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Ipad Pro 12.9 or 9.7 what's the better deal? Uni Student

J

jojods

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 12, 2014
198
12
Hey guys,

I've been waiting for Apple to update the iPad air for a year now because i've wanted a tablet for note taking and pdf reading and was fully set on the iPad pro 9.7 until this morning when I found out it was 2gb of ram.

I want a future proof tablet and a power house so what do you think would be the better deal?

Also is 32gb enough?
 
sjleworthy said:
enough for what?


the big question is do you want a big screen or regular screen.
as it stands the RAM isn't really an issue. but will it be in a couple of years time? probably. maybe. might not be. who really knows. why not update then to suit?
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I already thought the pro was too big thats why i waited out, everyone saying how bad a deal the new one is is making me doubt though. I want to use my iPad for course work some games and streaming
 
the new one isnt a bad deal, thats just pedantics here complaining because they can. the new ipad is a fantastic bit of kit. it's relative. if i didnt have a large Pro i'd go for the new Pro and i know i'd be in 7 heaven. dont let the anoraks scare you ;)

for general course work and a few games 32 is way big enough, but, if you can afford more then go for it.
 
sjleworthy said:
the new one isnt a bad deal, thats just pedantics here complaining because they can. the new ipad is a fantastic bit of kit. it's relative. if i didnt have a large Pro i'd go for the new Pro and i know i'd be in 7 heaven.

for general course work and a few games 32 is way big enough, but, if you can afford more then go for it.
Click to expand...

what about accessories? I really want the pencil, not sure about the keyboard. Maybe better to go 128 and no keyboard or 32gb and keyboard
 
i got the pencil and keyboard. again, personal choice. the Pencil really really is a fantastic and versatile bit of kit - great for sketching, scribbling notes and doodles and for general navigation. just dont loose it.
the smart keyboard, for me anyway, is invaluable. i love it and use it constantly. you might not. dont know what your workflow might or might not be.
 
sjleworthy said:
i got the pencil and keyboard. again, personal choice. the Pencil really really is a fantastic and versatile bit of kit - great for sketching, scribbling notes and doodles and for general navigation. just dont loose it.
the smart keyboard, for me anyway, is invaluable. i love it and use it constantly. you might not. dont know what your workflow might or might not be.
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do you have a 32gb or 128gb? the issue is that adding all the costs up brings 128gb with both accessories to well over £700
 
i have a 128, but cost isnt an issue to me as im not a student :p i know you student types like to prioritize your costs more towards alcohol as i seem to remember from my student days. ;)

£700 is a lot of money, yes. but thats Apple. there's not much to say about that other than sorting your budgeting out.

honestly, if you're not planning on storing tons of video and phots and large games etc on the device and using it more for casual and passing concerns then 32 should be ample.
 
sjleworthy said:
the new one isnt a bad deal, thats just pedantics here complaining because they can. the new ipad is a fantastic bit of kit. it's relative. if i didnt have a large Pro i'd go for the new Pro and i know i'd be in 7 heaven. dont let the anoraks scare you ;)

for general course work and a few games 32 is way big enough, but, if you can afford more then go for it.
Click to expand...

Speaking from someone that doesn't have either device, a true fan boy statement.. Go Apple Go
 
sjleworthy said:
i have a 128, but cost isnt an issue to me as im not a student :p i know you student types like to prioritize your costs more towards alcohol as i seem to remember from my student days. ;)

£700 is a lot of money, yes. but thats Apple. there's not much to say about that other than sorting your budgeting out.
Click to expand...
hahah student life sucks, i'm convincing myself an iPad is a necessity. That's already bad enough! :p
 
I just finished up my BS and am moving on to a double masters revolving around business. I have an iMac and home and currently am looking to sell my macbook air to get a 9.7 ipp. I will definitely get the kb right out the gate but the pencil will come when I reach a course that I need to take handwritten notes in. I am going for the 128gb though as that is what the macbook air is, and that is what my iPhone 6s is.

currently on my 6s Im using 70gb, I won't put all my music on the iPad but can see a rotation of a few movies or shows being on it to make up for the gb the music uses on my iPhone.

long story short I am getting the 128gb 9.7 pro with kb in exchange for my air. I also was hesitant after reading the 2gb of ram headline but when I say back and thought a sec that is what the air 2 and my 6s has. My wife has no issues what so ever with her air 2 and I can't seem to through enough at my 6s. I can even come back to games sometimes without them reloading after multitasking to something else.

The people on this forum complain because they can, though I do think it was a shady move by apple to advertise and hype the 9.7 up to be just like the bigger model just to find out in the fine print it is a dumbed down version (in a way)
 
jojods said:
Hey guys,

I've been waiting for Apple to update the iPad air for a year now because i've wanted a tablet for note taking and pdf reading and was fully set on the iPad pro 9.7 until this morning when I found out it was 2gb of ram.

I want a future proof tablet and a power house so what do you think would be the better deal?

Also is 32gb enough?
Click to expand...

I think it totally depends on what you want to use it for. I mentioned this on other threads too, but if you're a student, and using it mainly for studying, reading web/Ebooks, playing game, possibly editing pictures and videos as your hobby level, that 9.7" Pro is more than enough, and 2GM Ram won't affect what you gonna do almost at all, in that case. If you're reading things a lot on it, true tone display has benefit on your eyes too.

I'm one of people who wished smaller iPad Pro coming out, but I'm gonna stay with my 12.9". Just because I use it mainly my digital art work creation, editing music, understand usefulness of split screen. Yes it's big but has reason to be that size, and it's beneficial to who use Pro 12.9" for the reasons. For example, to me it's right size to draw, I don't need to pinch and spread my drawing on 12.9", when I use split screen function, my working area gets half yet I can tolerate to work on that space. Bit faster processor and 4GB Ram and USB3 support bit help when I need to deal with big files for pictures/music. There is reasons 9.7" Pro didn't get equal as 12.9" and kinda falls but behind on some things from 12.9".
I don't need "better" camera(I don't take photos/videos on my any iPad since I have iPhone!), I don't want true tone display.
So, for me, 12.9" is right.

Some people says 9.7" was left behind from 12.9" feature, but it really depends on how you see it. If you're not doing anything special, 9.7" Pro is still great and you don't need to pay extra money for some features which are nice to have but you don't have use for them.
 
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masotime said:
Get the 12.9". Not because of what people say about the 2GB RAM etc. etc., but because you can get ridiculously good deals on the 12.9" iPad Pro at the moment.

For example, Staples has the 128GB 12.9" Wifi iPad Pro for $150 off.

Not long ago, you could get it even cheaper - $190 off the 128GB 12.9" Cellular iPad Pro and $160 off the WiFi variant.

It does not make economic sense to buy the iPad Pro 9.7" at MSRP.
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do you pay tax on that because if so even getting it sent to my sister in nyc it would still be more or the same price as a 9.7 128 with my student discount
 
dont forget, Apple is all about experience, not about specs. just because it might seem 'dumbed down', doesn't mean you'll suffer any more or less from the ipad experience.

yes, so many here are techies and purists, but so many are not. couldnt care. dont know. cant be bothered. only interested in a great experience. the new Pro will deliver on this.

i've always found the same with my desktop computers in the past - a mac pro might have significantly less under the bonnet than it's pc cousin, but boy does it usually out-perform in spades!
 
Staples has tax, but I've heard the eBay ones might not have it. Still, those are over.

If you have a student discount, then yes go for whatever ends up being cheaper. You don't have to pay tax after your student discount?
 
doesnt work like that in the UK. we pay all together at the same time, with VAT added too. we're taxed on everything!!! the cheapest way to do it is literally shop around and inquire who does student deals.
 
masotime said:
Staples has tax, but I've heard the eBay ones might not have it. Still, those are over.

If you have a student discount, then yes go for whatever ends up being cheaper. You don't have to pay tax after your student discount?
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im in the uk so tax is included

i can get a 9.7 for $839
 
i agree with all the posters who say the "pro 9.7 is fine if you aren't doing anything special, and aren't worried about it lasting more than 2-3 years"

what i do take issue with is that it was bumped up in price, and rebranded to match the naming of a new iPad category that IS supposed to be a more capable device than the an air. for drawing and video applications, ram will most definitely make a difference in the size and complexity of projects you can do.

and if we are only talking about specs that are good enough for right now, there's no need for the 9.7 pro at all, the air 2 is also more than capable.

if i didn't want the pencil support, i'd 100% get the air 2, knowing that it performs great now, and its not so large an investment that in 2 years i'll feel bad about replacing it.

but i do want the pencil (not sure if thats what you mean by note taking @op), so it becomes a more difficult proposition for me, because thats a fairly sizeable step up in price for 1 feature i want, a bunch of features i don't care about, and a lack of future-thinking specs.

its not being pedantic and looking for reasons to whine. i'm coming from an iPad 3 that has barely seen any use the last 2 years because it is flat out unpleasant to use due to lag.
 
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stevemiller said:
i agree with all the posters who say the "pro 9.7 is fine if you aren't doing anything special, and aren't worried about it lasting more than 2-3 years"

what i do take issue with is that it was bumped up in price, and rebranded to match the naming of a new iPad category that IS supposed to be a more capable device than the an air. for drawing and video applications, ram will most definitely make a difference in the size and complexity of projects you can do.

and if we are only talking about specs that are good enough for right now, there's no need for the 9.7 pro at all, the air 2 is also more than capable.

if i didn't want the pencil support, i'd 100% get the air 2, knowing that it performs great now, and its not so large an investment that in 2 years i'll feel bad about replacing it.

but i do want the pencil (not sure if thats what you mean by note taking @op), so it becomes a more difficult proposition for me, because thats a fairly sizeable step up in price for 1 feature i want, a bunch of features i don't care about, and a lack of future-thinking specs.

its not being pedantic and looking for reasons to whine. i'm coming from an iPad 3 that has barely seen any use the last 2 years because it is flat out unpleasant to use due to lag.
Click to expand...
Ye it's the pencil I really want but the new display seems like the main selling point, so what are you gonna do then?
 
all that is to say, i'm still struggling with what to do. a 9.7" iPad with pencil support *IS* the right fit for me, and i can afford it, its just been made an awfully expensive indulgence that doesn't offer me much confidence that it'll be a good long term purchase.
 
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