iPad Pro Is now a good time to buy an iPad Pro?

[okkibs]

The MacBook pro is great, and i spend most of my time working off of it, Battery life is great, for me its a deal breaker, as we only have 11-12 hours of power a day where i live.

The 16" MBP has a huge battery and should have excellent battery life that's only bested by the more efficient M2 version. You have the storage and memory you need on that, and you can run Logic with all your plugins (the iPad version does not currently support plugins AFAIK).

What I am saying is, that Mac can do nearly everything you need, I don't think you need the best iPad Pro just for a few iOS apps. The M1 Air still supports USB-C and USB hubs, though without Thunderbolt support, or the smaller iPad Pro since that has more storage. If your iPhone can handle this, surely a cheaper iPad would suffice... the 8GiB RAM iPads at least today can do everything that the 16GiB models can do. I am sure 16GiB would be more future proof, but 8GiB is a lot for iPadOS even over the next couple years.

I found that iPadOS keeps closing/"refreshing" apps for no good reason on the 8GiB model, and from the reviews/tests I've seen the 16GiB model is no different. Thus I believe iPadOS currently has more optimizations for the <=6GiB models, whereas with 8GiB+ it might not use it too effectively.

It's unfortunate that there is no way to see actual memory usage on iPads because Apple does not allow it. Otherwise it would be simple to check what apps use, standalone or during heavy multitasking and so on, and then base recommendations on that. We currently have no idea if the 16GiB iPad Pro even uses any of the additional RAM right now. Maybe it's being used already, or maybe it won't be used until some new iPadOS version in the future.

(From a performance perspective it seems the memory is completely wasted...)

 

[CSBBody]

The 16" MBP has a huge battery and should have excellent battery life that's only bested by the more efficient M2 version. You have the storage and memory you need on that, and you can run Logic with all your plugins (the iPad version does not currently support plugins AFAIK).

What I am saying is, that Mac can do nearly everything you need, I don't think you need the best iPad Pro just for a few iOS apps. The M1 Air still supports USB-C and USB hubs, though without Thunderbolt support, or the smaller iPad Pro since that has more storage. If your iPhone can handle this, surely a cheaper iPad would suffice... the 8GiB RAM iPads at least today can do everything that the 16GiB models can do. I am sure 16GiB would be more future proof, but 8GiB is a lot for iPadOS even over the next couple years.

I found that iPadOS keeps closing/"refreshing" apps for no good reason on the 8GiB model, and from the reviews/tests I've seen the 16GiB model is no different. Thus I believe iPadOS currently has more optimizations for the <=6GiB models, whereas with 8GiB+ it might not use it too effectively.

It's unfortunate that there is no way to see actual memory usage on iPads because Apple does not allow it. Otherwise it would be simple to check what apps use, standalone or during heavy multitasking and so on, and then base recommendations on that. We currently have no idea if the 16GiB iPad Pro even uses any of the additional RAM right now. Maybe it's being used already, or maybe it won't be used until some new iPadOS version in the future.

(From a performance perspective it seems the memory is completely wasted...)

Very true, even media consumption on the MacBook pro is a delight. I am pretty sure i can get away with an M1 Ipad air, for both me and the wife, the only "plug ins" i would use would be Tonex and Amplitude 5, and to drive the backend of certain amps. These will run pretty smooth on the air, its the LPX that i am wondering about, it would be a nice travel rig to record and such, i doubt i will pay another huge amount like before for the MKB and the pencil is more than enough for me. even an M1 "pro' Ipad mini i suppose would be ideal for me alongside the MacBook 16" , its perfectly portable enough for me and my use case, no airplane tables to contend with.

None of my standalone plugins have IOS support, like NDSP or Similar.

So maybe just an Ipad air for me and the wife, although i offered the option of a MacBook air, she still prefers her smaller 2018 iPad pro 11 for what she uses it for, just needing more space. so will treat her with one.

Thank you both, saves me a ton of money and a rethink of my ecosystem, the mini is my favourite of the lot combined with 16", i can purchase a new air now for what i sold mine for so no loss, and if a new Mini makes an appearance i will grab regardless. I haven't been keeping up to date with the leaks lately, other than the bigger MacBook Air, Headset and larger Ipad.

 

[darngooddesign]

Buy a new iPad when you need a new iPad is always the best time to do it.

 

[darngooddesign]

Apreciate it.

The MacBook pro is great, and i spend most of my time working off of it, Battery life is great, for me its a deal breaker, as we only have 11-12 hours of power a day where i live.

You may already do this, but have you considered getting a larger battery backup you can use to power your devices while you don’t have power?

 

[darngooddesign]

The prices for storage on the iPad Pro are ridiculous, I'm in the UK and we saw a price increase with the iPad Pro M2, a maxed out 2TB 12.9" iPad Pro is just over £2,000 😳 for that price I could put £500 towards it and get the 16" M2 MacBook Pro. For some reason the storage upgrades are more expensive on the iPad Pro than they are on the Mac.

Used is the way to go. I bought a used 13” M1 iPad with 1TB, Magic Keyboard, and Pencil for $1100.

 

[Fravin]

I am pretty sure i can get away with an M1 Ipad air, for both me and the wife

Bear in mind that M1 iPads are power hungry. The battery life is poor on these iPads.

 

[Abazigal]

For me, the biggest unknown is whether the next iPad Pro refresh will simply be a processor upgrade, or if we will be seeing a new form factor with new accessories. That's why I am also a bit leery of splurging on iPad accessories that work only with that particular form factor of late, because I don't know if they will remain compatible moving forward.

I am currently still rocking the 2018 ipad pro, and even the latest M2 iPad Pro looks kinda meh to me.

 

[okkibs]

Bear in mind that M1 iPads are power hungry. The battery life is poor on these iPads.

That is true, if you can keep it charged during the day and use it on low brightness in the evenings or at night then the battery lasts a good while, 6+ hours. On high brightness with heavy multitasking, including PiP mode playing media, I can empty the battery in 2 hours flat which is really not optimal. I don't know how much better the M2 iPads really are because the display will draw a lot of power on these models too.

You may already do this, but have you considered getting a larger battery backup you can use to power your devices while you don’t have power?

I recommend using power banks.

After about a decade of having multiple UPS battery backups I am so done with these. They have a set runtime of 6-10 minutes for the cheap units and 20-40 minutes for expensive ones. Even if you have nothing attached to it, these times still apply because they are constantly converting the 24V/48V battery voltage up to 120V/240V and these circuits draw power and the conversion isn't efficient. These things are only meant for really short failover periods, for example to cover the time it takes a backup generator to start. With some units you can get hours of use, but the pricing of such units is close to or already in the quintuple digits. And the batteries belong in cooled server rooms, kept in a home at room temperature they will have an internal temperature of 30 degrees C and more at all times, killing them in short order especially if discharging them fully (they should be used as little as possible, certainly not daily). These lead acid batteries are heavy, need to be recycled properly and should only be charged in a well vented environment. Lastly, UPS' should not be left unmonitored.

There are some DIY solutions where you will attach one or multiple (rackable) 24V/48V batteries to a device that will directly provide USB ports for devices, to circumvent the need for an inverter that would eat through the battery. Sorta like part of a solar panel setup, but more like a huge power bank. One such high quality battery (brand new unused cells!) can be had for around $1.5k and can store enough Watt hours to supply all the typical computer office equipment for a day. With an efficient inverter like they are used for solar that can power a device or two like a computer monitor, or speakers.

 

[rui no onna]

the 8GiB RAM iPads at least today can do everything that the 16GiB models can do. I am sure 16GiB would be more future proof, but 8GiB is a lot for iPadOS even over the next couple years.

I found that iPadOS keeps closing/"refreshing" apps for no good reason on the 8GiB model, and from the reviews/tests I've seen the 16GiB model is no different. Thus I believe iPadOS currently has more optimizations for the <=6GiB models, whereas with 8GiB+ it might not use it too effectively.

It's unfortunate that there is no way to see actual memory usage on iPads because Apple does not allow it. Otherwise it would be simple to check what apps use, standalone or during heavy multitasking and so on, and then base recommendations on that. We currently have no idea if the 16GiB iPad Pro even uses any of the additional RAM right now. Maybe it's being used already, or maybe it won't be used until some new iPadOS version in the future.

(From a performance perspective it seems the memory is completely wasted...)

The RAM does get used especially when multitasking. I've noticed RAM usage tends to be heavier with Stage Manager enabled than with it off.

Mind, I almost never get any refreshes on my 16GB RAM iPad Pro when switching between recently used tabs or apps.

On 4GB RAM, apps and tabs pretty much refresh every time even if the previous app/tab was just opened less than 5 minutes ago.

 

[okkibs]

The RAM does get used especially when multitasking

Please tell me how you got that screenshot - I was under the impression there is no way to get the memory usage on iPads.

On 4GB RAM, apps and tabs pretty much refresh every time

Yeah, 4GiB is in my experience absolutely useless for multitasking, not even talking about Stage Manager. And with 6GiB I still notice frequent refreshes, with 8GiB it's occasional. Since I don't know how to get memory usage I have no idea what the actual usage is.

 

[rui no onna]

Please tell me how you got that screenshot - I was under the impression there is no way to get the memory usage on iPads.


Yeah, 4GiB is in my experience absolutely useless for multitasking, not even talking about Stage Manager. And with 6GiB I still notice frequent refreshes, with 8GiB it's occasional. Since I don't know how to get memory usage I have no idea what the actual usage is.

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[Fravin]

I am currently still rocking the 2018 ipad pro, and even the latest M2 iPad Pro looks kinda meh to me.

I still believes that 2018 one’s were the perfect iPad project ever made. The balance between power and battery life was perfect.

With Apple Silicon we have more ram, and that’s something worth the upgrade, but battery life won’t be the same.

 

[rui no onna]

I still believes that 2018 one’s were the perfect iPad project ever made. The balance between power and battery life was perfect.

With Apple Silicon we have more ram, and that’s something worth the upgrade, but battery life won’t be the same.

They've kinda all been Apple Silicon since the OG iPad.

 

[FeliApple]

I still believes that 2018 one’s were the perfect iPad project ever made. The balance between power and battery life was perfect.

With Apple Silicon we have more ram, and that’s something worth the upgrade, but battery life won’t be the same.

I’m curious, does the 2018 iPad Pro have the best battery life of all of the full-screen iPads? Do you know how battery life was back on iOS 12?

 

[Fravin]

The 2018 11” iPP has a 7812mAh and the M2 one has a 7500mAh battery. Apple has said that both would last 10h surfing the web.

But the Apple Silicon M1 was a battery hunger. Specially while using Apple Pencil.

 

[Digitalguy]

I’m curious, does the 2018 iPad Pro have the best battery life of all of the full-screen iPads? Do you know how battery life was back on iOS 12?

In my experience yes, the 11" 2018 had be best battery life, but the difference between generations and sizes is not that huge. And the M1 is not particularly power hungry as some say here, it's roughly on par with A12X/Z when you take into account battery size, miniled screen etc.
It's clocked higher than A12X (that's why it's more powerful) but it's also a 5nm chip so that kind of offsets it.

 

[FeliApple]

In my experience yes, the 11" 2018 had be best battery life, but the difference between generations and sizes is not that huge. And the M1 is not particularly power hungry as some say here, it's roughly on par with A12X/Z when you take into account battery size, miniled screen etc.
It's clocked higher than A12X (that's why it's more powerful) but it's also a 5nm chip so that kind of offsets it.

Interesting, so it’s the best but not by much.

My Air 5 with the M1 has amazing battery life, but I’m a light user. A heavy user might disagree.

 

[Digitalguy]

Interesting, so it’s the best but not by much.

My Air 5 with the M1 has amazing battery life, but I’m a light user. A heavy user might disagree.

Battery life should be compared with equivalent tasks ans settings, otherwise it makes little sense. I can discharge any iPad very quickly if I wanted to. I sometimes makes comparisons about my many devices by playing a local video at similar brightness.

 

[FeliApple]

Battery life should be compared with equivalent tasks ans settings, otherwise it makes little sense. I can discharge any iPad very quickly if I wanted to. I sometimes makes comparisons about my many devices by playing a local video at similar brightness.

Yeah, I kind of implied that my usage may be too light for the vast majority of users, that’s why I asked: I cannot extrapolate my usage like I can on iPhones.

 

[Abazigal]

I still believes that 2018 one’s were the perfect iPad project ever made. The balance between power and battery life was perfect.

With Apple Silicon we have more ram, and that’s something worth the upgrade, but battery life won’t be the same.

Yeah, I agree that the 4gb of ram is really starting to make its limitation felt (in the form of more apps being closed in the background), but otherwise, speed is still great.

 

[Pezimak]

My iPad Pro M2 has arrived

My god is it good to be back on iPad, the screen looks amazing compared to the S8 Ultra. IOS is much better and the Apple Pencil is the best in the business.

View attachment 2206944

Good choice, although WWDC is this week, I doubt they'll announce any new iPads. Maybe an update to the Mini but that's a stretch.

 

[Dave245]

Good choice, although WWDC is this week, I doubt they'll announce any new iPads. Maybe an update to the Mini but that's a stretch.

I’m really enjoying my M2 iPad Pro, the hover feature is more useful than I thought it would be.

Today is WWDC and hopefully new 15” MacBook Air day (if Apple announce it of course)

 

[Longplays]

iPad Pro M3 will be out as early as 9-12 months from now.

 

[Dave245]

It’s not the M3 that bothers me, I’m sure my M2 iPad Pro will still be as good for what i need. It was more about Apple announcing a bigger 14” or 16” iPad Pro, if they do that i will just sell my M2 iPad Pro.

 

[Longplays]

It’s not the M3 that bothers me, I’m sure my M2 iPad Pro will still be as good for what i need. It was more about Apple announcing a bigger 14” or 16” iPad Pro, if they do that i will just sell my M2 iPad Pro.

I think what limits Apple going larger would be weight and battery life. When they transition to parts that are smidge heavier than the current iPad Pro then I see it happening.