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jonjames505

macrumors member
Sep 26, 2017
95
151
Honestly, the only reason for me was for 120hz ProMotion. Smooth as butter and only offered on Pro models.
 
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CharlesShaw

macrumors 68000
May 8, 2015
1,733
2,872
Day one using face ID on an iPad here. Initially, I am unhappy about the distance your face needs to be for face ID, as I prefer to keep the iPad a couple inches farther away on the desk. As with many things Apple, I will either adapt or try something different.
 

MobiusTech

macrumors regular
Mar 31, 2012
122
298
Day one using face ID on an iPad here. Initially, I am unhappy about the distance your face needs to be for face ID, as I prefer to keep the iPad a couple inches farther away on the desk. As with many things Apple, I will either adapt or try something different.

Just change your face.
 

cupcakes2000

macrumors 601
Apr 13, 2010
4,037
5,428
Day one using face ID on an iPad here. Initially, I am unhappy about the distance your face needs to be for face ID, as I prefer to keep the iPad a couple inches farther away on the desk. As with many things Apple, I will either adapt or try something different.
It’s certainly not Apples fault if you’re looking at it wrong 😂
 

CharlesShaw

macrumors 68000
May 8, 2015
1,733
2,872
It’s certainly not Apples fault if you’re looking at it wrong 😂
Hehe, it’s more irritating to me than when Touch ID fails, so unfortunately FaceID is no longer on my list of reasons to justify an upgrade. I want an iPad Air with quad speakers and promotion, lol.

It would be great if both Touch ID and Face ID were options on the same device.
 
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Malcy16

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 8, 2012
89
171
United Kingdom
Hey all,

I'm fortunate to own the latest iPad Mini and I love it but whenever Apple release any new products I always take a look and get a desire to change.
Regarding the iPad Pro I just don't understand the point of it.

So first of all I looked at my family/friends who own iPads and they own a mixture between the iPad/Air/Mini. And what do they use them for? - Browsing, Social Media, Drawing, Colouring, Reading, Streaming Shows.
None of my family/friends own an iPad Pro but I've met a number of customers/colleagues that have one. I asked what they use them for and they use them for....... Browsing, Social Media, Drawing, Colouring, Reading, Streaming Shows.

So I'm at a loss, whats the point of a iPad Pro? What can you do on a iPad Pro that you can't or will find difficult on another iPad in the range? To me it seems like buying a Ferrari to drive to the supermarket to pick up some snacks for the weekend.

P.S Sorry if this comes across like I'm slating iPad Pro owners/fans - I'm just curious. Also I'm slightly jealous as I think it looks great.
Hahaha, I completely forgot I posted this, just seen it now.

I'm now in fact a proud owner of an iPad Pro! (Goodness me I'm a moron!) I absolutely love it.
I still don't know the point of one but its nice to have nice things ha!
 
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floral

macrumors 65816
Jan 12, 2023
1,011
1,234
Earth
I think the main reason for an iPad Pro is that it does all of those things... but Pro.

You can shoot photos on any old iPad, but only the iPad Pro takes really good ones.
You can play games on any old iPad, but the iPad Pro runs them faster and smoother.
You can listen to music on any old iPad, but the iPad Pro has high quality speakers.
You can watch videos on any old iPad, but if you buy an iPad Pro, then the 120hz screen... etc.

There's also the fact that iPad Pro tends to get longer lifespans. For example, the first gen iPad Pro from 2015 is rumored to be getting the latest software update. With an A9X chip which is a whole 6 digits below the latest A-series (7 if you count the one in the iPhone 14 Pro). It's pricey, sure, but when you get your hands on it, you can see how it's just the definitive iPad, taking everything that makes every other iPad special and adding some bonus features to it that feel minor at first - but you'll have them for many years, and whenever you want to use them.

My reason for buying it was really just futureproofing... the small RAM on my previous main device (they really thought 3GB was fine for a tablet?!) made it obviously next on the hitlist in terms of losing support. So I bought something that had a lot more (a comfy 8GB) Simple :P
 
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NeonNights

macrumors 6502a
Jul 22, 2022
673
884
I needed the larger display of the iPad Pro for reading sheet music and preferred pencil 2. I tried my daughter's M1 iPad Air but found it too small. The Pro is overkill for my needs, I simply wanted the bigger screen.

Initially, I also thought the iPad Pro could replace my MacBook Air, but I learned the hard way that it can't. It was my first personal iPad so I hadn't yet learnt of the file management limitations and weak multitasking of iPadOS. I am probably most disappointed in the iPad Pro out of all my Apple devices but it is what it is. Perhaps future versions of iPadOS will make the tablet more useful to me.
 

Isamilis

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2012
2,191
1,074
The pro is for people who just want the best iPad experience possible, and don't mind paying extra for it. There really is no other way to explain it. It's like asking what the point of carrying a branded handbag is when it doesn't give you any more utility over a cheaper tote bag. The functionality is similar, but there are these little things that can improve the user experience. Whether it's worth it or not is ultimately up to the individual.
Second this. Very true.
 
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Surfsalot

Suspended
Mar 18, 2023
2,049
2,028
They should ditch the pro term means nothing but extra features, people get hung up on it, can’t buy that I’m not a pro lol
 
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DeepSix

macrumors 6502a
Feb 4, 2022
844
932
We use the iPad pro only for smoothies and it works great. The bottom of the iPad does not come out , so it can be challenging to clean, but if you give it a good hot rinse immediately after you should be fine.
 
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FeliApple

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2015
3,684
2,088
I think the main reason for an iPad Pro is that it does all of those things... but Pro.

You can shoot photos on any old iPad, but only the iPad Pro takes really good ones.
You can play games on any old iPad, but the iPad Pro runs them faster and smoother.
You can listen to music on any old iPad, but the iPad Pro has high quality speakers.
You can watch videos on any old iPad, but if you buy an iPad Pro, then the 120hz screen... etc.

There's also the fact that iPad Pro tends to get longer lifespans. For example, the first gen iPad Pro from 2015 is rumored to be getting the latest software update. With an A9X chip which is a whole 6 digits below the latest A-series (7 if you count the one in the iPhone 14 Pro). It's pricey, sure, but when you get your hands on it, you can see how it's just the definitive iPad, taking everything that makes every other iPad special and adding some bonus features to it that feel minor at first - but you'll have them for many years, and whenever you want to use them.

My reason for buying it was really just futureproofing... the small RAM on my previous main device (they really thought 3GB was fine for a tablet?!) made it obviously next on the hitlist in terms of losing support. So I bought something that had a lot more (a comfy 8GB) Simple :P
The 1st-gen iPad Pros will get iPadOS 17?! Oh well. I fear it will be their end.
 
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Alex Cai

macrumors 6502
Jun 21, 2021
431
387
iPad Air (even iPad without the pencil) would suffice in my daily use, but 120hz Promotion kept me and my friends to iPad Pro, wasting money on things that we don’t need.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,314
25,463
Wales, United Kingdom
I don’t have any use for an iPad Pro personally but then I only use an iPad for casual use for media consumption really. I have an iPad 4 and that is overkill for what I need and next time i’ll probably just buy a year or two old model and avoid the silly markups now seeing as Apple have abandoned the entry level iPad option.
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
Some people need the processing power and RAM for productivity. I do exactly what you describe on my iPads, I use them for consumption. The reason why I prefer an iPad Pro to say an iPad Air is for better speakers (quad speakers), better display, Face ID also has it's benefits. For a long time the basic iPad had an outdated design. Whilst the design has been updated, the Apple Pencil situation just makes it dead on arrival. When I first bought an iPad Pro (10.5) the updated iPad air didn't exist. So if you wanted pencil support and first party keyboard support you needed to buy a pro. However there are more options available now. So when I upgrade my iPad I will consider them all.
 
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The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,314
25,463
Wales, United Kingdom
Some people need the processing power and RAM for productivity. I do exactly what you describe on my iPads, I use them for consumption. The reason why I prefer an iPad Pro to say an iPad Air is for better speakers (quad speakers), better display, Face ID also has it's benefits. For a long time the basic iPad had an outdated design. Whilst the design has been updated, the Apple Pencil situation just makes it dead on arrival. When I first bought an iPad Pro (10.5) the updated iPad air didn't exist. So if you wanted pencil support and first party keyboard support you needed to buy a pro. However there are more options available now. So when I upgrade my iPad I will consider them all.

It’s good to have options of course. I use headphones nearly all the time with my Air 4 but the speakers are decent enough on it. Never used an Apple Pencil on it as I don’t have the need but my daughters both use them on their iPad 9th Gen iPads. I think the only benefit of the Air 4 over theirs is the weight, other than that there isn’t really a spec advantage for my use and I probably should have just saved a couple of hundred quid.
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
It’s good to have options of course. I use headphones nearly all the time with my Air 4 but the speakers are decent enough on it. Never used an Apple Pencil on it as I don’t have the need but my daughters both use them on their iPad 9th Gen iPads. I think the only benefit of the Air 4 over theirs is the weight, other than that there isn’t really a spec advantage for my use and I probably should have just saved a couple of hundred quid.
With the way prices are at the moment in the UK there is no way I could justify a new ipad pro. Even when I bought my current iPad Pro in 2020 I bought it refurbished and still had to spend £700. The same £700 bought me a new iPad Pro in 2017 with the same amount of storage. £700 was the maximum I was willing to spend on an ipad which is just going to be used for consumption. Having said that with the way the economy is going I don’t think I would be happy to spend £700 on an ipad. I think I could find better things to spend that money on. So next time I probably would not get a pro.
 
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MacDevil7334

Contributor
Oct 15, 2011
2,552
5,816
Austin TX
Nothing I do on the Pro couldn’t be done on one of the other full size iPad models (Air, 10th gen, 9th gen). But the 120 Hz screen on the Pro is just too nice. I don’t know if I would pay full price for a Pro these days. I got a M1 on sale for $600 after the M2s came out and that was much more palatable. If the next gen model gets OLED on the 11 inch, I might be tempted if Apple doesn’t jack up the price to the ridiculous levels that are currently rumored.
 
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jagolden

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2002
1,587
1,501
If you have to ask, you don’t need one.
I won’t rehash all the legitimate reasons and scenarios pointed out by others in support of the Pro models.
 
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