iPad Pro Why the iPad Pro isn’t just for professionals

[Jro29]

All the reviews say that the iPad Pro’s only use case is if you are a graphics professional or use the pencil a lot. And they ALL say that most people should get the Air.
what I don’t get is that these people are totally neglecting the big screen. I love the 12.9 inch screen. And it’s not available on the lower level iPads. So I get the Pro. Why do these reviewers not account for folks that only want the huge screen and that’s the biggest selling point of this device?
I am decidedly not a “Pro,” all I do is read and surf and do email watch movies. But I love the screen.
Am I the only one that feels this way?

 

[rui no onna]

Am I the only one that feels this way?

Not at all.

Anyone buying new 12.9 mainly for media consumption with light computer tasks on the side?

I gave my 10.5 Pro to my dad to replace his aging (8 years old) Mini and have been using my M1 MacBook for a few weeks but don’t think I can do it long term…miss the iPad too much. I don’t have a TV and watch pretty much everything on mobile devices. I know a $1k tablet to watch movies/shows on...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[KhaledAbdulRahman]

All the reviews say that the iPad Pro’s only use case is if you are a graphics professional or use the pencil a lot. And they ALL say that most people should get the Air.
what I don’t get is that these people are totally neglecting the big screen. I love the 12.9 inch screen. And it’s not available on the lower level iPads. So I get the Pro. Why do these reviewers not account for folks that only want the huge screen and that’s the biggest selling point of this device?
I am decidedly not a “Pro,” all I do is read and surf and do email watch movies. But I love the screen.
Am I the only one that feels this way?

I’m just the kind of person who loves the best of the best in the tech world. Yes, I might not need the Liquid Retina XDR or the M1 chip since I’m a student. I’ll only be using the iPad for media consumption, games, and note taking. That’s it, nothing complicated.

 

[Kyle76]

I’m not a pro — maybe a semi-pro because I do video (LumaFusion) and photo (Affinity) processing on my iPad, mostly for fun but some for profit. I need more storagem maybe not 1TB, but 512GB would be a big improvement over my current 128MB. I also think I would benefit from the additional real estate of a 12.9-inch screen, so I have a 12.9, 1TB on order. Overkill for me? Maybe, but I’ll enjoy Thunderbolt for offloading completed projects to a SSD, better speakers and never having to worry about memory or storage. I could do what I do with less, but why should I?

 

[Rafterman]

Pro is just a mzrketing term. No one ever said it was just for professionals. A $300 tablet is "professional" too, if you use it for work.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Pro is just a mzrketing term. No one ever said it was just for professionals. A $300 tablet is "professional" too, if you use it for work.

For the same reason that the iPad "Air" isn't at all like actual air. It's not a light or thin tablet.

 

[sparksd]

I buy the Pro since I like the large 12.9" display. I'm a retired s/w & h/w professional so I guess I'm now an amateur. Still going to buy the Pro, though, 'cause I enjoy my fancy tech toys.

 

[calstanford]

I hate the whole "Professionals" thing? How many people need to use a tablet "professionally"?

Nr 1: above and beyond every other category: Artists. Yes. Totally agree and get it. Good pen input, large screen. Go 12.9" Go Pro!

Nr 2: People in the field (Doctors, technicians, airline pilots). None of them need a pro, let alone 12.9". Those are either company provided iPads or iPad Airs

Nr 3: People showing off things to customers. Recently I was in an eyeglass store who used an iPad Pro 12.9 to show off customisations for a pair of glasses I liked. It was a first generation one. They got it for the screen size. No need for an M1, no need for 16GB RAM. There wasn't anything "Pro" about it. If there was a larger screen Air or even normal iPad with larger screen, they would have gone for that.

Nr 4: Laptop replacement. I like using my iPad Pro with Outlook, Safari, Slack, do average comapny/office work. It's good for that. It's not great. The camera is at the wrong end. Again, none of the software is taxing. I don't need a "Pro" or M1 or 16GB of RAM for it.

Most people I know use the 12.9" Pro for it's screen size. My 80yr old mum is one of them as she can't see well and the other ones are too small. She doesn't need Lidar or high performance. Just bigger screen.

So our "Pros" are just ... artists? How many are there? How many can afford a $2000 device?

 

[rui no onna]

Nr 3: People showing off things to customers. Recently I was in an eyeglass store who used an iPad Pro 12.9 to show off customisations for a pair of glasses I liked. It was a first generation one. They got it for the screen size. No need for an M1, no need for 16GB RAM. There wasn't anything "Pro" about it. If there was a larger screen Air or even normal iPad with larger screen, they would have gone for that.

My last eye appointment, they actually used a 2020 11" iPad Pro with LiDAR to measure pupillary distance. With that said, I imagine it's the $799 128GB base model.

 

[Shirasaki]

but 512GB would be a big improvement over my current 128MB

Absolutely, considering it’s a 4000x storage space increase.

 

[Shirasaki]

I’ll just put it simple: had iPad could make phone call (I mean actual phone call, not Google hangouts) and send actual text message, I’d ditch my iPhone long time ago. Ever since I got iPad three years ago, I use it day in and day out, as much as I can. Perfect for media consumption, gaming, showing off things to someone else, browsing, doing simple PDF stuff, creating simple excel sheet, editing word documents… the list goes on and on.

I’m a million years away from being a true professional, but that does not stop me from carrying iPad Pro around. Heck, the battery is so big, I can use it for 6 hours straight, with medium screen brightness, something no iPhone can do no matter what. Also, everything is big on iPad, making it easier for my eyes. Yes, phone has portability advantage, but outside of that, iPad can do almost everything. It’s that versatile. I love it.

 

[krspkbl]

I was gonna get the Air at first but went with a 11” Pro. I’m by no means a Pro at anything ?

a 256GB iPad Air is £730 and a 256GB 11” Pro is £850. if you are happy with 128GB then a Pro is a no brainer cause it’s only £20 more than the 256 Air. I suppose that’s why Apple don’t offer a 128GB Air…

I went the Pro cause for an extra £120 i felt it was good value cause the Pro has a higher refresh rate display, better camera, M1 chip, double the RAM, thunderbolt, and face id.

to go up to a 12.9” iPad it’s an extra £250…just for mini led and 1.9” bigger screen. Can’t justify that! Also, if you want 16GB i’d need to pay an extra £550 even though i dont need 1TB. For a 12.9” 1TB it’s an extra £800. I don’t think it’s worth paying the premium for 12.9” and/or 16GB.

 

[UpRight]

what I don’t get is that these people are totally neglecting the big screen. I love the 12.9 inch screen. And it’s not available on the lower level iPads. So I get the Pro.

Same here. I certainly don't NEED the M1 power, but I wouldn't say no. ? I guess Apple knows this. Otherwise, we would have seen bigger screens on non-Pro iPads already. And it's not like you couldn't run a bigger screen with an A11 or A12 chip, especially if the resolution was lowered.

 

[Caviar_X]

Nope I’m far from a pro user but I’m upgrading from a 2017 10.5” cellular to a 256 12.9” thru Verizon. I’m only want the screen size so I can browse the web and maybe do some AR stuff while shopping. YouTube is going to easily be my biggest consumption app.

Also having 5G is going to be a big WIN while traveling outside the home.

 

[UpRight]

Aside from Apple products, whenever I hear the word 'Pro' in the product name, I know it is NOT for professionals. Sort of like "XYZ Cordless Drill 7000 Pro". ?

 

[Shirasaki]

All the reviews say that the iPad Pro’s only use case is if you are a graphics professional or use the pencil a lot. And they ALL say that most people should get the Air.

What I think is those reviewers believe people who needs a big screen can just go air, save money and still enjoy most of the iPad experience, while still having a decently powerful device that can do daily casual stuff with no issue. It is not invalid, but not really accurate either.

 

[one more]

For the same reason that the iPad "Air" isn't at all like actual air. It's not a light or thin tablet.

Air is still the lightest in its size - lighter than a Pro 11” & 12” and iPad 8. ?

 

[one more]

What I think is those reviewers believe people who needs a big screen can just go air, save money and still enjoy most of the iPad experience, while still having a decently powerful device that can do daily casual stuff with no issue. It is not invalid, but not really accurate either.

I think those reviewers might be right - Air 4 has many good points, both technically and aesthetically. It is a very good mid-range iPad, an equivalent of iPhone 12 in iPhone terms. ? It should serve everybody well for 3-4 years from now, by which point most people would probably want to upgrade anyway. And that rumoured Air 2022 with OLED could be a real jem.

 

[Crow_Servo]

What I think is those reviewers believe people who needs a big screen can just go air, save money and still enjoy most of the iPad experience, while still having a decently powerful device that can do daily casual stuff with no issue. It is not invalid, but not really accurate either.

It’s probably ”accurate“ for many users. Sure, if what you want is the largest possible screen, then definitely go Pro. But if you just want a reasonably large screen, the Air still fits that desire.

I agree that there’s many other reasons to go Pro too, though. If 128GB is sufficient, the 11” Pro is a great value compared to the 256GB Air.

For my wife, she has the 9.7” Pro and wouldn’t want to downgrade the speakers by going with the Air. So she’s getting the 11” Pro. I have the Air and the speakers are inferior to her 9.7” Pro.

For me, the only things that I feel the Air could use would be quad speakers and a flash on the rear camera (which can be used as a flashlight).

I’ve always seen the 12.9” to be obnoxiously large, but different strokes for different folks. Who knows, maybe five years from now, I’ll think differently and want the 12.9” or something similar in size.

Also, if iPadOS gets some sort of Pro-exclusive features in the future, I could definitely see myself transitioning to the Pro someday.

 

[mystery hill]

I’ll just put it simple: had iPad could make phone call (I mean actual phone call, not Google hangouts) and send actual text message, I’d ditch my iPhone long time ago.

You can make and receive calls, and send and receive text (SMS) messages on an iPad using third-party apps.

 

[itunexify]

If you use your iPad as a laptop replacement, the bigger screen is essential. Even Apple apps have a different layout, similar to the macOS versions (Pages/Keynote/Numbers). The real question is not “What’s a computer?”, but “What’s a Pro?”. I’m a doctor, I can’t consider myself “Pro” just because I don’t make video on YouTube to live without any educational certification or degree as they do?

 

[MrPresident]

I am a professional, I use my iPad Pro to run sound at theatre performances.

I had to stop using it as it was too unreliable. Audio drop out and lack of proper output made it feel like a toy. I wouldn’t ever put mine back in a position where it was needed to run a show, even the simplest of tasks weren’t handled well.

 

[ericwn]

All the reviews say that the iPad Pro’s only use case is if you are a graphics professional or use the pencil a lot. And they ALL say that most people should get the Air.
what I don’t get is that these people are totally neglecting the big screen. I love the 12.9 inch screen. And it’s not available on the lower level iPads. So I get the Pro. Why do these reviewers not account for folks that only want the huge screen and that’s the biggest selling point of this device?
I am decidedly not a “Pro,” all I do is read and surf and do email watch movies. But I love the screen.
Am I the only one that feels this way?

No, many people buy an iPad as a nerdy 4:3 overpriced TV set. iPads are easy for content consumption and that’s always been what many people use tablets for.

Besides there is no wrong or right. You do you and enjoy.

 

[ericwn]

I’m not a pro — maybe a semi-pro because I do video (LumaFusion) and photo (Affinity) processing on my iPad, mostly for fun but some for profit. I need more storagem maybe not 1TB, but 512GB would be a big improvement over my current 128MB. I also think I would benefit from the additional real estate of a 12.9-inch screen, so I have a 12.9, 1TB on order. Overkill for me? Maybe, but I’ll enjoy Thunderbolt for offloading completed projects to a SSD, better speakers and never having to worry about memory or storage. I could do what I do with less, but why should I?

Since you come from 128 MB anything is an improvement.

 

[LFC2020]

No, many people buy an iPad as a nerdy 4:3 overpriced TV set. iPads are easy for content consumption and that’s always been what many people use tablets for.

Besides there is no wrong or right. You do you and enjoy.

Also people don’t upgrade their iPads yearly, they tend to hold onto them for 3-4 years, for their expensive price, they end up being good value for money because of their longevity.

Most likely won’t upgrade tomorrow and hold onto my 3rd gen pro for another year, these iPads are tanks that last and last.