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Zest28

macrumors 68030
Jul 11, 2022
2,581
3,933
Multitasking. Only the 12.9 iPad Pro has a big enough screen to properly make use of it.

The iPad Air is not supported for the LG Ultrafine 5K external display as it doesn't have a Thunderbolt port for example.

It cannot do HDR with deep blacks for content consumption (which is what most people use an iPad for).

It cannot do 120hz.

Doesn't have fast charging and fast data transfer due to lack of Thunderbolt port.
 

Apple_Robert

Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
35,653
52,439
In a van down by the river
The real main difference is the overall quality of daily usage with the pro versus the air with better sound, storage, and pro-motion. If those things aren't things you would readily focus on daily with normal usage, the Air will be a better fit for you and save you a lot of money.
 
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bhodinut

macrumors regular
Jan 31, 2013
205
147
I use Nomad to sculpt prior to exporting to ZBrush on my Mac. I went with a Pro model with 1TB so I could get 16GB of RAM. It made a difference for me. I'm probably an edge case. But if you're running an app that needs a lot of RAM a Pro is the only option. There aren't many apps that need that. I don't think each app gets all that RAM but it's a lot better. The 12.9" screen doesn't hurt either. Video editing and some of the more advanced drawing apps might also benefit from more storage and/or more RAM as well. it all depends on what you need your iPad for. Davinci Resolve runs better with more of everything in my experience as well.
 
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snipr125

macrumors 68020
Oct 17, 2015
2,006
3,123
UK
Multitasking. Only the 12.9 iPad Pro has a big enough screen to properly make use of it.

The iPad Air is not supported for the LG Ultrafine 5K external display as it doesn't have a Thunderbolt port for example.

It cannot do HDR with deep blacks for content consumption (which is what most people use an iPad for).

It cannot do 120hz.

Doesn't have fast charging and fast data transfer due to lack of Thunderbolt port.
This is false, both the air and pro ipads both have fast charging with 30w chargers. Also the Air 5 does have 10 gbps data transfer speeds, so it does have fast data transfer, just not as fast the 40 gbps on the Pro models. Everything else you said is right though.
 

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 16, 2006
4,412
4,243
Down south
Well I guess I'm gonna find out if there's anything I could do on my pro that I can't do on an Air - revamped my devices and went from M1 iPP 12.9 and 6th gen mini to 5th gen M1 iPad Air and M1 iMac. I'm likely gonna go from regular pro size phone to the plus or pro max in the fall.

Couldn't justify two iPads for my needs, and really missed having a big screen and using a MOUSE (I know - old school). Yes I could use a mouse with the iPP, but for organizing photos and making books and stuff (a LOT of what I do on my devices), the big screen is so much better!
 

Surfsalot

Suspended
Mar 18, 2023
2,049
2,028
I would have kept the 12.9” and just use it with a folio case no keyboard, and got rid of the mini, and the 15 max will fit in perfectly.
 

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 16, 2006
4,412
4,243
Down south
I would have kept the 12.9” and just use it with a folio case no keyboard, and got rid of the mini, and the 15 max will fit in perfectly.

I considered that, but it's too big for my travel bag pocket, and I really wanted to have something easier to bring along when I travel, which is fairly often. Also I really like the stability of the Magic Keyboard because I can still use it in my lap if needed and type decently well on it.

I got a really good deal on a MK for the Air here on the boards so I'll be able to have that when I need it, but use with just a back case when I want/need the Air to be lighter. I had an 11" pro for a while before my 12.9, so I knew what to expect with size. I loved my 12.9 for a home/desktop-type device, but I rarely left the house with it.
 
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mpetrides

macrumors 6502a
Feb 10, 2007
590
524
Well I guess I'm gonna find out if there's anything I could do on my pro that I can't do on an Air - revamped my devices and went from M1 iPP 12.9 and 6th gen mini to 5th gen M1 iPad Air and M1 iMac. I'm likely gonna go from regular pro size phone to the plus or pro max in the fall.

Couldn't justify two iPads for my needs, and really missed having a big screen and using a MOUSE (I know - old school). Yes I could use a mouse with the iPP, but for organizing photos and making books and stuff (a LOT of what I do on my devices), the big screen is so much better!
I couldn't agree more about the desire to use a mouse. I would add that the "mousing" experience on the iPad Pro is just SO very kludgy. A thumbprint size cursor just isn't a cursor. I have a 2018 12.9" iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard that I was considering upgrading to either an M1 or M2 IPP model.

In the end, I simply chose to get a 13" M2 MBA--precisely because the on-screen navigation is so much better using a mouse or even the trackpad on a Mac than it is on an iPP. The two are almost identical in size and weight (with Magic Keyboard) or feel that way to me. But for my uses, which are largely text-based, a Mac is a better choice. Now, if I were drawing on the screen a lot, my choice likely would have been an iPad.

I DO do a fair amount of handwritten note taking and for that the iPad mini 6 is a perfect size, as it is for reading eBooks (trade paperback size is ideal).
 
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ssledoux

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 16, 2006
4,412
4,243
Down south
I couldn't agree more about the desire to use a mouse. I would add that the "mousing" experience on the iPad Pro is just SO very kludgy. A thumbprint size cursor just isn't a cursor. I have a 2018 12.9" iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard that I was considering upgrading to either an M1 or M2 IPP model.

In the end, I simply chose to get a 13" M2 MBA--precisely because the on-screen navigation is so much better using a mouse or even the trackpad on a Mac than it is on an iPP. The two are almost identical in size and weight (with Magic Keyboard) or feel that way to me. But for my uses, which are largely text-based, a Mac is a better choice. Now, if I were drawing on the screen a lot, my choice likely would have been an iPad.

I DO do a fair amount of handwritten note taking and for that the iPad mini 6 is a perfect size, as it is for reading eBooks (trade paperback size is ideal).

I agree. I tried a mouse, stand, and separate keyboard with my iPP before I made the decision, because part of the issue was the constant looking down at the iPad when it was on the MK on my table or desk. I couldn't really raise it with the MK on it, so I tried a bluetooth keyboard with it up on a stand, and a mouse, but it just wasn't the same experience (the MK is nice to type on for sure).

I have never been interested in having a laptop at all. In this situation it wasn't really gonna solve the looking down at the screen issue anyway, and since I would only use it at a desk, it made no sense to not go with the iMac. I forgot how much I LOVED this screen!
 

brilliantthings

macrumors 6502a
Feb 13, 2011
873
408
Nobody asks the same questions about the viability the various different powers or specifications on traditional computer offerings, certainly not in manner that seems to expect a higher powered version be able to do something that a lower powered version just cannot do.
Yes they do. It's a great question about computers too. The MacBook Pro supports multiple external displays and has built in HDMI. MacBook Air doesn’t.
 
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