I just got mine and I am going to change this with a 12.9 centric post.Yeah, the 10.5 is brand new, at a screen size that Apple hasn't used before. The 12.9 is a 2nd generation and less exciting.
I have had mine for less than 20 minutes and I couldn't love it more.I tried the 12.9 last year and honestly it didn't work no matter how hard I wanted to like. The 9.7 was like the iPad air so I held off on buying an iPad. The 10.5 seems to be perfect. I think the new size makes others excited.
I don't think the 12.9 inch was sent out to reviewers, and as Apple said the smaller size is the best selling
I think you are taking the word "PRO" too literally. From Apple, I take "Pro" to mean 'so powerful that you could even use it as your sole computing device in a professional environment'. Many (most?) consumers are using these iPads as their personal devices for non business purposes but still want all of the bells and whistles that come with the Pro name and price tag but at a comfortable to hold size. I practically never use my iPad resting on any hard surface (table, desk, etc). I tried the 12.9'when it came out and it was absolutely a beautiful piece of machinery but I just couldn't comfortably hold and balance it with one hand while interacting with it with the other hand. Its nice that Apple gives us these size options so that each individual can decide what works best for them.If I am going to buy an iPad PRO (I already got the Galaxy Note PRO 12.2), I am going to use it as a big tablet for drawing and as a secondary screen. Thus, 12.9" would be better for my purpose.
So, I'm generally a fan of the bigger the screen, the better. I had a Surface Pro 4 for the longest time (recently sold it due to my company policy of no BYOC anymore...), and went to an iPad Pro 12.9 (BYOD for iOS / Android devices IS supported).
Patrick
I've got two weeks to figure out which one I actually prefer on a day to day basis
How is the the 2017 12.9" and 10.5" iPAD PRO compared with the SP4 in terms of comfortable in typing on the laps while in public transportation? I think there are new cases for the 2017 iPad PRO.
Well, I don't ever take public transit, so I can't comment on that too much. When comparing using any of the devices while sitting down, my preferred gear was the SP4. With the kickstand all the way back, it was pretty comfortable typing on it using the on-screen keyboard. With the 12.9 IPP, I found that it would slip off it's magnetic connection to the Smart Cover, and holding it, even with two hands, made for a somewhat unwieldly process. That is one of the things I much prefer about the 10.5 IPP, is that it's lighter weight makes it easier to type on while holding it.
However, I much prefer the true, full sized virtual keyboard (with number keys!) on the 12.9 IPP vs the number-keyless version on the 10.5 IPP. With the SP4, I could choose whether to use the full-sized virtual keyboard or the number-keyless version of the keyboard.
It's my first day with the 10.5 IPP, so it's still early on in the testing (though I've had several 9.7" iPads before this as well).
Patrick