iPad Pro Who needs the new iPad Pro?

[MNTVJunkie]

Let me start this by saying -- ALL iPads have a limited supported lifecycle. It's pretty good for a mobile device like a tablet, but 5-6 years seems to be about the time from announcement to no longer being supported.

I upgraded from the 2016 iPad Pro to the 2021 11" iPad Pro. I probably could have gotten another year of "support" but some of the games I was playing were running very sluggishly, clearly pushing the A9X to the limit, which had consequences on battery life. I COULD have saved $100-150 by getting the 2020, but then I would have gotten one less year of supported updates, which are important for security fixes if you plan to use your iPad for tasks like banking or work.

I also could have saved $150 by staying with the 256GB iPad Air 4 (64GB would not have been enough for my use), but in the end decided to go with the Pro for the following reasons:

1. 2 more speakers. I'm already used to 4, and going back to 2 would have felt like a downgrade
2. I'm thinking the M1 processor and extra RAM will run games better, for longer. I have a 5 year old gaming PC that I spent a lot on that still runs MOST games at max settings, so I applied that same logic here. (now if only I could get a GTX 3070 I could get back to max settings on all games, but I digress)
3. Faster refresh rate means better looking games for ones that will support that

As someone who likes to game on the iPad, I do realize that the Air 4 would have likely been fine TODAY, but I am looking forward to how developers might use the extra power in the future. And since I plan to keep it for 5-6 years, that was a huge factor in my decision. If I was not a gamer and only used it for web surfing and video content, I might have decided that $150 was too much for the extra 2 speakers.

 

[mi7chy]

No one really. It's an overpriced status symbol. At least now it finally has sufficient RAM although not yet fully utilized by OS and apps. Every iPad I've owned prior was gimped by deficient RAM and suffered from excessive app reloads, spinning wheel in Safari, etc. If you don't care about status symbol just get a $500 convertible Ryzen/8GB/256GB laptop with touch and pen input that'll be more useful much longer. For example, 2008 laptop is still useful and can multi-boot MacOS/Windows/Linux/etc. in 2021 while a lot of the 2010 decade iPads were long unusable.

 

[MNTVJunkie]

No one really. It's an overpriced status symbol. At least now it finally has sufficient RAM although not yet fully utilized by OS and apps. Every iPad I've owned prior was gimped by deficient RAM and suffered from excessive app reloads, spinning wheel in Safari, etc. If you don't care about status symbol just get a $500 convertible Ryzen/8GB/256GB laptop with touch and pen input that'll be more useful much longer. For example, 2008 laptop is still useful and can multi-boot MacOS/Windows/Linux/etc. in 2021 while a lot of the 2010 decade iPads were long unusable.

Totally different use cases IMO. I have yet to use a PC with Touch that gives the user experience that an iPad can give you, convertible or not. Windows 10 just isn't designed for touch (much like MacOS isn't designed for touch).

You have plenty of pros that need something that just works, and works every time, for what they need it to do. When you look at the iPad through the lens of someone who needs to draw, its incredibly cheap compared to dedicated drawing tablets (and from what I have heard from my friends who draw, NO Windows Tablet compares to iPad and the pencil for drawing.

Not a justification for the pro, but I have also seen many use cases for tablets when dealing with retail. And my HVAC company switched the fleet to LTE tablets YEARS ago which has paid for itself many times over, I am told, because it allows them to take care of the entire job, paperwork and all, and have it back to the shop before they even leave the site. They also need something that "just works". I love my Windows laptop, and my Windows Desktops (I'm a gamer, NOTHING beats PC gaming) but there are plenty of reasons to go with an iPad, or even a Samsung.

 

[rui no onna]

If you don't care about status symbol just get a $500 convertible Ryzen/8GB/256GB laptop with touch and pen input that'll be more useful much longer.

Those are considerably heavier, require fans and will heat up if you use it on a pillow, blanket, bed or your lap. Web browsing often still requires one to use the keyboard+mouse unlike iOS and Android which are optimized for touch-only operation.

I dislike the company-issue XPS 15 with 130W brick so I did buy a 15.6" Ryzen laptop to use for telecommuting ($600 ThinkPad E15 Gen 2, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD). It works absolutely great for that.

However, I'd sooner use a $300 iPad 8th gen than a $500 Windows convertible for consumption purposes. Indeed, for reading comics, magazines, etc., even the old iPad Air is better.

 

[1BadManVan]

I don’t need a pro, I wanted one so I got it. If nothing else, it’s more future proof for future iPadOS development and features that I may like as they come

 

[mi7chy]

Those are considerably heavier, require fans and will heat up if you use it on a pillow, blanket, bed or your lap. Web browsing often still requires one to use the keyboard+mouse unlike iOS and Android which are optimized for touch-only operation.

Your guess is wrong. Weighs less than iPP+MK. Fanless in everyday workloads like Office, browsing, drawing, note taking, etc. and only comes on under full load but still quiet. Works fine via touch.

 

[rui no onna]

Your guess is wrong. Weighs less than iPP+MK. Fanless in everyday workloads like Office, browsing, drawing, note taking, etc. and only comes on under full load but still quiet. Works fine via touch.

I don’t need nor use the Magic Keyboard though. That’s an entirely optional accessory. The iPad Pro by itself or in Smart Folio case is lighter than all convertibles I’ve seen thus far.

I’ve also yet to use an x86-based laptop that doesn’t get warm/hot when used on my lap (including Ryzen and Tiger Lake).

 

[mi7chy]

I don’t need nor use the Magic Keyboard though. That’s an entirely optional accessory. The iPad Pro by itself or in Smart Folio case is lighter than all convertibles I’ve seen thus far.

I’ve also yet to use an x86-based laptop that doesn’t get warm/hot when used on my lap (including Ryzen and Tiger Lake).

MK is required for any sort of light productivity.

I know it sounds complex coming from iPad but just run the bundled utility to switch to 15W battery performance mode then optionally off turn core boost to drop it even further to ~8W. No fan, silent, super long battery life and plenty usable.

 

[Apple_Robert]

With the new iPad Pro, I don't really think it is a matter of need this time around as it is probably more so a matter of want.

 

[sparksd]

MK is required for any sort of light productivity.

I know it sounds complex coming from iPad but just run the bundled utility to switch to 15W battery performance mode then optionally off turn core boost to drop it even further to ~8W. No fan, silent, super long battery life and plenty usable.

MK? Hardly. I just use a lightweight, folding, full-sized Bluetooth keyboard. Pocketable and light and unlike the MK, it also has function keys. And just $29.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0799LKCLJ

 

[rui no onna]

MK is required for any sort of light productivity.

I don't know how you define light productivity but I've been fine with just the OSK. In fact, I even prefer it.

I haven't needed a physical keyboard for online banking, managing investments, online bill pay and even preparing pro-forma tax returns.

In a pinch, I've even done actual work on the iPad apart from the normal PDF markup I use it for. 2017 LTE iPad Pro 12.9, edits to an existing Excel report while on the freeway (as passenger) and emailed ASAP to my boss. App reloads due to low RAM made it a bit difficult but the work was finished in time just the same.

 

[mi7chy]

I don't know how you define light productivity but I've been fine with just the OSK. In fact, I even prefer it.

Anything that requires typing more than one line worth under time constraint. Sure, you can take the whole afternoon to type one page with OSK but no one would prefer that over a physical keyboard under time constraint.

 

[rui no onna]

Anything that requires typing more than one line worth under time constraint. Sure, you can take the whole afternoon to type one page with OSK but no one would prefer that over a physical keyboard under time constraint.

I can type multiple lines on the iPad's OSK just fine. With that said, the last time I've actually had to write a long paper was in college over a decade ago. The longest thing I type now are forum posts. 🤷‍♀️

Well, sometimes emails but those, I mostly do on the work desktop and not on my personal devices.

Not everyone has the same usage, requirements and preferences that you do.