How are you feeling about your iPad Pro 9.7 now?

[Commy1]

I am interested in the 10.5" but not enough for me to try and go through the trouble of selling. If there comes a time when this iPad isn't going to cut it anymore then I'll reassess, but I think that it will do for my purposes for another long while. Whatever I'm "missing out" on is likely very minor, there isn't enough space on a 9.7" to do any kind of serious multitasking and an inch won't fix that.
The 9.7" has variable refresh to if I'm not mistaken, not 120hz but whatever it gets to is good enough for me.

Truly I'm considering a desktop again, since I've gotten into CAD. I don't think there will be a version of Fusion360 for iPad any time soon. Of course I'll keep the iPad as well.

 

[rui no onna]

Yah that was my point those guys are getting the money's worth while the 9.7 guys got the short end of the stick

Why?

If I had bought the first generation Pro 12.9, I'd still be replacing it right now and it wouldn't have gotten as much use as the Pro 9.7. Not to mention some of the apps I use are only getting updated for 12.9 now.

I didn't buy 9.7 because it was cheaper than 12.9. Goodness knows there were actually some really good deals back then bringing down the price of the 32GB and 128GB Pro 12.9 to less than the Pro 9.7. Besides, it's not like the 256GB Pro 9.7 LTE is cheap.

I purchased the Pro 9.7 because it was the device *I* wanted at the time — a 10-inch class 4:3 tablet that's faster and has more storage than my 16GB Air. My choice was between the 256GB Pro 9.7 or 64GB/128GB Air 2. The 12.9 wasn't even under serious consideration. For my requirements, the Pro 9.7 delivered beautifully. Unexpected bonus, the Pro 9.7 doesn't stutter on Excel like the Air 2 does. Something I learned recently when my brother updated from iPad 3 to Air 2.

For my personal use, now is the right time to buy a 12.9" iPad particularly with iOS 11 just on the horizon. The 12.9 won't be my primary iPad, it will be used in addition to my 9.7 (or 10.5 if I ever decide to get that). I'll be getting more value out of my $1300 now than I would have back in March 2016 just from the 512GB storage alone. Granted, if the Pro 12.9 was released with a 256GB model back in November 2015, I probably would have bought it despite not liking the size.

Sure, the 12.9 will have better support for iOS 11 than the 9.7. However, 2nd gen 12.9 will likely handle iOS 11 even better than 1st gen and for my usage, 12.9 would've been a suboptimal experience during the 15 months prior to Pro 10.5's release. And if I had gotten the 12.9, it's pretty much guaranteed I'll be buying both 12.9 and 10.5 this year. Meanwhile, I'm sufficiently content with the 9.7 that I'm considering keeping it and not automatically upgrading to the 10.5.

P.S.
Actually, what I really wanted back then was a 7.9 iPad mini with A9 and 256GB. Alas, we can't always get what we want and the Pro 9.7 was a decent enough compromise.

 

[gobikerider]

Why?

If I had bought the first generation Pro 12.9, I'd still be replacing it right now and it wouldn't have gotten as much use as the Pro 9.7. Not to mention some of the apps I use are only getting updated for 12.9 now.

I didn't buy 9.7 because it was cheaper than 12.9. Goodness knows there were actually some really good deals back then bringing down the price of the 32GB and 128GB Pro 12.9 to less than the Pro 9.7. Besides, it's not like the 256GB Pro 9.7 LTE is cheap.

I purchased the Pro 9.7 because it was the device *I* wanted at the time — a 10-inch class 4:3 tablet that's faster and has more storage than my 16GB Air. My choice was between the 256GB Pro 9.7 or 64GB/128GB Air 2. The 12.9 wasn't even under serious consideration. For my requirements, the Pro 9.7 delivered beautifully. Unexpected bonus, the Pro 9.7 doesn't stutter on Excel like the Air 2 does. Something I learned recently when my brother updated from iPad 3 to Air 2.

For my personal use, now is the right time to buy a 12.9" iPad particularly with iOS 11 just on the horizon. The 12.9 won't be my primary iPad, it will be used in addition to my 9.7 (or 10.5 if I ever decide to get that). I'll be getting more value out of my $1300 now than I would have back in March 2016 just from the 512GB storage alone. Granted, if the Pro 12.9 was released with a 256GB model back in November 2015, I probably would have bought it despite not liking the size.

Sure, the 12.9 will have better support for iOS 11 than the 9.7. However, 2nd gen 12.9 will likely handle iOS 11 even better than 1st gen and for my usage, 12.9 would've been a suboptimal experience during the 15 months prior to Pro 10.5's release. And if I had gotten the 12.9, it's pretty much guaranteed I'll be buying both 12.9 and 10.5 this year. Meanwhile, I'm sufficiently content with the 9.7 that I'm considering keeping it and not automatically upgrading to the 10.5.

P.S.
Actually, what I really wanted back then was a 7.9 iPad mini with A9 and 256GB. Alas, we can't always get what we want and the Pro 9.7 was a decent enough compromise.

I mean you have the basics, Truetone, quad speakers, Pencil support, I see no reason you'd upgrade to a new iPad that's only a year old.

 

[Lancetx]

I'm happy enough with my 9.7" Pro that I won't consider upgrading to the 10.5" until we get close to the release of iOS 11 in September. By then I'm sure I can find one on sale anyway. I got my current 9.7" Pro for $100 off the original retail price (in mid May 2016) only 6 weeks after it had been initially released.

 

[rui no onna]

I mean you have the basics, Truetone, quad speakers, Pencil support, I see no reason you'd upgrade to a new iPad that's only a year old.

If there's a feature I want badly enough, I will. Goodness knows I've upgraded iPads within just days of purchase.

 

[Abazigal]

Im curious how people who bought the iPad Pro 9.7 feel now that only a year later, your device will not be able to take full advantage of iOS 11 multitasking in the fall, I think it was a mistake on Apple's part to only include 2gb of ram. I find it ironic that the iPad Air 2 was able to take advantage of iOS longer than the "Pro" iPad could. Apple has basically denoted the 9.7inch Pro to the Air 2 feature level albeit the A9X is quicker. I'd feel more inclined to say the A9X is smoother because overall the A8X isnt really slow to load anything, atleast for me , however it will stutter if you are multitasking/putting it under heavy workload. What are your opinions on your Pro 9.7, does it make you irritated, angry, do you even care?

I am past it. Getting the 9.7" iPad Pro, I knew the 2 gb ram would be a limitation moving forward, but I really wanted the Apple Pencil for classroom use. There will never be a perfect time to buy into Apple products (though some cycles clearly last you longer than others), and I have come to accept it.

 

[seadragon]

I have the 9.7 Pro and really like it. The screen is perfect on it and TrueTone is a feature I will never want to do without. I don't multitask nor do I have more that 2 tabs open in Safari. So, the RAM situation really doesn't affect me. I'll see if that statement is still true with iOS 11.

Having said that, I think Apple hobbled the 9.7 purposely because they knew they were releasing the 10.5 and doubling the RAM would be an incentive for customers to upgrade. Pure and simple.

I'm considering ordering a 12.9 now and maybe keeping my 9.7. I am an amateur photographer and would like to do more processing with an iPad. I was going to get a MBP but with the quality issues it's having, I'm not purchasing.

 

[HPLouis]

I'm keeping my 9.7. The only regret is that I got the gold one. I should have gotten black but the 10.5 isn't compelling enough for me to upgrade. I usually upgrade for a purpose. I really needed the extra storage space and wanted the pen so that's what drove me to upgrade from my Air 2 to the Pro and I get a lot of use out of those two things.

I'm also a patient person. I know that in about a year, year and a half, a new iPad will come out and, if it's compelling enough, I'll look into that but it has to have something that drives me. It has to have a feature I need.

Now, for the phones, those are yearly upgrades. I use the Next plan like a lease. Also, I use the phone more.

 

[Count Blah]

You know...I had an iPad Pro 32gb Gold and sold it (luckily for what I paid for it) to a friend

What a pal

 

[Ipadlover29]

Still an amazing tablet, just wish it had more ram.

 

[profets]

I have the 9.7 Pro and really like it. The screen is perfect on it and TrueTone is a feature I will never want to do without. I don't multitask nor do I have more that 2 tabs open in Safari. So, the RAM situation really doesn't affect me. I'll see if that statement is still true with iOS 11.

Having said that, I think Apple hobbled the 9.7 purposely because they knew they were releasing the 10.5 and doubling the RAM would be an incentive for customers to upgrade. Pure and simple.

I'm considering ordering a 12.9 now and maybe keeping my 9.7. I am an amateur photographer and would like to do more processing with an iPad. I was going to get a MBP but with the quality issues it's having, I'm not purchasing.

Considering Apple really never talks publicly about RAM in iOS devices, I don’t think they really planned it as a driver for 9.7” Pro purchasers to upgrade. I think more simply they felt at the time it needed less RAM than the 12.9 since it was driving less screen resolution, and were likely trying to minimize cost wherever possible.

Having said that, I’m quite happy with my 9.7 still. Kind of like having a Pro of this size for easy portability and complimenting it with a 12.9 soon.

 

[kupkakez]

I have the 2017 iPad right now, not Pro. I'm really interested in all the multitasking iOS 11 is going to offer. What am I missing out but NOT getting the new pro? I'm still on the fence on if I should get the 10.5 or not..

 

[Newtons Apple]

Im curious how people who bought the iPad Pro 9.7 feel now that only a year later, your device will not be able to take full advantage of iOS 11 multitasking in the fall, I think it was a mistake on Apple's part to only include 2gb of ram. I find it ironic that the iPad Air 2 was able to take advantage of iOS longer than the "Pro" iPad could. Apple has basically denoted the 9.7inch Pro to the Air 2 feature level albeit the A9X is quicker. I'd feel more inclined to say the A9X is smoother because overall the A8X isnt really slow to load anything, atleast for me , however it will stutter if you are multitasking/putting it under heavy workload. What are your opinions on your Pro 9.7, does it make you irritated, angry, do you even care?

If my 9.7 just keeps doing what it is doing now, I will have got my money's worth. And when my 10.5 arrives on Tuesday, my 9.7 will find a new home with a family member who will be happy to no end.

 

[Sparky2012]

What iPad Pro 9.7?

EDIT: On a more serious note, I sold my Pro 9.7" and while it was amazing, I'm sure the new 10.5" will blow it away in terms of display and performance.

 

[HiItsMe]

I love my 9.7" iPad Pro and have enjoyed every moment of its use over the past year. Next week, I will begin enjoying the new 10.5" iPad Pro.

 

[KadMac]

I am still debating on whether to get the 10.5 iPad Pro. I like that it has a full-sized keyboard on its screen but the button layout looks the same. No row for the numbers like the iPad Pro 12.9. I was really hoping for something more like that.

Might just stick with my 9.7 iPad Pro.

 

[Fuzzball84]

I feel good about it and I doubt it will have much problems running the next few updates of iOS with any decline in its performance or utility - it may not get every feature but I find apple products run well for years and years. Most consumers wont care too much that it has 2 and not 4 GB RAM...

 

[rui no onna]

Now, for the phones, those are yearly upgrades. I use the Next plan like a lease. Also, I use the phone more.

The primary use of my iPhone is as camera and to forward phone calls and SMS to my iPad. The iPad gets much more use than any of my other electronic devices. If I were to give it an hourly rate based on usage, it would clock in at ~$0.40/hr conservatively with a year's use while my iPhone at MSRP would clock in at ~$1/hr with two years' use. Factor in $10/mo line access fee for iPad and $20/mo line access fee for iPhone and the math favors the iPad even more.

Only reason I upgrade iPhones anymore is if the battery is starting to get iffy or if there's a deal too good to pass up (e.g. buy iPhone 7 and get $650 credit with iPhone 6 trade-in last year).

So for me, definitely worth it.

 

[AppleRobert]

I'm happy enough with my 9.7" Pro that I won't consider upgrading to the 10.5" until we get close to the release of iOS 11 in September. By then I'm sure I can find one on sale anyway. I got my current 9.7" Pro for $100 off the original retail price (in mid May 2016) only 6 weeks after it had been initially released.

Got my 32gb for $549 back when as BB had an open box. The clerk could not do anything about it, whatever it was marked on the box is the price they had to honor.
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I have the 2017 iPad right now, not Pro. I'm really interested in all the multitasking iOS 11 is going to offer. What am I missing out but NOT getting the new pro? I'm still on the fence on if I should get the 10.5 or not..

Buy it, load iOS 11 on it to see how you feel. You can always return it or if you like it just sell the iPad you have now instead and keep the new 10.5.

 

[gobikerider]

I love my 9.7" iPad Pro and have enjoyed every moment of its use over the past year. Next week, I will begin enjoying the new 10.5" iPad Pro.

Y'all wiylin buying new iPads every year

 

[jerryk]

Mine is still great. Does what one can expect from an iPad. And replacing it with a 10.5 would cost me a lot more since I got my 9.7 with 256 GB for less than $500.

I will likely keep it for a couple more years, or until one of the kid's iPads dies and I give the 9.7 to them.

 

[44267547]

Still an amazing tablet, just wish it had more ram.

That was my initial thinking about the Ram as well and I was off-put when I first heard the 9.7 Pro didn't have it. However, It actually performed rather well and I was pleasantly surprised with the performance.

 

[rui no onna]

That was my initial thinking about the Ram as well and I was off-put when I first heard the 9.7 Pro didn't have it. However, It actually performed rather well and I was pleasantly surprised with the performance.

Lack of RAM causes Safari tab reloads, background app reloads, and out of memory glitches and crashes. However, if looking purely at performance, the A9X on the Pro 9.7 does very well.

The Pro 12.9 has 4GB (2x2GB) dual channel RAM but it does need it more in order to drive the huge display. Note the raw/off-screen and on-screen performance of the 9.7 and 12.9 in the following benchmark.

 

[mjwebb]

What a pal

I'm not that big of an a**hole...I threw in the AppleCare for free

 

[Traverse]

Well, I have already sold my iPad Pro 9.7" and ordered a 10.5" for the larger display. While I wouldn't have purchased the 10.5" without more than 2GB of RAM, had they simply announced an iPad Pro 9.7" with a new A10X fusion with 4GB of RAM I would not have upgraded.

This was an odd move by Apple. I still feel that the iPP 9.7" is an amazing tablet and I don't regret it because I got 1.25 years of amazing use out it (March 2016 to June 2017). It has a very powerful A9X, 2GB of RAM, Apple Pencil support and (still) one of the best displays on the market. I don't think it is "crippled" at all. Like I said a year ago, macOS can run on 2GB of RAM so the lighter weight mobile iOS should fly. The A9X is not being pushed to it's limits yet. Even under iOS 11 the iPP will be snappy, responsive, and support all the multitasking features of iOS 11 except for the background apps becoming inactive when you initiate a 3rd app (but how often do you need to use and interact with 3 apps at the same time on a 9.7" screen. Even on 10.5" that is a fringe case).

In fact, excluding RAM, I think performance will be more or less the same. The A10X is notably faster, but not dramatically so. And the 30-40% increases in performance will be largely used up by the need to push more pixels and the double refresh rate of the display. This is not a problem as even A9X level performance will be fine for years to come, but anyone upgrading strictly for CPU and GPU gains will be disappointed I think.

The RAM is one I can't quite figure out. Why APple decided to fragment the "Pro" line last year is strange. They knew then that iOS 10.3 or iOS 11 would bring about more demanding needs. While I still defend the 9.7" there is no denying that it has been undercut by this (however, it's not like the iPad 3 to iPad 4 situation that many people compare it to). While my iPP was wonderful to use, it constantly used 1.9 out of 2GB according to a monitoring app - yes, unused RAM is wasted RAM - but I did notice that occasionally Safari tabs and apps would refresh more than I liked. For normal daily use it was fine, but when I would have 8-15 tabs in safari (not typical) and jump between several apps with split view, etc, there were refereshes. The speed of the A9X made these less of an issue, but it was there.

I really don't know why Apple did this as there doesn't seem to be a logical explanation. 2GB power draw could have easily been negated. But I think most informed purchasers of the 9.7" Pro knew this would happen in the not so distant future, but again - the 9.7" Pro is only missing out on a very select feature. It's not like it's missing the next generation of computing. And 2GB of RAM will be supported and optimized for for years to come as the iPhone 6S, 7, and I'm sure 7S as well as the iPad and iPad mini all have 2GB of RAM. I think the system will be optimized for 2GB of RAM and 4GB RAM devices will just get an added boost and some select features (like more layers in Procreate) - I do not think it will be 4GB focused with 2GB devices crippled.


Sorry, I didn't mean that to go so long, I didn't think I said much, but it took a lot of words.
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9.7" Pro is the new iPad 3 in my book. .

Not to argue, but this really isn't the case at all. Yes, the 9.7" is now missing a fringe usage feature two iOS versions in and does have a mild refereshing problem (nothing like the Air 1), but it is still among the fastest devices in it's class.

The iPad 3 was known for it's screen and that's really it. It was underpowered at launched hidden by iOS 5. It was replaced 6 months later by a dramatically better model. Two iOS updates in (5 to 7) the iPad 3 began to rapidly decline. Lag, stutter, crashes. By iOS 8 the devices was (to me) unusable. Scrolling in PDFs left massive amount of white until the rendering caught up, Safari took 5-15 seconds per page, you'd tap and app and stare at its darkened icon for 2-5 seconds sometimes waiting for a launch. It was indeed crippled.

The iPad Pro is know for its monumental CPU and GPU horsepower, incredible screen, quality speakers, and Pencil support. True, it's lacking on RAM, but that is only apparent when the device is pushed moderately hard. A lack of CPU/GPU will ruin the experience. A lack of RAM won't makes things slow. If the Pro refershed like the Air 1 then it would be bad due to constant reloading, but - my pro at least - can easily keep 5-6 tabs open in Safari, notes, music, YouTube, Notability all open and responsive.
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If my 9.7 just keeps doing what it is doing now, I will have got my money's worth. And when my 10.5 arrives on Tuesday, my 9.7 will find a new home with a family member who will be happy to no end.

Excited for that 120 refresh rate?

The main reason I upgraded was for slightly larger screen (I thought 9.7" was a little too small, but 12.9" was just uncomfortable to me).

Since I ordered last week I've read from hands on reviews that the refresh rate is dramatic. Granted the hype train is chugging along, but I hope it is indeed a noticeable improvement as I was feeling a bit guilty for upgrading.