iPad Pro Switching to the 12.9": My real world usage story

[fastalltheway]

I think it depends what other devices you have. I have a MacBook Air and Pro 16. So would never use iPad 12.9 with a keyboard, 11 is perfect for me. in a perfect world would have all lol but I love the 11 for my uses

 

[Azrael9]

I have noticed a lot of arguing in a lot of threads lately over what size iPad Pro is "ideal" or "best" or "most versatile" or whatever. I think there are a lot of people not getting a lot of help with their decision reading through those arguments because everyone is going to have their own personal reasons for wanting one size or the other. The problem is that the introduction of the Magic Keyboard seems to be causing a lot of people to reconsider what size iPad Pro is really best for them and are having trouble deciding now. I've even seen several people say they bought both and now can't figure out which to return!

I wanted to just tell my version of the story here to maybe give a little perspective. My iPad Pros have basically taken all tasks over from my Mac over the years, and with that in mind I decided to just throw caution to the wind and go with the 12.9" without really doing much real world testing or even having an open Apple Store to go and really spend some time comparing and contrasting between the two. I have NEVER owned a 12.9" model before now and never really wanted to, because I found them to be comically large and weird. So here's kind of how it went for me, in stages:

1. This thing is too big and heavy--I've made a huge mistake.
When I first got the 12.9" 2020 iPad Pro, I did not have my Magic Keyboard yet, just my dBrand skin that I had planned on putting on the back for protection, my screen protector, and my gen 2 Apple Pencil. I spent about 4 days using it with just these accessories and no other "case", and it felt slightly ridiculous to have such a large tablet. I wasn't used to handling such a large slab and constantly felt like I was going to whack it into something or drop it. I was also kind of dreading how much weight the Magic Keyboard was going to add and was thinking I might return it and get the Smart Keyboard Folio instead.

2. Why did I never use my 11" model this way?
After about two full days of using my 12.9" iPad "naked" I realized something key to the whole experience: this felt better than using the 11" iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard Folio attached folded around back, which is how I ALWAYS did it when using the 11" as a tablet. This felt thinner, sleeker, lighter, and more seamless than having all that baggage stuck to the back. I started feeling silly for never having tried using my smaller iPads in this way. Also--the 12.9" started feeling, dare I say.....normal sized?

3. My Magic Keyboard arrives and I feel I've made a mistake again.
My Magic Keyboard arrived via UPS about 4 days later and I had started enjoying the iPad Pro so much that I wasn't really even thinking about it too much. When I unboxed it and attached it, I felt like I had just ruined the iPad. It was now twice as thick and much heavier and felt like my Macbook Pro. Definitely a nicer FEELING cover than the SKF as far as fit and finish and build quality, but just a lot bulkier. I was once again questioning my decision to size up.

4. Magic Keyboard finds its place.
I worked with the Magic Keyboard for a few days and stopped noticing the extra size/weight. I realized that just because I could carry the iPad all over the house with the Magic Keyboard doesn't mean that I have to. This was a completely different beast than what I was used to with the Smart Keyboard Folio, which was slightly more awkward to remove and leave behind due to its floppy-ness. Long story short: I usually store the iPad Pro on my desk. If I'm using it at my desk or at the kitchen table, it's on the Magic Keyboard. If I'm using it on the couch or in bed, the Magic Keyboard stays on my desk until I'm done using the iPad. (I started thinking about how I would want to transport this whole setup once it's safe to start leaving the house more, and decided on a TomToc sleeve.)

5. This is normal.
Going to a 12.9" iPad Pro AND adding on the Magic Keyboard all in one upgrade cycle was a HUGE change for me. It added a lot of screen size, weight, and bulk. But now it just seems like a normal sized iPad to me. It's also a good lesson in what happens when you add a "real" keyboard to a device like this. You have to be willing to accept what that entails. But all in all, I am REALLY enjoying using the 12.9" iPad Pro as just a tablet or as my full blown laptop. I can decide which, and it's incredibly easy to do. At this point, you couldn't pay me to go back down to the 11".

I think there's a reason some of you are hemming and hawing about the 12.9": it's because you know deep down that's probably the one you need. I just wanted to communicate that in my experience, it felt like my hesitation was confirmed, but it didn't take long for the 12.9" to feel like the iPad I've been waiting for since 2010.

I'd like a 17 inch version. That's my kind of 'normal.'

Azrael.

 

[spiderman0616]

I'd like a 17 inch version. That's my kind of 'normal.'

Azrael.

I have to wonder if I would go for something larger as well. My newest company laptop is a 15" MBP, and it sure is a nice upgrade over the 13" as far as screen real estate.

 

[Azrael9]

Hello spiderman0616.

I have a 'wacom' style usage idea eg. Side Car and for Mac apps and also Procreate on iPad. So when the new iMac drops, a new iPad will be on the horizon for me.

A 17 inch 4k iPad would be great. I noticed the Surface Pro is a 15 inch device that somebody can 'draw' on. And there is a 4k 16 inch Wacom Pro 'slate.' So a 15/16 inch Macbook style screen would be a decent boost to the iPad's screen real estate.

More screen estate for my use case is always better. 12.9 is obviously much improved over the 11 inch. But from my view the 12.9 is 'adequate.'

So yeah, any boost in screen size over the current 12.9 would be a nice upgrade. It's something I'm hoping for as I was for a 'Pencil' device (and Apple made one of those...much to my surprise...)

Azrael.

 

[satchmo]

I feel like two iPads are the way to go.

Currently have a 6th gen iPad which I would keep for casual consumption like reading or surfing in bed.

I'm looking at a 12.9 iPad Pro, to use for actual paying work. It feels silly to spend money on an iPP to watch YouTube videos.

 

[return2sendai]

Nice post. Thanks. But do you work for Apple? Top of the range iPad, new pencil and keyboard, all of which you have adapted to in a few weeks. Sounds like a commercial to me. Personally, I see no point in “dressing” a tablet. All my iPads have always been ”naked”, save the sexy “slip on / slip off” Smart Cover. The 12.9 will be no different come my next upgrade. The original pencil was a nice toy, for a few days, but now lives in a drawer. I, like Steve, have a finger. And using a physical keyboard defeats the whole point of a touch screen. Just stop posing and buy a laptop. Hugs.

 

[mazz0]

I've had mine for about a year. I got the large model mostly because I use my iPad for watching TV/films, either as a second screen whilst playing a slow going strategy game on the big TV, or occasionally in bed, and the large screen is better for this. The large screen is also better for "worky" stuff like editing spreadsheets.

When I'm just sitting on the couch using the iPad to browse the web then I do miss the smaller size. If I could afford/justify it two iPads would be the way to go.

 

[spiderman0616]

Nice post. Thanks. But do you work for Apple? Top of the range iPad, new pencil and keyboard, all of which you have adapted to in a few weeks. Sounds like a commercial to me. Personally, I see no point in “dressing” a tablet. All my iPads have always been ”naked”, save the sexy “slip on / slip off” Smart Cover. The 12.9 will be no different come my next upgrade. The original pencil was a nice toy, for a few days, but now lives in a drawer. I, like Steve, have a finger. And using a physical keyboard defeats the whole point of a touch screen. Just stop posing and buy a laptop. Hugs.

Nice troll, but no, I don't work for Apple. And I already have a laptop. Thanks for trying though.

 

[0128672]

After now the first month with my 12.9 and day 3 of the MK, feeling how perfectly this combo fits my usage and lifestyle, I realized how much of a Goldilocks experience the last few months have been. Every iPad/case combo I tried wasn't quite right until now. I no longer wonder if there's something better out there.

 

[spiderman0616]

After now the first month with my 12.9 and day 3 of the MK, feeling how perfectly this combo fits my usage and lifestyle, I realized how much of a Goldilocks experience the last few months have been. Every iPad/case combo I tried wasn't quite right until now. I no longer wonder if there's something better out there.

The only keyboard case I ever ended up liking better than Apple's SKF or MK was Zagg's Rugged Messenger for the 10.5" iPad Pro. That was, and still is, the best solution I've ever had as far as adding a keyboard to the iPad while still keeping it modular. If they had kept updating those and eventually added trackpad support, I would have kept buying those instead of Apple's stuff. Unfortunately they only ever made them for the 10.5" Pro/Air and the newer model keyboard cases from Zagg have gotten worse and worse each year.

Other than that specific product from Zagg, every other keyboard case I've tried has sent me running back to my Apple keyboard. I decided to stop trying because I was sick of returning things.

 

[0128672]

Hahaha, yeah sick of returning things, I feel the same way. I had a Zagg Rugged Book on my iPad Mini 5 (before selling it) and it was a great case and very good keyboard. It was super solid and easy to use. It will be interesting to see what happens with iPad keyboard cases in this next year.

 

[Azrael9]

Nice post. Thanks. But do you work for Apple? Top of the range iPad, new pencil and keyboard, all of which you have adapted to in a few weeks. Sounds like a commercial to me. Personally, I see no point in “dressing” a tablet. All my iPads have always been ”naked”, save the sexy “slip on / slip off” Smart Cover. The 12.9 will be no different come my next upgrade. The original pencil was a nice toy, for a few days, but now lives in a drawer. I, like Steve, have a finger. And using a physical keyboard defeats the whole point of a touch screen. Just stop posing and buy a laptop. Hugs.

Naked? Well. How else are you going to enjoy an iPad?

Azrael.

 

[GuruZac]

To me the beauty of the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard, especially the 12.9” model is the real flexibility that such a combination offers. As an example I detached my iPad from my Magic Keyboard, used Genius Scan to scan several documents, import them into my Files app, sign them, reattach to my Magic Keyboard, then uploaded them to a website all completely seamlessly. With the Magic Keyboard and cursor/trackpad support now, it makes navigating websites so much nicer. You literally get the best of both worlds for almost 99% of all tasks normally done on a laptop, and the iPad Pro/Magic Keyboard combo offers a work flow that you simply cannot do on a laptop. To me, unless out of absolute necessity, I don’t see myself purchasing another laptop again.

 

[GuruZac]

Nice post. Thanks. But do you work for Apple? Top of the range iPad, new pencil and keyboard, all of which you have adapted to in a few weeks. Sounds like a commercial to me. Personally, I see no point in “dressing” a tablet. All my iPads have always been ”naked”, save the sexy “slip on / slip off” Smart Cover. The 12.9 will be no different come my next upgrade. The original pencil was a nice toy, for a few days, but now lives in a drawer. I, like Steve, have a finger. And using a physical keyboard defeats the whole point of a touch screen. Just stop posing and buy a laptop. Hugs.

I think you have missed the point, like most who don’t see value in adding a typing and cursor experience to the iPad. The beauty, as has been highlighted so many times, is that I can use the iPad as a pure tablet experience, then attach back to my Magic Keyboard and use as a laptop. Or take back off the MK and use with my pencil to mark up documents or take notes, which in medical school is an invaluable tool. I can never imagine keeping stacks of notebooks and paper. I had used the 10.5 iPad Pro for a couple years and am now fully bought in to the iPad only experience. It’s a jack of all trades and with the Magic Keyboard, nearly a master of all.

 

[spiderman0616]

To me the beauty of the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard, especially the 12.9” model is the real flexibility that such a combination offers. As an example I detached my iPad from my Magic Keyboard, used GeniusScan to scan several documents, import them into my Files app, sign them, reattach to my Magic Keyboard, then uploaded them to a website all completely seamlessly. With the Magic Keyboard and cursor/trackpad support now, it makes navigating websites so much nicer. You literally get the best of both worlds for almost 99% of all tasks normally done on a laptop, and the iPad Pro/Magic Keyboard combo offers a work flow that you simply cannot do on a laptop. To me, unless out of absolute necessity, I don’t see myself purchasing another laptop again.

For me, the missing pieces of the puzzle turned out to be the two major things I changed in the setup:

1) Moving from 11" to 12.9" screen size.
2) Moving from a Smart Keyboard Folio to a Magic Keyboard.

The 11" with Smart Keyboard Folio always felt like an acceptable laptop stand-in for me, but the 12.9" with the Magic Keyboard feels like a laptop replacement. There are definitely tasks that overlap with laptops, but it's just so easy to pop the iPad off of the Magic Keyboard and use it in other situations without all the extra stuff attached. I'm also a heavy user of the multitasking in iPadOS so the 12.9" is much more friendly for that use case.

I think one of the big reasons I never used the 11" with SKF this way was that the SKF was awkward to remove due to its lack of rigidity and weak magnets. It was easier to deal with if you just folded it around back when you didn't need it and it was light and thin enough where that wasn't too much of a big deal. But it took away from the joy of using the iPad as just an iPad. The 12.9" iPad Pro is still a joy to use as an iPad when you take it off the MK. I would say about half the time I take the iPad and Pencil with me to another room and leave the MK on my desk.

I bought this stuff during the stay-at-home order in my state, and I don't think I'll be working out of the house again any time soon, but I am eager to start getting out and about with my iPad again and really putting this thing through its paces.
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I think you have missed the point, like most who don’t see value in adding a typing and cursor experience to the iPad. The beauty, as has been highlighted so many times, is that I can use the iPad as a pure tablet experience, then attach back to my Magic Keyboard and use as a laptop. Or take back off the MK and use with my pencil to mark up documents or take notes, which in medical school is an invaluable tool. I can never imagine keeping stacks of notebooks and paper. I had used the 10.5 iPad Pro for a couple years and am now fully bought in to the iPad only experience. It’s a jack of all trades and with the Magic Keyboard, nearly a master of all.

There is an old school Mac contingency that is never going to see the same value in the iPad platform that I see. I'm kind of an odd bird because I grew up on Macs and PCs, and still love Macs, but prefer iOS and iPadOS as my main platforms now. macOS and Windows have started feeling very "legacy" to me, especially in the last couple of years. My kids on the other hand think that traditional Macs and PCs are about as pointless as watching TV with commercials. They do use Chromebooks at school and can barely stand them--they'll always default to iPad or iPhone for any project or anything else they want to do if at all possible.

 

[Mimiron]

I bought the 2020 iPad Pro 12.9 and given that my work revolves around writing, I thought I'd buy the Magic Keyboard. But I am fricking glad that I tried it out in the shops first now that they've reopened. It is as heavy as the iPad which ruins the purpose, so you're better off buying and using a Macbook Air if you're looking for a lightweight, much more capable device. iPad OS is still limited and you need third party apps for almost anything as simple as a Terminal. So for the price tag, you can just get yourself a Macbook Pro 13".

If you're a special "What's a computer?" snowflake, then fine, go with it, but if you're trying to do some serious work, it's a nuisance for a total price tag of 1.5K EUR.

For work, I use my Macbook Pro, for consuming content, replying to emails, and drawing, I use the iPad. It truly is a magical glass limited by its software, still.

 

[spiderman0616]

I bought the 2020 iPad Pro 12.9 and given that my work revolves around writing, I thought I'd buy the Magic Keyboard. But I am fricking glad that I tried it out in the shops first now that they've reopened. It is as heavy as the iPad which ruins the purpose, so you're better off buying and using a Macbook Air if you're looking for a lightweight, much more capable device. iPad OS is still limited and you need third party apps for almost anything as simple as a Terminal. So for the price tag, you can just get yourself a Macbook Pro 13".

If you're a special "What's a computer?" snowflake, then fine, go with it, but if you're trying to do some serious work, it's a nuisance for a total price tag of 1.5K EUR.

For work, I use my Macbook Pro, for consuming content, replying to emails, and drawing, I use the iPad. It truly is a magical glass limited by its software, still.

Going to have to disagree with just about this whole thing. All depends on use case. And the point of my post was not to have people tell me why the iPad sucks. I was trying to help people with the size decision. There are plenty of other threads where you can tell people they're wrong on how they use the iPad. This one isn't about that.

 

[Nikhil72]

If you're a special "What's a computer?" snowflake, then fine, go with it, but if you're trying to do some serious work, it's a nuisance for a total price tag of 1.5K EUR.

I managed to take care of 20 sick patients today via the touch screen tablet mode and then docked it to actually do my charts while responding to patient medication requests and inquiries, plus carried out a handful of virtual medicine appointments while again charting the visits all via my iPP. Does that constitute as serious work to you? Any thought as to how to walk around with a MBP while scrolling through charts in a medical software charting system that was designed from the ground up for a touch first experience?

 

[cupcakes2000]

I bought the 2020 iPad Pro 12.9 and given that my work revolves around writing, I thought I'd buy the Magic Keyboard. But I am fricking glad that I tried it out in the shops first now that they've reopened. It is as heavy as the iPad which ruins the purpose, so you're better off buying and using a Macbook Air if you're looking for a lightweight, much more capable device. iPad OS is still limited and you need third party apps for almost anything as simple as a Terminal. So for the price tag, you can just get yourself a Macbook Pro 13".

If you're a special "What's a computer?" snowflake, then fine, go with it, but if you're trying to do some serious work, it's a nuisance for a total price tag of 1.5K EUR.

For work, I use my Macbook Pro, for consuming content, replying to emails, and drawing, I use the iPad. It truly is a magical glass limited by its software, still.

I manage to do serious work on mine. I guess I must be a snowflake then, whatever that is.

 

[jvlfilms]

The Magic Keyboard really reinvented the way I use my iPad Pro 11". Most times now I'll grab my iPad instead of my MBP to do my web browsing as the ProMotion makes everything so much smoother (and the MK is so much better than this butterfly keyboard). I can't wait to see how they further take this in iPadOS 14.

 

[0128672]

I did all my work and play today on my iPad Pro/MK. This is the first time since 1986 I've gone Mac-less. Yep, first one was a Mac Plus. This was an easy transition to iPad only and fits perfectly in my life right now. There's always an option to add a Mac again if needed, and I'm not closing that door, but somehow I think iPad-only is just going to keep getting better.

 

[Nuno Lopes]

I guess I’ll share my experience. I’ve been a software engineer for 38 years. My first laptop was back in 1997. I used both a Desktop PC and a Laptop PC up until 2002. Than I switched entirely to the laptop. Not because I did not need and made fully use of the Desktop PC performance, but the need to maintain two development machines along with my Nomad like work style (a professional requirement) started to be too much work. Laptops are excellent when we don’t have any other option has it has been for decades. But still truth is that Laptop PC (both Windows and Mac) aren’t really that good as mobile computational tools. This is further exposed by my iPad Pro 12.9” ...

There are several reasons why they aren’t really that good for professional work.

1) They are usually relatively under performing computational tools. I mean, a $800 Desktop PC is ways more powerfull than say a $3300 16” Macbook Pro (if you want to go the Windows route).

2) Once on a desk there is nothing, absolutely nothing better than a Desktop PC (Either Mac or Windows). Performance is constantly what it says in the tin, no throttling, minimal noise, no heat on the keyboard, just sit click the mouse and start working ... nothing in my bag.

The “only” thing going for the Laptop PC is the fact that one can take for desk to desk, couch to couch ....

So I started wondering ...

I still need a mobile work tool. But back and forth from home and office, as well meetings and the ocassional monthly travels is hardly a Nomadic lifestyle. I do not usually do hard core coding out of my work desk. What I do in those situations is by far mostly Administrative and Management tasks. I mean, project planing, budgeting, documentation, virtual meetings ... Coding is mostly an ocasional affair based on urgency, say a project at risk of missing the deadline due to some out of band occurrence ...

So what if I could on those occasional occurrences just remote to my office desk ...? Turns out that with the iPad Pro 12.9” along with the Magic Keyboard I can do that quite well. It would be amazing if Apple bring back the “Back to my Mac” backed in the iPad OS and Mac OS ... Anyway with Jump Desktop this works quite well. All other tasks I can do in the iPad Pro quite comfortably and is ... smooth and fast.

I’ve had previous experiences with small screens like the ones in Surface Pro’s units. 13” is really the minimum display size I can be productive with. So I had notdoubts in opting for 12.9” iPad Pro. I cannot imagine me working professionalily with a smaller display.

So here I am. I’m using a combined Desktop PC like solution and the iPad Pro. This combination put in the corner my almost maxed out MacBook Pro 16” - trying to be a Desktop PC everywhere and failing. I have a better computer on the desk and better mobile computing device. Meaning better performance, the tooling is more flexible and feature rich, improved experience on the desk and out of it .... and it turned out to be less expensive than the best Apple mobile workstation today.

Even though I don’t feel limited I just wished some apps were better. I understand that this is not a limitation of the iPad OS neither the device. I guess that will come with time. Also, It would be nice if Apple realized faster that the iPad OS is not and should be a kind of iOS, if you know what I mean.

Cheers.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

I'd like a 17 inch version. That's my kind of 'normal.'

Azrael.

I thought so too, but the 3:2 aspect ratio might make it a bit unwieldy, given the jump from the 11 to 12.9 is significant.

So perhaps a 15"?

The way I see it, when Apple FINALLY gives this thing REAL monitor support then a larger-than-12.9 size will matter a bit less (although I'd still love to see a 15").

 

[spiderman0616]

I guess I’ll share my experience. I’ve been a software engineer for 38 years. My first laptop was back in 1997. I used both a Desktop PC and a Laptop PC up until 2002. Than I switched entirely to the laptop. Not because I did not need and made fully use of the Desktop PC performance, but the need to maintain two development machines along with my Nomad like work style (a professional requirement) started to be too much work. Laptops are excellent when we don’t have any other option has it has been for decades. But still truth is that Laptop PC (both Windows and Mac) aren’t really that good as mobile computational tools. This is further exposed by my iPad Pro 12.9” ...

There are several reasons why they aren’t really the good for professional work.

1) They are usually relatively under performing computational tools. I mean, a $800 Desktop PC is ways more powerfull than say a $3300 16” Macbook Pro (if you want to go the Windows route).

2) Once on a desk there is nothing, absolutely nothing better than a Desktop PC (Either Mac or Windows). Performance is constantly what it says in the tin, no throttling, minimal noise, no heat on the keyboard, just sit click the mouse and start working ... nothing in my bag.

The “only” thing going for the Laptop PC is the fact that one can take for desk to desk, couch to couch ....

So I started wondering ...

I still need mobile work tool. But back and forth from home and office, as well meetings and the ocassional monthly travels is hardly a Nomadic lifestyle. I do not usually do hard core coding out of my work desk. What I do in those situations is by far mostly Administrative and Management tasks. I mean, project planing, budgeting, documentation, virtual meetings ... Coding is mostly an ocasional affair based on urgency, say a project at risk of missing the deadline due to some out of band occurrence ...

So what if I could on those occasional occurrences just remote to my office desk ...? Turns out that with the iPad Pro 12.9” along with the Magic Keyboard I can do that quite well. It would be amazing if Apple bring back the “Back to my Mac” backed in the iPad OS and Mac OS ... Anyway with Jump Desktop this works quite well. All other tasks I can do in the iPad Pro quite comfortably and is ... smooth and fast.

I’ve had previous experiences with small screens like the ones in Surface Pro’s units. 13” is really the minimum display size I can be productive with. So I had notdoubts in opting for 12.9” iPad Pro. I cannot imagine me working professionalily with a smaller display.

So here I am. I’m using a combined Desktop PC like solution and the iPad Pro. This combination put in the corner my almost maxed out MacBook Pro 16” - trying to be a Desktop PC everywhere and failing. I have a better computer on the desk and better mobile computing device. Meaning better performance, the tooling is more flexible and feature rich, improved experience on the desk and out of it .... and it turned out to be less expensive than the best Apple mobile workstation today.

Even though I don’t feel limited I just wished some apps were better. I understand that this is not a limitation of the iPad OS do the power of this device but I guess that will come with time. Also, It would be nice if Apple realized faster that the iPad OS is not and should be a kind of iOS, if you know what I mean.

Cheers.

Funny you should mention "Back To My Mac"....I was just thinking about that feature today. I think iCloud Desktop has largely replaced it for me, but the full blown feature would be great to have, well, back.

 

[rkuo]

Funny you should mention "Back To My Mac"....I was just thinking about that feature today. I think iCloud Desktop has largely replaced it for me, but the full blown feature would be great to have, well, back.

It's honestly time to bring this back. It would justify part of the ongoing subscription and services model that Apple is pushing, the iPad has full mouse/keyboard support, our devices have never been more connected, and it would get us pretty far along the road to full desktop capabilities without having to re-engineer and port operating system features and apps from scratch.