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iPad Pro Almost Dead Horse

MisterMillz

MisterMillz

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 12, 2011
672
572
FL, USA
Just giving some more insight for the indecisive. Like some, I agonized for a long time over which iPad Pro to get...definitely the 11 for portability. Nope, I need the 12.9 since I have no laptop. I bought the 11. It’s amazing in hand. It’s a better price than the bigger one. I love the whole big screen little body concept. Landscape is kind of welcoming for a “little” device. However, something was just a little off (for me). In my hand it was fantastic. However, when I put it down to do a few things like type out emails or look into some rental properties, it felt small and uncomfortable.

I returned it and bought the 12.9. Good googly moogly this thing is HUGE...in portrait. I found very few reasons to like this huge window-pane of iOS early on. It’s been a few days now and I’d say I’m 59/41 on it. The keep it factor is slowly increasing as I realize that the true beauty of these devices, for me at least, are in the orientations. I preferred the 11 in portrait-in my hand. I enjoy the 12.9 in landscape. Even for consumption purposes I usually put it in landscape unless I’m reading.

My goal is to have an iPad Pro as my everyday device...emails, Netflix, YouTube, Pages, Numbers, Clash of Clans/Fortnite, GarageBand and web browsing. In the future I’ll pair it with an older refurbished iMac for uh-oh moments. It’s fairly true for me when they say 12.9 for laptop-alternative (replacement isn’t quite correct for everyone) purposes and an 11 for consumption. I’ll break that down further and say if you consume majority in portrait, the 11 is a beautiful, personal device. If you feel more productive in landscape, the 12.9 will likely suffice more. This thing is definitely heavy when holding for a long period of time, but with the right case you can offset that a little or even prop it comfortably on your body.

iOS 13 will likely push me further towards the 12.9 if it does offer rumored things like new multi-tasking panes, repeat app sheets or far-out additions like track pad support or a more open file system. If none of that happens then I’d reconsider the 11 again for the sake of a small, personal consumption device. It really is a solid compromise between profile and screen. Personally, a 11.8-12.0” iPad would be PERFECT for my uses.

TL;DR: Orientation matters. 11 is amazing for portrait consumption. The 12.9 shines bright in landscape.
 
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I have both the 11 and 12.9 iPads and always use the 12.9 in landscape and almost always use the 11 in landscape. The only time 11 is used in portrait is if a game or app doesn't support landscape (I have a couple of those).
 
I use my 12.9” iPad in portrait mode about 40% of the time.
 
geemiller05 said:
Just giving some more insight for the indecisive. Like some, I agonized for a long time over which iPad Pro to get...definitely the 11 for portability. Nope, I need the 12.9 since I have no laptop. I bought the 11. It’s amazing in hand. It’s a better price than the bigger one. I love the whole big screen little body concept. Landscape is kind of welcoming for a “little” device. However, something was just a little off (for me). In my hand it was fantastic. However, when I put it down to do a few things like type out emails or look into some rental properties, it felt small and uncomfortable.

I returned it and bought the 12.9. Good googly moogly this thing is HUGE...in portrait. I found very few reasons to like this huge window-pane of iOS early on. It’s been a few days now and I’d say I’m 59/41 on it. The keep it factor is slowly increasing as I realize that the true beauty of these devices, for me at least, are in the orientations. I preferred the 11 in portrait-in my hand. I enjoy the 12.9 in landscape. Even for consumption purposes I usually put it in landscape unless I’m reading.

My goal is to have an iPad Pro as my everyday device...emails, Netflix, YouTube, Pages, Numbers, Clash of Clans/Fortnite, GarageBand and web browsing. In the future I’ll pair it with an older refurbished iMac for uh-oh moments. It’s fairly true for me when they say 12.9 for laptop-alternative (replacement isn’t quite correct for everyone) purposes and an 11 for consumption. I’ll break that down further and say if you consume majority in portrait, the 11 is a beautiful, personal device. If you feel more productive in landscape, the 12.9 will likely suffice more. This thing is definitely heavy when holding for a long period of time, but with the right case you can offset that a little or even prop it comfortably on your body.

iOS 13 will likely push me further towards the 12.9 if it does offer rumored things like new multi-tasking panes, repeat app sheets or far-out additions like track pad support or a more open file system. If none of that happens then I’d reconsider the 11 again for the sake of a small, personal consumption device. It really is a solid compromise between profile and screen. Personally, a 11.8-12.0” iPad would be PERFECT for my uses.

TL;DR: Orientation matters. 11 is amazing for portrait consumption. The 12.9 shines bright in landscape.
Click to expand...

I tried the 12.9 and returned it for another 11” and use it in landscape only and love it to death. The onscreen keyboard on the 12.9 in landscape is ridiculous to try and type on.

Orientation is in the eye of the beholder and all should pick what works best for themselves.
 
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Your post may be to help the indecisive as you put it, but unfortunately there will be always be new posts agonizing over which color, what size, what capacity, cellular or wifi, etc. A for effort though.
 
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I tried both the 11" and 12.9", and I used them extensively: the 12.9 won. I loved the big screen and the better multitasking experience. I don't find it too big to hold in one hand or to sit on a table at lunch (lots of people sporting large laptops these days, so I don't feel self conscious with a large iPad). The 12.9 sits more comfortably in my lap without me having to hold it (I had to hold the 11" in my hand much more when sitting on the couch: it's just the way I sit, I suppose). Also, I kind of like the 12.9 in portrait mode when it's in my lap: I prefer landscape, but I'll switch to portrait at times to read a long webpage. Ultimately, the bigger screen is more delightful than the 11" for me. YMMV
 
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Love the different opinions and use cases. I can see why people would own an 11 and 12.9. I like to hold my iPad mainly when reading books and long webpages. I like to set it down when watching a show or typing a bit. I think I’m going to stick with my 12.9, but as I mentioned, I would LOVE a ~12.0” iPad Pro!
 
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geemiller05 said:
Love the different opinions and use cases. I can see why people would own an 11 and 12.9. I like to hold my iPad mainly when reading books and long webpages. I like to set it down when watching a show or typing a bit. I think I’m going to stick with my 12.9, but as I mentioned, I would LOVE a ~12.0” iPad Pro!
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think 12" would not be such a good idea. For certain tasks, even 12.9" is a little bit crampy, and for others, 11" is as big as it should go, so I don't see too much use for 12 (it would be, in a way, worst of both worlds). Apple usually goes for 2" difference in sizes, because that is probably the increase that makes a noticeable difference and with that increase, users usually know which one when they try them.

Anyway, I love the 11" size and often I wish I had one for reading, watching movies, etc. It really is a great size. However, the 12.9" is a better choice for my workflow especially when using it as a pen-enabled screen for my Mac (via Luna and Astropad) - this is where 12.9" is really great. And if macOS gains a similar option natively as the rumors say, I think it will really be the best choice for power users. But the 11" is also good, and quite a bit easier to hold. So, both are beautiful devices, but if you can handle the 12.9" and you got used to its screen size, it's probably best to keep it. Some people just know its too big for them, so they should go for 11".

TLDR; I guess this is a simple way to decide - If you tried both and not sure, that means you'll probably get used to 12.9" and its benefits will outweigh the less wieldy size. If you tried both and you know it's too big, then 11", it's still more than large enough for most, if not all, tasks.
 
geemiller05 said:
I like to hold my iPad mainly when reading books and long webpages. I like to set it down when watching a show or typing a bit. I think I’m going to stick with my 12.9, but as I mentioned, I would LOVE a ~12.0” iPad Pro!
Click to expand...

You should try an iPad mini. It’s really good at being portable and as a book reader. Little less as a webpage reader, but still.
 
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