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msackey

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 8, 2020
2,868
3,297
The primary use for my old 12.9 iPad Pro is a program called ForScore which displays sheet music. MyMusicFolders.com make a standard black chorister’s folder (MyPad Folder) that holds the 1.5 pound iPad in the middle, so it can easily be balanced in one hand. Weight just isn‘t a problem.
My partner is also a musician/composer ;-) and he intends to use his iPad similarly. He says he doesn't find his 12" iPad heavy. I do find it too heavy :)
 

TracerAnalog

macrumors 6502a
Nov 7, 2012
796
1,462
Oh, I've tried e-readers and I hate them :)

To me, e-readers are fine for general casual reading, but actually more often than not the kind of reading I do is more than casual, kinda scholarly / academic (some will say) as that is my training. So it can involve not only markup but copying and pasting over to Scrivener or Obsidian to write up notes and my own remarks.

I can totally see e-readers used for leisure reading but I think academia training has "ruined" that kind of reading for me for the most part. Heh.

Luckily, the other features of the iPad don't generally distract me from solid reading.
ha! Similar here in fact. Reading for me is relaxing, and not work related. For work I definitely go with my trusty iPad 12.9 and Pencil.
 
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Jackbequickly

macrumors 68040
Aug 6, 2022
3,185
3,277
Until we find another way to power our toys they will remain the same. I do not find my 12.9 M2 is heavy. Much lighter than a MB. I find it is awesome.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,362
10,114
Atlanta, GA
Probably not, since Jony Ive left apple just seems to want to make everything thicker and heavier. Everyone seems to love that for some reason but I don’t.
JI was constantly making things thinner and lighter, which was usually good, but also often to the detriment of battery life and performance. Apple has course-corrected back to a compromise between the two.
 
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SalisburySam

macrumors 6502a
May 19, 2019
923
812
Salisbury, North Carolina
I’ve had the 12.9” iPadPros since they were introduced. I’ve also put them into keyboard cases for both convenience and protection, all from Logitech chosen for the lighted keyboard. In all cases, the keyboard cases are heavier than the iPadPros themselves so a more than doubling of weight. But I use the device either on my lap or on a side table. As others above, I also use ForScore and prop the iPadPro on my piano music lyre so no weight issue there, and this is about the only time I use portrait mode at all. When the time comes to replace my current iPadPro 4th Gen, it will be another 12.9” or similar size; weight will still most likely not be at issue.
 
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Jackbequickly

macrumors 68040
Aug 6, 2022
3,185
3,277
JI was constantly making things thinner and lighter, which was usually good, but also often to the detriment of battery life and performance. Apple has course-corrected back to a compromise between the two.

Don’t forget if we make it thinner, it will bend!
 

Pakaku

macrumors 68040
Aug 29, 2009
3,273
4,844
I think it's mostly based on how you hold it. My 12.9" feels heavy if I hold it from the side, even if held portrait. But I can hold it from the center of the back, and it feels pretty light even in landscape mode. The only problem is how do you hold a flat surface and do it securely without some sort of grip.
 
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floral

macrumors 65816
Jan 12, 2023
1,011
1,234
Earth
No, obviously we need more iPad versions.

iPad Air S (10.9")
S stands for superpower.
M1 Chip w/ 8 and 10 cores
$650 for 64gb, $800 for 256gb

iPad Plus (12.9")
Big size, small cost.
A14 Chip
$400 for 64gb, $550 for 256gb

iPad mini mini (5.9")
Pint-sized powerhouse.
A16 Chip, underclocked by 35%
$250 for 64gb, $400 for 256gb

iPad Pro Ultra S Plus (20.9" (2x depth))
The definitive tablet.
M3 Ultra Chip w/ Silicon Boost up to 30%
$10000 for 64gb, $10150 for 128gb
 
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FeliApple

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2015
3,684
2,088
Less weight may involve less battery life? In that case, hell no for me.
Agreed. I will give a very specific example (even using OP’s iPad).

I have a 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Battery life was 13-14 hours on iOS 9. Apple forced mine into iOS 12 due to the A9 on iOS 9 activation bug (that combo would be deactivated and forced to update. This is the only time that this happened, and the only SoC/iOS version combo). Battery life plummeted to 10-11 hours on iOS 12, battery life which remained stable until today (this happened just before iPadOS 13’s release, so, September 2019).

I’ve tested an iPad 6th-gen on iOS 12. Battery life is... obvious. 13-14 hours of screen-on time, or, in other words, what the 9.7-inch iPad Pro should be.

Why? Very simple. The 6th-gen iPad has an 8,827 mAh battery, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro’s battery is 7,306 mAh. The 6th-gen iPad is only... 1.4mm thicker and 34 grams heavier! Apple, just give me that weight on my 9.7-inch iPad Pro and we are all happy. I’d happily have that thickness and weight added for... three hours of battery life. The difference doesn’t even have to be massive.
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,916
13,260
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FeliApple

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2015
3,684
2,088
Hopefully not at the expense of battery life.
So far, all weight slashes have been at the expense of battery capacity (which even if it didn’t represent a battery life drop, it was enough so as to fail to offset reduced standby performance and it was enough so as to fail to offset iOS-updates-induced degradation.

The 6th-gen iPad and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro have similar battery life on their original iOS versions + 1 (9-10 and 11-12), but with both on iOS 12, the 6th-gen iPad is almost three hours better. As the processors are similar, the difference in mAh plays a huge part (8,827 vs 7,306 mAh).

Maybe if the 9.7-inch iPad Pro had a larger battery, it would have allowed it to withstand iOS 12-induced degradation.

Hopefully, even if battery capacity drops, it continues to be enough at least on original versions.
 
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UltimateSyn

macrumors 601
Mar 3, 2008
4,968
9,205
Massachusetts
So far, all weight slashes have been at the expense of battery capacity (which even if it didn’t represent a battery life drop, it was enough so as to fail to offset reduced standby performance and it was enough so as to fail to offset iOS-updates-induced degradation.

The 6th-gen iPad and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro have similar battery life on their original iOS versions + 1 (9-10 and 11-12), but with both on iOS 12, the 6th-gen iPad is almost three hours better. As the processors are similar, the difference in mAh plays a huge part (8,827 vs 7,306 mAh).

Maybe if the 9.7-inch iPad Pro had a larger battery, it would have allowed it to withstand iOS 12-induced degradation.

Hopefully, even if battery capacity drops, it continues to be enough at least on original versions.
At least in the case of the 12.9" iPad the transition from mini-LED to OLED should allow them to decrease weight without decreasing battery capacity, but I'm sure they'll still shrink the battery anyway. They seem to be content with the ~10 hour battery life estimates. 3nm processors and OLED panels should help improve battery life, hopefully.
 
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