be exactly as thin. And if you have ever seen these batteries you know that they are bend almost like paper....
So no, it will be just as fragile as before. Zach from Jerryrigeverything will let us known soon enough.

PS the reason why the weight bothers me is that I sometimes use it to read pdf or word files in portrait mode, holding it sometimes when doing that, other than that I don't mind

 

[slplss]

Thickness doesn't bother me at all, more the weight of it. I disliked iPad 3 for that reason. While iPad 2 was only 50g lighter, I was no longer able to comfortably hold the iPad 3 in one hand for extended period of time.

I don't think this will translate to the new iPP though as I never owned the previous versions and the 2020 model was already as heavy as iPad 3 and not usable for 1 hand use due to its size anyway (2021 is now sitting at 682g, 40g heavier than iPP 2020).

 

[Seanm87]

0,5 mm thicker, I don't think you're going to notice it. And 40 grams heavier... also not very noticeable. I really don't care about these increases.

I think you’d be surprised how much of a difference 40 grams is. Definitely noticeable.

 

[Precursor]

I think you’d be surprised how much of a difference 40 grams is. Definitely noticeable.

Exactly! How on earth does Apple think we'll be able to handle 40 extra damn grams?! Just when I have herniated discs too. Outrageous!

 

[maflynn]

People complained when apple made the iPads thinner, now they're complaining they're thicker? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If anything it should hopefully provide a bit more rigidity and less risk of bending

 

[Digitalguy]

Thickness doesn't bother me at all, more the weight of it. I disliked iPad 3 for that reason. While iPad 2 was only 50g lighter, I was no longer able to comfortably hold the iPad 3 in one hand for extended period of time.

I don't think this will translate to the new iPP though as I never owned the previous versions and the 2020 model was already as heavy as iPad 3 and not usable for 1 hand use due to its size anyway (2021 is now sitting at 682g, 40g heavier than iPP 2020).

For me the "comfort threshold" has always been at 600gr... Below that threshold I don't feel much the additional weight and I can hold it for long periods. Past that even 50gr is quite noticeable. The ipad 2 at barely over 600gr was much more comfortable than the iPad 1 (which by the way has the same weight as the XDR pro).
The first gen pro, at 730 is definitely not comfortable to hold to extended periods (e.g. for reading)

 

[Digitalguy]

People complained when apple made the iPads thinner, now they're complaining they're thicker? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If anything it should hopefully provide a bit more rigidity and less risk of bending

I disagree. Virtually nobody is complaining about thickness here. People are actually saying the opposite, saying that instead it's weight that they don't like. 40 gr is nothing when you move from 450 to 490, but past a certain threshold you do feel the difference.
As for thickness making it more rigid, as I said above, no, if thickness is due to a thicker case then yes, if thickness is due to a larger battery (batter as extremely soft in iPads), that won't help at all.

 

[ericwn]

As long as the ugly camera bump sticks out there will be room for improvement.

 

[Abazigal]

I am torn my M1 MacMini rocks 1440p at 144hz on my LG GL850 never imagined a Mac would do this. I’m torn getting the 12.9” XDR iPad Pro. So I go to BestBuy and get a Feel and touch on the 12.9” iPad Pro and it feels great. But then I remembered the XDR iPad Pro is thicker and heavier. And that gave me some sad vibes.
Anyone else see the extra thickness as a deal breaker ?

You are likely using the larger iPad on a desk, where the extra thickness and weight won't really matter.

 

[AutomaticApple]

0,5 mm thicker, I don't think you're going to notice it. And 40 grams heavier... also not very noticeable. I really don't care about these increases.

Only a MacRumors member with too much time on their hands would notice it.

 

[ericwn]

You are likely using the larger iPad on a desk, where the extra thickness and weight won't really matter.

Let’s send that memo to the iMac design team too. Chin fixed.

 

[fwmireault]

I think that iPad Pro 2018/2020 have reach the thinnest form factor possible for a tablet with current technologies... with the result that we know. Even if the bend gate was not a frequent issue, we all knew that a device this thin could be fragile. I don't bother that it will be 0,5 mm thicker, because it's not that significant to make the iPad unusable, and will slightly helps to make the iPad more sturdy. I'd say that I'm surprised that Apple delivers a mini-LED display with almost no change to the internals and the form factor. Pretty impressive.

I think the weight is more of an issue, but I'm not sure that I'll feel this 40g difference.

 

[Successful Sorcerer]

I think you’d be surprised how much of a difference 40 grams is. Definitely noticeable.

I'm upgrading from a 2017 iPad Pro so there's no difference for me haha.

 

[Digitalguy]

I'm upgrading from a 2017 iPad Pro so there's no difference for me haha.

For me, whenever I upgrade from my 2015 it will be an improvement, but people who think it will be any sturdier than the 2018/2020 are going to be disappointed....

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Thickness doesn't bother me at all, more the weight of it. I disliked iPad 3 for that reason. While iPad 2 was only 50g lighter, I was no longer able to comfortably hold the iPad 3 in one hand for extended period of time.

I don't think this will translate to the new iPP though as I never owned the previous versions and the 2020 model was already as heavy as iPad 3 and not usable for 1 hand use due to its size anyway (2021 is now sitting at 682g, 40g heavier than iPP 2020).

The 2021 12.9” iPad Pro weighs as much as the 2010 9.7” iPad. The 2010 was 680g for WiFi and 730g for cellular.

iPad (1st generation) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Digitalguy]

The 2021 12.9” iPad Pro weighs as much as the 2010 9.7” iPad. The 2010 was 680g for WiFi and 730g for cellular.

iPad (1st generation) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

which was even heavier than the iPad 3 and 4....

 

[PBG4 Dude]

which was even heavier than the iPad 3 and 4....

Right, but I wasn’t bothered by a 9.7” iPad weighing 680g so I don’t feel I’ll be bothered by a 12.9” model weighing the same amount. That’s what I meant by my post.

I will admit I do come from a different computing era though. When I first went to college, “portable” computers weighed about 10Kg and still had to be plugged in, as the displays were still CRTs.

 

[rui no onna]

For me the "comfort threshold" has always been at 600gr... Below that threshold I don't feel much the additional weight and I can hold it for long periods. Past that even 50gr is quite noticeable. The ipad 2 at barely over 600gr was much more comfortable than the iPad 1 (which by the way has the same weight as the XDR pro).
The first gen pro, at 730 is definitely not comfortable to hold to extended periods (e.g. for reading)

My comfort threshold (for hours of single handed use) is around 200g or around e-ink Kindle weight.

I didn't find the iPad 2 particularly comfortable to hold either so I use cases with tri-fold covers that double as stand so I can prop them on something while using.

 

[Digitalguy]

My comfort threshold (for hours of single handed use) is around 200g or around e-ink Kindle weight.

I didn't find the iPad 2 particularly comfortable to hold either so I use cases with tri-fold covers that double as stand so I can prop them on something while using.

for hours even the 11in pro is too heavy... but I am comfortable with the 300g of the mini...
But I rarely read for hours in a row... If I am sitting I use a stand, it's more when I am standing that I hold it with 1 hand. And that is more like 30 minutes max
I have the iPad 2 tri-fond cover and man that thing is not stable... Apple improved things later on, but the iPad 2 angle was too steep and it falls all the time...

 

[Digitalguy]

Right, but I wasn’t bothered by a 9.7” iPad weighing 680g so I don’t feel I’ll be bothered by a 12.9” model weighing the same amount. That’s what I meant by my post.

I will admit I do come from a different computing era though. When I first went to college, “portable” computers weighed about 10Kg and still had to be plugged in, as the displays were still CRTs.

When I went to college portable laptops were only for the rich... I had to wait 5 years (for prices to go down and my savings to go up) till 2002 before having the $2000 necessary to buy an entry level laptop here in Switzerland....

 

[rui no onna]

for hours even the 11in pro is too heavy... but I am comfortable with the 300g of the mini...
But I rarely read for hours in a row... If I am sitting I use a stand, it's more when I am standing that I hold it with 1 hand. And that is more like 30 minutes max
I have the iPad 2 tri-fond cover and man that thing is not stable... Apple improved things later on, but the iPad 2 angle was too steep and it falls all the time...

I'm not a fan of the tri-fold covers by themselves.

I normally use full cases with flexible TPU back and tri-fold cover front. I typically have the iPad resting on my tummy or a pillow while I just support the corners/edges with my finger.

 

[Digitalguy]

I used to have the Apple covers for everything (and I still have them), but more recently I started using all my iPads naked once I bought a bunch of stands for every room, so I only hold when standing or in bed (but in bed I only use the mini). So I only use the covers if I travel.
Having said that the issue with the ipad 2 cover is that it folds in 4, not 3, with 2 parts overlapping, which makes that steep angle. I never had the 3 and 4, but from the air 1 on, it was only tri-fold....