All iPads Yikes (WWDC 2021)

[robertosh]

Same feeling here. I think that most of the features presented look ok in the theory but I don’t expect them to be useful in practice for me. Specially share play is a nice concept.

iPad interface looks more and more complex. Multitasking was already difficult to understand and now with yet another dock will be even more difficult. I lost the track while presenting quick notes, when you have two different ways of doing things is when confusion starts

Seems that Apple is just reinventing the wheel in iPadOS for things that were sorted out long time ago with macOS. Now I feel that make sense to bring macOS to the iPad, at least to the 12.9.

 

[svish]

A minor update from iPadOS 14. If you have an iPad Pro from 2018 or later, there is definitely no need to upgrade to the 2021 iPad Pro

 

[iamyash]

I feel people have been spolit by these leakers giving high expectations of upcoming Apple events. And when it does not happen, its not a great feeling. Which is why I believe Apple likes to work secretly.

 

[Jára Tyky]

I am surprised how many people are justifying M1 iPad as future proof device. I think you forgot that your iPad Pro M1 does not have replaceable battery. So after 5 years you will have device that will be trash.

So no, it is not a good idea to buy now iPad Pro M1 and wait to use its potential. It is better to keep 2018/2020 Pro and buy newone as software will enhance your device.

 

[Tsepz]

Well that was…disappointing.

Yup, gladly keeping my A12Z iPad Pro after seeing that, will see what iPad OS 16 and 17 bring but if there is not much to take advantage of the M-chips then my 2020 iPad Pro will be serving me perfectly fine for years to come rather than me “upgrading” pointlessly for my usage.

Going by this video most will be fine with anything from a 2018 iPad Pro even, seems there isn’t much to take full advantage of M1 chip or the huge RAM.

 

[jimmy_uk]

I am surprised how many people are justifying M1 iPad as future proof device. I think you forgot that your iPad Pro M1 does not have replaceable battery. So after 5 years you will have device that will be trash.

So no, it is not idea to buy now iPad Pro M1 and wait to use its potential. It is better to keep 2018/2020 Pro and buy newone as software will enhance your device.

But to get 5 years out of a computer you can use all day, everyday is fanatastic. The M1 and RAM will allow the iPad Pros to run very well for those 5 years. If your buying an iPad today then this is the best move, but buy them for what they are capable of right now. And you can buy a new battery - which will actually be a device swap - but at the 4-5 year mark, it would make more sense to upgrade.

But if you own a 2018/2020 - then there is no reason to upgrade unless your planning on owning for several years more and need the fresh battery.

 

[Tsepz]

I am surprised how many people are justifying M1 iPad as future proof device. I think you forgot that your iPad Pro M1 does not have replaceable battery. So after 5 years you will have device that will be trash.

So no, it is not idea to buy now iPad Pro M1 and wait to use its potential. It is better to keep 2018/2020 Pro and buy newone as software will enhance your device.

Agreed. In fact, if you got the 2018 or 2020 iPad Pro for what they were you will be perfectly fine for many years to come, won’t be surprised if the 2018 and 2020 continue to get updates after 2025, lol.

You are pretty much “futureproof” with most iPads really, unless you plan to keep it for like 10 years, most people who talk about future proof won’t even keep these things for more than 3 years, LOL!

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

I understand the disappointment in this thread but I do also think some of you are being big ol' drama queens. The M1 iPad Pro is still an amazing device. It was never going to merge with macOS or get anywhere close, it's just not what it's for. Sure, some bigger iPadOS announcements would have been nice, but if you were expecting anything transformational you were delusional in the first place.

 

[robertosh]

Basically, unless you have disposable income, this shows that there was no financial sense to upgrade from a 2018/2020 iPad Pro to the M1. Apple let them down.

Well, in general it makes no sense for me to upgrade any iPad in just 2-years cycle (unless you have disposable income as you said)

 

[jeremiah256]

Even though the updates to iPadOS were not what I hoped, my use of my iPad requires more RAM (currently at 2GBs), more storage (32GBs) and more real estate than my 2016, 9.7" iPad Pro can provide, so I will upgrade.

In 2016, my iPad Pro was just a future proofed replacement for our family iPad 2. As the OS improved and with the help of great third party app developers (big chef's kiss out to you gals and guys) it evolved and became my Mac's companion device during graduate studies, especially as a note taking monster. Then mouse support, coupled with the Apple Pencil, made it my go-to and main computing device for content management as a middle manager, though I still need a traditional computer for some functions and tasks. I had hoped iPadOS 15 would enable me to go iPad only, but I guess that is not to be.

So, yes, I'm smiling like 'Hide the Pain Harold' right now, but I fully expect any iPad Pro purchase to again last five years or more. I'm just mentally working out what year 12.9" to get.

 

[jimmy_uk]

This shot should tell you everything you need to know.

Get your wallet out.

 

[Jára Tyky]

But to get 5 years out of a computer you can use all day, everyday is fanatastic. The M1 and RAM will allow the iPad Pros to run very well for those 5 years. If your buying an iPad today then this is the best move, but buy them for what they are capable of right now. And you can buy a new battery - which will actually be a device swap - but at the 4-5 year mark, it would make more sense to upgrade.

But if you own a 2018/2020 - then there is no reason to upgrade unless your planning on owning for several years more and need the fresh battery.

I do not agree. I had iPad Air 2 which lasts for 10 hours per day. After 5 years the battery was very bad and I had to charge iPad twice a day.

now I have iPad Pro 2020 12.9 which battery lasts for 4 hours intensive usage (draining performace) because of bigger display. So, sometimes I have to charge twice per day. After one year, the battery is little but devaluated. Now I can not imagine having this iPad Pro for 5 years.

I had Ipad Pro 11" 2020 for 1 month as well and battery was about 1 hour better.

 

[kazmac]

I got what I wanted: more memory allotted for Procreate. That was enough to upgrade for me. Low Power Mode is a good thing, but I have no idea what else was announced and I’m good with that. ?

For others expecting something earth shattering, sounds like you did not get it. ?

 

[jimmy_uk]

I do not agree. I had iPad Air 2 which lasts for 10 hours per day. After 5 years the battery was very bad and I had to charge iPad twice a day.

now I have iPad Pro 2020 12.9 which battery lasts for 4 hours intensive usage (draining performace) because of bigger display. So, sometimes I have to charge twice per day. After one year, the battery is little but devaluated. Now I can not imagine having this iPad Pro for 5 years.

I had Ipad Pro 11" 2020 for 1 month as well and battery was about 1 hour better.

But would a laptop perform better? And if it would then an iPad is the wrong device for your tasks.

Your iPad Air 2 lasted longer because it had less technology to power - so is the 12.9 with Mini LED really the best product, perhaps not. Maybe a 2020 model would work better with a traditional LCD. Either way, these products are built to last but battery technology will always be limiting in any device. My iPhone 7 Plus is still in near perfect condition but is on its 4th battery (because I don't want to charge twice a day), but this is ok because it has more than paid for itself and only a minor inconvenience to have the battery swapped. And an iPad Pro battery change means you get a replacement device because they cannot swap it out instore.

Desktop still wins if battery and power are your main concerns.

 

[Jára Tyky]

But would a laptop perform better? And if it would then an iPad is the wrong device for your tasks.

Your iPad Air 2 lasted longer because it had less technology to power - so is the 12.9 with Mini LED really the best product, perhaps not. Maybe a 2020 model would work better with a traditional LCD. Either way, these products are built to last but battery technology will always be limiting in any device. My iPhone 7 Plus is still in near perfect condition but is on its 4th battery (because I don't want to charge twice a day), but this is ok because it has more than paid for itself and only a minor inconvenience to have the battery swapped. And an iPad Pro battery change means you get a replacement device because they cannot swap it out instore.

Desktop still wins if battery and power are your main concerns.

No, I have Macbook Pro but I almost do not use it as I have to wear glasses. And I like sofa sport ?, so Ipad Pro is my main device.

 

[Matt Leaf]

Universal Control, AirPlay to Mac and Low Power mode will be sweet. New Safari tabs look neat, too. Multitasking looks nice on iPad. Take or leave the rest. I guess Apple had to make FaceTime more like Zoom now but no one uses it that way

 

[GDF]

If you have 2020 iPad Pro or heck even 2018 iPad pro = Don't buy.
If you don't have any iPad Pro or later = It's worth it.

Simple as that.

Not as simple as that. I upgraded my 2020 iPad Pro 12.9 to the 2021 model and only spent less $200 out of pocket, based on what I sold my old one for and the $200 rebate I will be getting from T-Mobile. So, git the latest and greatest with little lost. Do that with my iPhone and iPad every year.

 

[kc9hzn]

That was actually interesting because people buy Macs to develop iOS. So now that they've allowed that, what about developing for other languages?

There are some tools. It’s not got the normal standard library (but I’m sure you could code traditional Python in it so long as you don’t try to run those scripts), but Pythonista is an excellent Python environment for iOS.

To be blunt, though, Swift and JavaScript are all you need for on-device development for iOS. Everything else you’d work on would be deployed to some server or checked into some repo, presumably with a CI and CD setup. (Unless you’re writing, say, multi platform C# mobile apps using Xamarin or something like that.) So really, you’d just need a good programmer’s text editor.

 

[kc9hzn]

I would *LOVE* to see VSCode on iPad! Currently for "tinkering", I can use Pyto for Python, play.js for JavaScript/Node/React on iPad, but for my day job, it's a MacBook Pro with IntelliJ and VS Code (Java and Angular, mostly).

Won’t happen for major technical issues. VS Code is an Electron application, which means it’s JS, HTML, and CSS run in a Chromium based harness. What’s more, trying to use React or Angular with Electron means either using static rendering or running a Node.js server on your computer. I just don’t see that kind of setup ever coming to the iPad. (Perhaps Microsoft would release some kind of Xamarin based VSCode Mobile, but it wouldn’t likely support any plugins.)

 

[Lategamer]

Basically, unless you have disposable income, this shows that there was no financial sense to upgrade from a 2018/2020 iPad Pro to the M1. Apple let them down.

Financial sense?

I upgraded for a 50% speed boost and the ability to SEE HDR content on the screen. That's pretty good (and yes, I had a 2018 and a 2020 model). My family get the hand me downs which also makes them happy I upgraded.

 

[StageMomma]

I just installed the beta on my M1 and maybe it’s just the animations, but the device feels snappier. I was disappointed with the lack of change yesterday as well but, I’m willing to give this a try. I sold my MacBook a few months ago with the intention of getting another this summer. I picked up the M1 with a MK to try it out. It definitely can’t replace my Mac but for everything I do on a computer, the iPad, while not with the best workflow, can handle what I need it for.
I’ll probably order a Mac in a few weeks but for now, the beta is a nice minimal upgrade.

 

[Etienooo]

Introducing iPadOS, our new operating system just for the iPad with the exact same features as iOS but one year later.

On a side note, the beta killed my iPad Pro 2018 12’9, it’s endlessly rebooting. Recovery mode is unaccessible so I’ll have to visit an Apple Store to hopefully get it fixed. So be careful if you’re thinking about installing it, the App Library is not worth the risk imo

 

[gusping]

A minor update from iPadOS 14. If you have an iPad Pro from 2018 or later, there is definitely no need to upgrade to the 2021 iPad Pro

Yup. 2018 Pro will keep me going until Apple pull their finger out and do something meaningful with iPad OS.

 

[gusping]

Introducing iPadOS, our new operating system just for the iPad with the exact same features as iOS but one year later.

On a side note, the beta killed my iPad Pro 2018 12’9, it’s endlessly rebooting. Recovery mode is unaccessible so I’ll have to visit an Apple Store to hopefully get it fixed. So be careful if you’re thinking about installing it, the App Library is not worth the risk imo

I’ll extend that warning to Mac OS as well tbh. Big Sur is especially a buggy pile of crap. Never used software quite like it.

 

[Melodeath]

Which one did u get(12.9 or 11, storage size) ?

I got the base storage (128GB) 11". Again, it's my first iPad, and I wanted something that didn't feel too unwieldy, so the 12.9" was out of the question. I also don't do any video editing and don't plan to keep my photos on here, so don't need a ton of storage. I use my 16" MBP for my work. The iPad will just be for general entertainment, which the iPad Air would've been fine for, but the iPad Pro wasn't much more money and will be slightly more "future proof" IMO.