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iPad Pro iPad Pro 12.9 - love hate relationship

Donka

Donka

macrumors 68030
Original poster
May 3, 2011
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1,468
Scotland
Okay, so a little background. I have the iPad mini 4 which I love for portability. I decided to replace my Air 2 for a Pro 9.7 to try out the likes of the Pencil and other new features. I always thought the 12.9 was too large to be practical for me but eventually caved and picked up a second hand model to play with.

The more I use the 12.9, the more I appreciate the extra screen space and resolution. It is a fantastic media consumption device and my go to device at home with Plex or YouTube. I also think the Pencil just works better with the larger screen - I like using it on the 9.7 but much prefer it on the 12.9.

I keep hitting certain issues that I find bothersome though. For general reading or surfing the net, I much prefer the 9.7. I just find it more comfortable to use at normal distances and the 12.9 makes your eyes work harder as you traverse the bigger screen. I also really hate the stock iOS interface on the 12.9. I think some things can better optimised on the iPad and the 12.9 just exacerbates these niggling issues.

Ultimately though, for me the 12.9 hardware is great but the software lets the side down. Some apps work really well such as Procreate, Garageband, iMovie etc. but iMovie especially, while powerful and a useful tool for a phone, is very limited when you want to go beyond the basics. I also love the biggest iPad for photos but editing software is still a limiting factor on the iPad although I have a feeling that will change for the better when Affinity release their Photo app.

As I said in the subject, the 12.9 is a love hate thing for me. I love the hardware and some usage scenarios but hate stock iOS and the vast majority of apps on the big tablet. It seems the ideal solution currently for me is to keep all three iPads but that really is overkill and a waste of money in many ways. If Apple optimise iOS better for the iPad line and more apps make better use of the power and big screen then while still a hard decision, it would be easier to decide between the various iPads.
I'm still torn between the 9.7 & 12.9 Pros as a home device to compliment my mini 4.
 
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Donka said:
Okay, so a little background. I have the iPad mini 4 which I love for portability. I decided to replace my Air 2 for a Pro 9.7 to try out the likes of the Pencil and other new features. I always thought the 12.9 was too large to be practical for me but eventually caved and picked up a second hand model to play with.

The more I use the 12.9, the more I appreciate the extra screen space and resolution. It is a fantastic media consumption device and my go to device at home with Plex or YouTube. I also think the Pencil just works better with the larger screen - I like using it on the 9.7 but much prefer it on the 12.9.

I keep hitting certain issues that I find bothersome though. For general reading or surfing the net, I much prefer the 9.7. I just find it more comfortable to use at normal distances and the 12.9 makes your eyes work harder as you traverse the bigger screen. I also really hate the stock iOS interface on the 12.9. I think some things can better optimised on the iPad and the 12.9 just exacerbates these niggling issues.

Ultimately though, for me the 12.9 hardware is great but the software lets the side down. Some apps work really well such as Procreate, Garageband, iMovie etc. but iMovie especially, while powerful and a useful tool for a phone, is very limited when you want to go beyond the basics. I also love the biggest iPad for photos but editing software is still a limiting factor on the iPad although I have a feeling that will change for the better when Affinity release their Photo app.

As I said in the subject, the 12.9 is a love hate thing for me. I love the hardware and some usage scenarios but hate stock iOS and the vast majority of apps on the big tablet. It seems the ideal solution currently for me is to keep all three iPads but that really is overkill and a waste of money in many ways. If Apple optimise iOS better for the iPad line and more apps make better use of the power and big screen then while still a hard decision, it would be easier to decide between the various iPads.
I'm still torn between the 9.7 & 12.9 Pros as a home device to compliment my mini 4.
Click to expand...

I totally agree - my 12.9 pro is just a desktop companion now for sketching and image inspiration libraries. Laptop replacement my arse.
It is not pleasant to read books on, the flappy keyboard is a wind up and is too heavy.

Also I agree the apps just aren't good enough overall for the 12.9 pro. I love the Adobe apps and a few others but mostly everything else feels clumsy and you know it wasn't designed for this screen size. LinkedIn has to be the worst offender for me..... Shocking.
My GF has the smaller pro and is much better for reading and portability and agree that is not as good with the pencil.
 
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The 12.9" pretty much regulates you putting it on a table, but the screen space is unparalleled. The 9.7" offers the most in terms of ease of use and mobility.

I'd take the 12.9" but you have to decide.

No doubt, Apple has to greatly improve the software side of things.
 
M. Gustave said:
Your complaints are too vague. Without a specific app or workflow issue to discuss, we can't offer much.
Click to expand...

I guess I was just sounding off. Apps for example - I love that i can bring my mini 4 with me and quickly edit some pictures on a decent size screen. The experience on the 12.9 is better thanks to the larger screen but ultimately it doesn't give you anything new and therefor no solid reason for me to have that with me over the mini 4. Apps like Garageband work better because they give you the ability to view more of the tracks, bigger keyboard etc. and I would want to see more apps that take advantage of the extra resolution.
The potential is there for the 12.9 but both Apple and developers need to make better use of what it offers imho. Some apps just work better by default such as movie watching since it is all about the experience but others really could be implementing additional features. Don't get me wrong, PIP works better on the larger screen and the onscreen keyboard and multitasking are better on the larger iPad due to an increased feature set such as the number row on the keyboard or using the iPad view for apps when doing side by side. I just feel this is only the start and hope the larger devices get extra features to make better use of the hardware.
I use Affinity Photo as an example because that is one app I am genuinely looking forward to - it could potentially replace my Macs for photo editing. I didn't buy the 12.9 as a Mac replacement but if I wanted to edit on the iPad, I could do it all without need to return the Mac for certain things and having that choice without comprise makes the 12.9 a stronger proposition.
 
Donka said:
It seems the ideal solution currently for me is to keep all three iPads but that really is overkill and a waste of money in many ways. If Apple optimise iOS better for the iPad line and more apps make better use of the power and big screen then while still a hard decision, it would be easier to decide between the various iPads.
Click to expand...

IMO, if you own three different sizes of the iPad there will be faults that you will find in them. And given that you indeed have three iPads there is a reason you went this route for different use cases.

I've had the 12.9" since launch and it took an adjustment period to get accustomed to carrying around to use it, but it's my sole iPad which I use it the same way regardless if it's a Mini or a 9.7" iPad Pro. Although it's a good problem to have, but I do think it's overkill to have three iPads... can't really say which Pro model to give up all depends on what you prefer the most.
 
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Ludatyk said:
IMO, if you own three different sizes of the iPad there will be faults that you will find in them. And given that you indeed have three iPads there is a reason you went this route for different use cases.

I've had the 12.9" since launch and it took an adjustment period to get accustomed to carrying around to use it, but it's my sole iPad which I use it the same way regardless if it's a Mini or a 9.7" iPad Pro. Although it's a good problem to have, but I do think it's overkill to have three iPads... can't really say which Pro model to give up all depends on what you prefer the most.
Click to expand...
This.

It took me about 2 weeks to get over the "shock" of how large it seemed. I've owned a 9.7 iPad of various generations, every day since day-1 of gen-1 so I was very accustomed to the form-factor. It took another few weeks to get comfortable with it.

The 12.9 iPP is my sole iPad as well. It's odd that some folks think that any of the form-factors should be universally acceptable as the best one. As you say, it all depends upon personal preference.

The greatest challenge for me with regard to 12.9 ownership is finding/making the time to fully explore all that it can do for me. I'm pretty busy, and though I've been extremely successful in modifying my workflows to use the Pro (it has replaced both my iPad Air 2 and 11" Macbook Air as my mobile solutions), there's much more that I can do with it if I had the time to explore. :(
 
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The iPad mini was my device of choice before the pro came along. I wanted to ditch the laptop when I got up after night shift. Busy household, kids, dog etc.

I find a decent size screen and a portable stash away device ideal. No need for the iPad mini anymore. I find my wife's iPad Air on the small side now. Like looking at a mini after using the 9.7. ☺️

At the weekend when I'm an insomniac due to my routine I use PC/Little Lenovo laptop when required. ☺️
 
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I'm actually leaning the other way. I prefer the smaller devices when on the go so currently have and iPhone 5s and will be keeping the mini 4. The choice for me is between the two Pros.
 
sracer said:
If you have a mini 4, I'd suggest choosing the larger Pro as it offers a significantly different experience compared to the mini that the 9.7 does.
Click to expand...

Yup, that is kind of where I am at just now. As I say though, there are aspects of the 12.9 I don't like though which is really stopping me from making the call and they are all software related. I still use the iPad a lot for surfing and emails and I prefer doing that on the smaller Pro in all honesty. I'm just not keen on how that size of screen is under-utilised in iOS. First world problem I know - perhaps my own fault for picking up a 12.9 to play around with it in the first place! ;)
 
Donka said:
Yup, that is kind of where I am at just now. As I say though, there are aspects of the 12.9 I don't like though which is really stopping me from making the call and they are all software related. I still use the iPad a lot for surfing and emails and I prefer doing that on the smaller Pro in all honesty. I'm just not keen on how that size of screen is under-utilised in iOS. First world problem I know - perhaps my own fault for picking up a 12.9 to play around with it in the first place! ;)
Click to expand...
Then keep all three. It's just money ;)
 
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All of my mobile computing is accomplished with the IPP 12.9, 9.7 or IPm4. At the moment I still use a desktop because I enjoy having 3 screens. But I'm going to experiment with my iPads connected to each screen. I have the Logitech k810 keyboard that will switch between 3 devices and have an Apple pencil.

(We have a Project Fi account that allows for multiple no monthly fee data sim cards. So I ditched the iPhone for awhile & save the monthly plan cost.)
 
tagumcity said:
All of my mobile computing is accomplished with the IPP 12.9, 9.7 or IPm4. At the moment I still use a desktop because I enjoy having 3 screens. But I'm going to experiment with my iPads connected to each screen. I have the Logitech k810 keyboard that will switch between 3 devices and have an Apple pencil.

(We have a Project Fi account that allows for multiple no monthly fee data sim cards. So I ditched the iPhone for awhile & save the monthly plan cost.)
Click to expand...

I could never want more than one iPad...for its uses they all do the same thing....nothing really differentiates them besides screen size......my iPad Pro 12.9 is enough....I can't believe people have 3. My workflow devices includes 2 Windows 10 laptops, one chromebook, Galaxy Tab s2 9.7,iPad Pro 12.9, and my upcoming Note 7 (this is my last week with my galaxy 6 edge plus).
 
jamesrick80 said:
I could never want more than one iPad...for its uses they all do the same thing....nothing really differentiates them besides screen size......my iPad Pro 12.9 is enough....I can't believe people have 3. My workflow devices includes 2 Windows 10 laptops, one chromebook, Galaxy Tab s2 9.7,iPad Pro 12.9, and my upcoming Note 7 (this is my last week with my galaxy 6 edge plus).
Click to expand...

You have two laptops but question why people have multiple iPads?
 
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jamesrick80 said:
I could never want more than one iPad...for its uses they all do the same thing....nothing really differentiates them besides screen size......my iPad Pro 12.9 is enough....I can't believe people have 3. My workflow devices includes 2 Windows 10 laptops, one chromebook, Galaxy Tab s2 9.7,iPad Pro 12.9, and my upcoming Note 7 (this is my last week with my galaxy 6 edge plus).
Click to expand...
Agreed. Device usage is a personal experience, hence the use of the pronoun "I".
 
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