All iPads iPad for one who wants to draw/make art

[olindacat]

My wife doodles with crayons, colored pencils and other types of colored tools, and she's quite good. Took a class at the Apple store using a pencil and wants to try to implement same digitally.

Money for us is tight. Apple store sales told us to skip the regular iPad and go for the Air. Geez, the pencils are over $100! She doesn't want the largest iPad. She likes that 10.5" size. I think 11" would also be okay.

I was at Costco last night and looking at their prices. When I was at Apple it seemed like all-in I was looking at about $750 for the Air with a pencil, AppleCare, etc. The 11" Pro I hear has nice speakers, and motion? Not sure what that is, also that they bend?

I tend to err on the side of better vs worse in gear, but thought I'd check-in here for input. Any thoughts on what might be the best use of $s right now for her? Thx.

 

[levander]

I just bought an iPad 7 because I didn’t think the few little differences would matter to me. But the one thing I did want (which I thought the 7 would have) is fast charge, which lets you charge your iPad a lot faster. It seems like I always had my old iPad plugged in waiting for it to charge. So faster charging was important to me.

Well it turned out the iPad 7 didn’t have fast charge. So I returned it and got an iPad Air 3. There’s like a 2 page thread I started in this forum trying to decide what to do.

Not only was I a lot happier because the Air 3 supported fast charge. But the bump up in processor surprisingly makes a difference to me. It’s like all the animations of apps flying around the iPad desktop happen a lot smoother. And it’s not a pain to manipulate things. I can tell the difference in displays, but it’s not so important to me. It might be for an artist.

for an artist, where quality of tools is so important in getting their ideas to fruition is so important, I would definitely get an Air 3 over the iPad 7.

Plus they’re on sale right now for $400:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-...wi-fi-64gb-space-gray/5985600.p?skuId=5985600

I never buy AppleCare. If I bought something that would be really taxing to replace myself, like an Apple laptop, I would have to consider it. But replacing a $400 iPad myself would tick me off. But I could swing it. Plus if you pay With a credit card that offers an extended warranty feature, you can at least double the one year warranty for free. Just make sure to save your receipt. Best Buy only gives you two years of buying history on their web site. So I din’t trust them for saving receipts like I do Amazon.

The 11” IPad Pro is probably on sale too at Best Buy. I haven’t looked.

i don’t know if you need more than 64 GB storage that comes with the Air 3. The iPad 7 only comes with 32 GB. You can upgrade the storage on any iPad (at the time of purchase only, not later) for like $100. But upgradinf storage is for people who want to store video or a LOT of photos or videos right in their iPad and not in the cloud. These drawings your wife is making. It depends on how big each one is whether or not you need more storage.

 

[levander]

Also, maybe a lot of people don’t use a case on their iPad. I couldn’t image going without one. Just makes it easier to grip the thing to me.

here’s the cheap one that TheWirecutter.com recommends:

https://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B07NQD813P/

If you don’t get an Air 3 though, you’ll need to get a different case. That one probably comes in different sizes for different iPads, I haven’t checked.

That’s the one I’m waiting for in the mail right now. Using my iPad bare until it gets here.

EDIT: I just realized this probably isn’t the best recommendation for the OP because he wants a Pencil. And this case has no way to hold the Pencil.

 

[AutomaticApple]

My wife doodles with crayons, colored pencils and other types of colored tools, and she's quite good. Took a class at the Apple store using a pencil and wants to try to implement same digitally.

Money for us is tight. Apple store sales told us to skip the regular iPad and go for the Air. Geez, the pencils are over $100! She doesn't want the largest iPad. She likes that 10.5" size. I think 11" would also be okay.

I was at Costco last night and looking at their prices. When I was at Apple it seemed like all-in I was looking at about $750 for the Air with a pencil, AppleCare, etc. The 11" Pro I hear has nice speakers, and motion? Not sure what that is, also that they bend?

I tend to err on the side of better vs worse in gear, but thought I'd check-in here for input. Any thoughts on what might be the best use of $s right now for her? Thx.

Get an iPad Air 3 for your wife.

 

[kazmac]

OP, I bought an Air 3 in October for art, it is fine.

I've tried the 7th gen iPad and the 12.9" 3rd gen iPad Pro too. I did not keep either of them. The display and slow response time on the 7th gen nixed that model, and the bells and whistles of the iPad Pro weren't noticable to me or worth their price tag (Even discounted).

For me, the Air 3 hits that sweet spot.

Good luck.

 

[960design]

Professional Artist = iPad Pro 11 or 12.9
Practicing Artist = iPad Air 10.5

I believe the Air uses the older Apple Pencil. You could also look into the Logitech Crayon.
I prefer the 2nd gen Apple Pencil.

Be sure to post some of her art here!

 

[fireboy60013]

I have a first generation 9.7 inch iPad Pro, got one for my boyfriend at the same time and we both love them. They have support for the Apple Smart Keyboard and the first gen Apple Pencil as well. We didn’t buy any of those yet. We are in a suburb of Chicago so i found a store that claims they are refurbished. I got the two of them for $600 total and that included glass screen protectors. Just an idea, and an option for you.
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They pretty much replaced our laptops for both of us as well, neither one of us has touched our laptops in 2 weeks.

 

[FlyingDutch]

My wife doodles with crayons, colored pencils and other types of colored tools, and she's quite good. Took a class at the Apple store using a pencil and wants to try to implement same digitally.

Money for us is tight. Apple store sales told us to skip the regular iPad and go for the Air. Geez, the pencils are over $100! She doesn't want the largest iPad. She likes that 10.5" size. I think 11" would also be okay.

I was at Costco last night and looking at their prices. When I was at Apple it seemed like all-in I was looking at about $750 for the Air with a pencil, AppleCare, etc. The 11" Pro I hear has nice speakers, and motion? Not sure what that is, also that they bend?

I tend to err on the side of better vs worse in gear, but thought I'd check-in here for input. Any thoughts on what might be the best use of $s right now for her? Thx.

I think the Pro 11” is overkill for her, for now.
The iPad Air could be a good solution.

Apple Pencil is expensive, for sure, but I don’t know if the alternative is good enough. I’ve heard about the Logitech Crayon as the only viable option.

 

[levander]

Professional Artist = iPad Pro 11 or 12.9
Practicing Artist = iPad Air 10.5

I believe the Air uses the older Apple Pencil. You could also look into the Logitech Crayon.
I prefer the 2nd gen Apple Pencil.

Be sure to post some of her art here!

my understanding is the way the Apple Pencil feels on the glass is the exact same between the 1st and 2nd gen. But the 2nd gen has features like wireless charging that make the pencil easier To charge. Was that your impression?

Also OP, that case I linked to above does Not have a slot for the Apple Pencil. i didn’t think of that when I posted the link. I’d get a different case.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

I have iPads that use both pencil versions, and the pencils feel the same on the glass to me.

Picked up an iPad mini cellular On Black Friday to keep with me all the time for notes and drawing and such. Digging it so far, but I’m still in the honeymoon period so I don’t feel I could give an honest opinion on it yet.

 

[960design]

my understanding is the way the Apple Pencil feels on the glass is the exact same between the 1st and 2nd gen. But the 2nd gen has features like wireless charging that make the pencil easier To charge. Was that your impression?

Exactly the same feeling. Really prefer the the snap to charge and the flat edge to keep the pencil from rolling off the desk with the 2nd gen pencil. Also as a cautious note: One drop to tile floor seems to break the Apple Pencil.

Also OP, that case I linked to above does Not have a slot for the Apple Pencil. i didn’t think of that when I posted the link. I’d get a different case.

Here's the case I use for the iPad11:

Soke iPad Air 5 / Air 4 Case 10.9 Inch 2022/2020 with Pencil Holder - [Full Body Protection + Apple Pencil Charge+ Auto Sleep/Wake], Soft TPU Back Cover for New iPad Air 5th/4th Gen,Book Black

Soke iPad Air 5 / Air 4 Case 10.9 Inch 2022/2020 with Pencil Holder - [Full Body Protection + Apple Pencil Charge+ Auto Sleep/Wake], Soft TPU Back Cover for New iPad Air 5th/4th Gen,Book Black

www.amazon.com

 

[olindacat]

Not only was I a lot happier because the Air 3 supported fast charge. But the bump up in processor surprisingly makes a difference to me. It’s like all the animations of apps flying around the iPad desktop happen a lot smoother. And it’s not a pain to manipulate things. I can tell the difference in displays, but it’s not so important to me. It might be for an artist.

for an artist, where quality of tools is so important in getting their ideas to fruition is so important, I would definitely get an Air 3 over the iPad 7.

Plus they’re on sale right now for $400:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-...wi-fi-64gb-space-gray/5985600.p?skuId=5985600

I never buy AppleCare. If I bought something that would be really taxing to replace myself, like an Apple laptop, I would have to consider it. But replacing a $400 iPad myself would tick me off. But I could swing it. Plus if you pay With a credit card that offers an extended warranty feature, you can at least double the one year warranty for free. Just make sure to save your receipt. But upgradinf storage is for people who want to store video or a LOT of photos or videos right in their iPad and not in the cloud. These drawings your wife is making. It depends on how big each one is whether or not you need more storage.

Super nice of you to share so much. Thank you. I never thought about charging speed, processor on an iPad never seemed necessary to worry about, as they (iPads) always seemed like big iPhones.... Shows you how dumb I am....

Thanks for the Best Buy link. I saw that in here on another thread. Maybe yours

I was going to buy at Costco with the Costco Citi Visa. I don't really understand how the extended cc warranty works when Apple services their devices via AC, that's a mind bender.

Her art can't be a very heavy file, not like a RAW NEF out of my D810, and we use iCloud a lot, so thanks for the tip. I never understood why the larger memory was needed. Never maxed it out before on any iPhone and hav two iPads as well.

Good luck.

Thanks

I prefer the 2nd gen Apple Pencil.

I took some shots of the Pro and Air and pencil 1 and 2. Posted them here. Had to read but if yo blow them up you can easily read. The descriptions do not say either pencil works with the Air. That had me really confused.

I’ve heard about the Logitech Crayon as the only viable option.

I've read about that Crayon too. Something about it isn't quite the same as the Apple, per Levander, right?

my understanding is the way the Apple Pencil feels on the glass is the exact same between the 1st and 2nd gen. But the 2nd gen has features like wireless charging that make the pencil easier To charge. Was that your impression?

Does the Logitech have the wireless charging, and that flat edge, etc.? It's a big savings I think, but I worry about cheating out on the girl, eh? Kind cheesy and I am a cheeseburger, usually ;-)

Picked up an iPad mini cellular

I think we have one of those, but it's really old, broken screen, etc. Never use the cellular as we are too cheap Like a big iPhone but you can't talk into it. They know....

Here's the case I use for the iPad11:

Soke iPad Air 5 / Air 4 Case 10.9 Inch 2022/2020 with Pencil Holder - [Full Body Protection + Apple Pencil Charge+ Auto Sleep/Wake], Soft TPU Back Cover for New iPad Air 5th/4th Gen,Book Black

Soke iPad Air 5 / Air 4 Case 10.9 Inch 2022/2020 with Pencil Holder - [Full Body Protection + Apple Pencil Charge+ Auto Sleep/Wake], Soft TPU Back Cover for New iPad Air 5th/4th Gen,Book Black

www.amazon.com

Ah ha! Thanks for this. Does the fact that the Air is half an inch smaller matter?

Thanks, everybody, for the awesome input!

 

[levander]

@olindacat I imagine how a warranty repair through a credit card would work is they’ll have you go to an Apple store for an estimate. Then you send the estimate in to your credit card company. And they’ll mail you a check back for the amount of the estimate. It’s always a mess of paperwork dealing with those credit card programs. But I’ve found it worth it becsuse every time ai’ve tried I’ve ended up with a check for a few hundred dollars. But if you call your credit card company, they’ll forward you to their company that handles their extended warranty program. And they’ll tell you. One thing ai can tell you though is save your receipt. I save stuff like that by scanning it, and saving it to my Google Drive Account in a folder called “Consumer Warranties”. If you buy it online, you can use your browser to print to PDF an invoice straight from the web site you bought it from and don’t have to go fool with a scanner.

Also, I didn’t say anything about the Crayon. And you’re in there talking something about the Logitech Pencil or something. I’m not an artist. I’ve never tried any Pencil product any time recently. So I can’t tell you about that stuff. All I can say is all I’ve heard any one talk about is the Apple Pencils and the Crayon thing. But I‘d be surprised if you can get away with anything other than the Apple Pencil itself. It sounds like the artists in here can tell you more.

 

[hancuriang]

Also as a cautious note: One drop to tile floor seems to break the Apple Pencil.

Not true, I have dropped my apple pencil multiple times from couch/table/chest height and its still working fine (edit: gen 2)

 

[Abstract]

I don’t think the Crayon is pressure and/or tilt sensitive. Get the Apple Pencil.

Also, have you considered an Apple Refurb? They replace the outer case, give it a new battery, and you save a LOT of money.

Not sure if the new Air is available yet, but check it out.

 

[kazmac]

The Crayon does not have pressure or tilt.

The Air 3 uses the first gen Apple pencil.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

The Crayon does not have pressure or tilt.

The Air 3 uses the first gen Apple pencil.

Only the latest iPad Pro models (11” & 12.9” 3rd gen) can use the second generation pencil. Every other iPad that can connect to a pencil uses version one.

 

[nicho]

I don’t think the Crayon is pressure and/or tilt sensitive. Get the Apple Pencil.

The Crayon does not have pressure or tilt.

The Air 3 uses the first gen Apple pencil.

No pressure. But it certainly does have tilt sensitivity.

Logitech Crayon for iPad - Orange

Logitech Crayon for iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad (6th generation) is a pixel-precise digital pencil that instantly unleashes your creativity. Buy now at apple.com.

www.apple.com

 

[olindacat]

It’s always a mess of paperwork dealing with those credit card programs.

I have never tried. I buy everything with plastic for the miles. The opportunity cost dealing with banks is often brutal. (At least these forums are fun! I choose to spend time doing this!)

(edit: gen 2)

Killer... so if I buy the Air 3 and get the Gen 1 it'll roll off and hit the floor 20x a day (she is hard on stuff), and she'll be tethered when it needs charging.... Cool.

Not sure if the new Air is available yet, but check it out.

I'm always looking here. Need another laptop and we want to update our phones. I was even thinking our spend might qualify for a biz discount but am terrified of going so 'deep' on my tech right now.....

I was looking at cases and saw ... What the heck is this?

I wonder about the Air vs Pro struggle now. $300 hit just to have a $125 pencil my wife can charge more easily and not drop? With four speakers and better motion? Yikes, no wonder we have a forum

No pressure. But it certainly does have tilt sensitivity.

If she is trying to do a brush stroke, soft vs hard for example, is 'pressure' relevant?

 

[levander]

@olindacat I think you’re tilting towards the Air 10.5” and not the Pro 11”. But just to make sure you’re aware, the current sale at Best Buy right now, a new one is cheaper than those refurbs you’ve got in your post. $649 at Best Buy right now:

Best Buy: Apple 11-Inch iPad Pro (1st Generation) with Wi-Fi 64GB Space Gray MTXN2LL/A

Shop Apple 11-Inch iPad Pro (1st Generation) with Wi-Fi 64GB Space Gray at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

But I have no idea how long that Best Buy sale would last. When I bought mine a few days ago now, I googled for when do Best Buy sales end. And didn’t find good info. But what I did find says the sales could end at any time. Maybe someone else in this thread will know better though.

 

[olindacat]

When I bought mine a few days ago now, I googled for when do Best Buy sales end. And didn’t find good info.

I was just showing Abstract that I had done my homework (Is that an alpaca in Abstract's picture?)

Thanks for your links and shopping tips, levander. It is very nice of you to go to the trouble, and reminds me I must try and step it up to help others similarly.

Was just watching year-after reviews of the 11" Pro:

Review 1

Review 2 (liked 1 better)

Seems like most feel the Air vs Pro the Air is fine. I'm all for $400 vs $650 for sure! Going to Apple store, then Best Buy to look again. Very thin margins between devices. Price differences seem huge, but I went food shopping yesterday, and it was a fortune! Everything is going up, while my income falls. (Still waiting for the booming economy to catch up with me

Is swapping/returning to BB as easy as Apple? Would you change the Air for an 11 or 12 pro?

Thanks again!

 

[antisomnic]

Also, maybe a lot of people don’t use a case on their iPad. I couldn’t image going without one. Just makes it easier to grip the thing to me.

here’s the cheap one that TheWirecutter.com recommends:

https://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B07NQD813P/

I have the air 3 and that’s actually the case I have. Didnt see any reviews just a fan of ESR.

 

[levander]

I was just showing Abstract that I had done my homework (Is that an alpaca in Abstract's picture?)

Thanks for your links and shopping tips, levander. It is very nice of you to go to the trouble, and reminds me I must try and step it up to help others similarly.

Was just watching year-after reviews of the 11" Pro:

Review 1

Review 2 (liked 1 better)

Seems like most feel the Air vs Pro the Air is fine. I'm all for $400 vs $650 for sure! Going to Apple store, then Best Buy to look again. Very thin margins between devices. Price differences seem huge, but I went food shopping yesterday, and it was a fortune! Everything is going up, while my income falls. (Still waiting for the booming economy to catch up with me

Is swapping/returning to BB as easy as Apple? Would you change the Air for an 11 or 12 pro?

Thanks again!

I’ve never tried returning anything to The Apple Store.

Most of my returns are from where I’ve buy Most of my non-food, non-thousand dollar purchases, Amazon. And I’ve never had a problem returning single thing at Amazon.

Best Buy is not as good as Amazon. And I have had managers flat out **** with me for returning things. One thing I have noticed is Best Buy customer Service varies greatly by store. I’m near Atlanta and live half way in between two, You could not pay me to go into the one in Alpharetta. it was there that I had a manager just be a jerk for no reason. But the one in Kennesaw has some pretty decent people.

Best Buy as a corporation is organized like that, I called the 800 number one time to complain about the Alpharetta Best Buy and they told me they don’t take complaints for individual stores. You have to contact the store to complain. They make no effort to assert control quality across stores.

But for the price, I would definitely go to Best Buy. You’re making a pretty high confidence purchase, etc.. So you probably won’t return. But I would keep the Best Buy bag with the receipt in it. And when I opened the iPad I would take out the iPad, the cable (if you don’t already have one), and the charger (ditto on if already don’t...), and put the box in the bag with the receipt then put the bag out of the way somewhere. And wait a month before throwing it out. I’m much more thorough about returning stuff than most people though. I will sometimes buy clothing online and return stuff I don’t like. A lot of people I know, if they buy something they don’t like, they will never bother to return it. I’m not like that.

also at Best Buy they ask if you want you receipt printed, emailed, or both. I always choose both.
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I have the air 3 and that’s actually the case I have. Didnt see any reviews just a fan of ESR.

I had never purchased an ESR product before I saw that The Wirecutter recommendation. What do you like about ESR?

 

[AutomaticApple]

I wonder about the Air vs Pro struggle now. $300 hit just to have a $125 pencil my wife can charge more easily and not drop? With four speakers and better motion? Yikes, no wonder we have a forum

Can't forget the graphically better processor, the better camera, the curved edges, and Face ID. In fact, there's probably more that I missed. 😅

 

[fireboy60013]

I almost bought the air 3 but I wanted to get one for my boyfriend too, and $500 each was too much, I would actually have to invest time in my job for no one to do that. I got the 2 iPad Pro 9.7 for less than $600 refurbished at a store in Chicago. We need cellular so....