I go back again: Then at that point just get a refurb, especially now that the M1s are in the refurb store. You don't need M2 for that especially at that cost.
I find I don't really save that much money with a refurb, especially since I get a small discount on the latest iPads via the education discount anyways. I could probably get by with the 2022 iPad Air, since I don't quite need more than 256gb of storage anyways, but at a difference of S$300, for something I see myself using for the next 4 years at least? It's not an insignificant amount of savings, but it won't exactly break the bank either.
Bottom line - if I had to upgrade right here and now, I would probably still opt for the M2 iPad Pro (11", 256gb, cellular), just because I can, and for the satisfaction of having the latest model.
The obsession is because iPadOS is $*&#. Apple keeps advertising this expensive thing as a laptop replacement, a laptop replacement that costs more than their laptops and does a lot less than their laptops despite having the guts of their laptops. iPadOS doesn't have:
- The ability to install whatever software without an app store (or as the kids call it nowadays, Sideloading)
- Proper mouse support as the trackpad is emulating touch so the UI and controls has to compromise for that
- Multiuser support (something cheap ass Android phones and tablets have mind you)
- Pro apps
- Coding apps (Swift Playgrounds doesn't count.)
- A file explorer that isn't garbage
- Virtualization
- OS modification
- Multitasking that isn't a hassle to work around
- Games
All of which macOS has and more. When the patents for a "Pro Mode" came out for iPadOS there was so much excitement that iPadOS would finally get a proper desktop mode when a Magic Keyboard was plugged in or if it was plugged into a monitor, just like Samsung DeX mode. Instead we got Stage Manager, and that excitement was quickly deflated into disappointment and anger.
1) The apps I want are in the iOS App Store anyways.
2) I bought a Magic Keyboard when it was released and returned it a week later. I get it's a huge deal for some, but there's just no room for a mouse when I am teaching in the classroom.
3) I don't use multi-user support on the M1 MBA that I am typing on right now anyways, and I am unlikely to share my iPad with another party.
4) Nor do I really have any pro apps on my 2017 5k iMac or my M1 MBA. I mean, I use iMovie to edit videos on them (because FCP is both too expensive and overkill for my needs), vs lumafusion on my iPad (apple pencil is great in this regard), so the apps on my iPad are arguably more "pro" in that sense.
5) Coding apps - I don't code, so...
6) File explorer - fair enough. I got by before the files app by basically storing all my apps in dropbox and syncing them to the documents app, so I guess I don't really miss it. I use the files app pretty extensively now and it has its charm and use cases.
7) Virtualisation - I guess I don't miss what I don't need.
8) OS modification - okay...?
9) Multitasking - fair enough, though I typically run my browser windows in full screen on my MBA as well.
10) Games - The Mac is ironically enough more of a barren wasteland compared to iOS when it comes to games.
And while we are at it, the Mac can't do what I use my iPad for anyways (the iPad has been my "laptop replacement" since iOS 5 days), which is why I have both, and I am happy for each to have their own unique differentiators in which they excel.
I just wish people would acknowledge the strengths of the iPad more, and stop trying to force it to become something that it is not.