I just purchased an iPad Pro 11 3rd Gen (latest) 128 GB wifi only with a Magic Keyboard and Pencil. I previously owned the 10.5 iPad Pro wifi 256 GB. For the past two years I've been thinking about upgrading and could never pull the trigger. Over the last few months my 10.5 battery life was getting worse. I took it in to Apple, they ran diagnostics and said, the capacity was above 80% and there was nothing they could do about replacing a battery. The battery life was really becoming a problem for me. I was also getting annoyed with Touch ID after being so used to Face ID on my phone. I really wanted a new device. For accessories, I was using a bluetooth mouse and a Logitech keys to go keyboard. They worked great and I really enjoyed having that complete setup. I tried the Logictech Folio Touch, but didn't like it. Overall, the 10.5 performance was great, I had plenty of storage (barely using 64 GB) and was very happy with the screen/promotion. But the battery life was a problem and it was forcing to me make a decision about getting a new device. I was excited about the timing with the new Air coming out and that perhaps that might work out better for me. But upon seeing the Air, it confirmed a few things for me. 1) Promotion is really important to me, 2) the extra brightness of the Pro, while not that much more, was preferable and 3) I REALLY wanted Face ID. So after seeing the Air it made sense to go with the iPad Pro 11. I never considered the larger size - too big. I originally wasn't planning on buying the Magic Keyboard due to the price. I was going to continue to use my bluetooth mouse and keyboard mentioned earlier. However, I decided to buy it and figured I would return it if I didn't like it. So I traded in my iPad Pro at Apple for $180 and used that to purchase the keyboard. Then, I purchased the iPad at Microcenter for $739 which was a great price compared to the $799 retail. Amazon had the same price as well, but a two week wait. I also purchased the ESD Magnetic Case which is just like the Smart Folio Apple case, but better and way cheaper. I can easily switch out the Magic Keyboard to the ESD case when I don't want the weight from the MK. I've been using the whole setup for a few days now and I couldn't be happier. The Magic Keyboard is expensive, but the typing experience is just awesome. There are a lot of other accessory options for mice and keyboards, but the MK as a complete package is just the best of all of them. The MK is heavier than my external mouse and keyboard setup mentioned above, but lighter than my MacBook Pro. Before deciding on the 3rd gen IPP I was very close to going with a iPad Pro 11 from a few years ago - gen 1 or gen 2 from the Apple refurbished store. And I will say that I would be just as happy with either one of those as I am with my current model. I decided to spend a little more for the M1 model. I completely understand that I will in no way benefit from it right now, but I decided that I would future proof for a few years given I keep my iPads and Laptops for 4 to 5 years. Also, I thought about waiting, knowing that I'm mid to past mid cycle with the current version, but I decided there's nothing likely about the new model that will make me regret my current purchase. If the current model didn't have an M1 and it was on the same A chip path, I would have purchased the older refurbs.
Anyway, I wanted to share this in case it helps other people with their decision. I really appreciated reading through others commenting about their purchasing experience and found it valuable in helping me make my decision.
Anyway, I wanted to share this in case it helps other people with their decision. I really appreciated reading through others commenting about their purchasing experience and found it valuable in helping me make my decision.
