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iPad Pro 2021 vs. iPad Pro 2022 Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?

I just have a question- when or where would Apple be discounting the 2021 IPads Pro 12.9?? I assume they’re sitting on some of the 2021 models?? I’d like to upgrade from my 2016 iPad Pro 9.7 to a larger screen. From reading on here there’s not a significant difference between the 2022 & 2021 models & I’d like to save some $$.
Thanks!!
 
Jordan Klein said:
I wish it'd work with the 2020 iMac. Makes no sense that it doesn't.
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It was some of the first "it takes an M1 chip" shenanigans from Apple. I feel your frustration.

I did read up to find out the Magic Keyboard (without Touch ID) works on the iPPs. I'm guessing Apple assumes you'll have your iPad open when working with an external display, thus you can use Face/Touch ID on the iPad.
 
Gyoung929 said:
I just have a question- when or where would Apple be discounting the 2021 IPads Pro 12.9?? I assume they’re sitting on some of the 2021 models?? I’d like to upgrade from my 2016 iPad Pro 9.7 to a larger screen. From reading on here there’s not a significant difference between the 2022 & 2021 models & I’d like to save some $$.
Thanks!!
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Go get one heavily discounted on Amazon and enjoy extended returns through mid-January 2023. See MR front page for the deals link (if you need it).
 
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Well i have an ipad 2017 pro? should i uprgrade???

Yes i know the answer sadly not available yet on Mexico City, same with Apple Watch 8... when will be? who knows.
 
Jordan Klein said:
Sadly, the big sale is over. I got a 2021 11" iPad with 512GB storage for $849 a few days ago. Now the same is $1046.
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12.9's are still pretty heavily discounted.

That 11" 512g for $849 is an absolute steal. I'm still kicking myself for not pulling the trigger. Good for you!!🍺
 
Thisismattwade said:
12.9's are still pretty heavily discounted.

That 11" 512g for $849 is an absolute steal. I'm still kicking myself for not pulling the trigger. Good for you!!🍺
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What sealed the deal with the insanely long return period. I figured I'd purchase it and see what Apple released next. Since it was just a minor (IMO) spec update, I'm keeping this.

I'm going to sell my 10.5" 2017 iPad Pro and 1st Gen Apple Pencil. From what I saw on ebay, I could maybe get around $250 for both. They are both in excellent condition, other than reduced battery life for being as old as they are.
 
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lordhamster said:
I love the display, but hate the weight. I'm a one-bag traveler, and already have to schlep my crappy HP crapbook which weights like 2 million tons. So I try to keep extra weight down, but I do want a personal device with me larger than a phone when I travel. For the 11 inch size amazon's $50 discount is far less compelling.

As for cellular, I'm torn. I'm really mostly interested in cellular for several reasons:
  • My past cellular enabled iPads were used in-car as a poor man's apple carplay at times. Unfortunately GPS is only available in the cellular models.
  • With the new iPhones not having a sim card tray, it is nice to have a device with one on hand for International travel so I could use it as a hotspot if I really wanted to. But this usecase is less relevant in the age of Airalo.
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Hell, pick up an M1 11” iPad Pro cellular on a deal. The M2 offers nothing meaningful over the M1 at all.
 
Seems great, but I am wondering who is the target market for this new iPad Pro? Is it someone who games? Artists? If so, doing what. Video editing? Seems too limited for that. Someone who want to replace a laptop? Seems like a lot of power, without a lot of need.

I have a 2018 iPad Pro 11" and want something a little bit better. I take notes in meetings, draws, writes the occasional document. and watch videos. I am leaning toward a larger screen since my eyes are not as great as they were. Maybe a 2021 12.9 iPad Pro, or even another 11" since it is easier to carry.
 
2020 owner who is feeling the jellies... *shrug*

I like mine. Got the Magic Keyboard dirt cheap when they were blowing them out, so happy... 'It's so BIG' :oops:

Oh, and the screen kinda died and it was replaced and was engraved, so now the replacement is'nt engraved and can be sold a lot easier.

Hint: DO NOT GET ANYTHING ENGRAVED!
 
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As someone who uses my 2021 iPad Pro mostly for drawing, a part of me wants to upgrade just gor Apple Pencil Hover. It’s a great feature, something we had on Wacom and similar tablets, and it can be quite useful for previewing brush sizes and such. And it seems Procreate will add some intuitive gestures to resize brushes while hovering.

However, other upgrades are not significant enough, so I’ll probably skip this generation.
 
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thadoggfather said:
This might be the least compelling iPad upgrade cycle since iPad mini 2 to 3 where they simply added touchID and not a thing more.
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eventually you get to a point where there is nothing left to offer. I still happily use a desktop from 2010, has an intel I7 and works fine for my uses. When they kill windows 10 support will probably be when I upgrade just for security reasons.
 
smorrissey said:
Well i have an ipad 2017 pro? should i uprgrade???

Yes i know the answer sadly not available yet on Mexico City, same with Apple Watch 8... when will be? who knows.
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My wife has a 2017 12.9 pro and I have the 2018 model. Neither has problems handling our use case mix. We still have a house full of lightning cables that we need to charge our iPhones and Apple TV remotes. I also detest the camera location on the short side of the display since I predominantly use the tablet in landscape mode, as a standalone tablet or as a display extension to my MBP laptop. Fix the camera location in 2023 and we might upgrade my wife’s 2017 tablet but not unless and until Apple produces an iPhone that loses the lightning connctor and replaces it with a USB-C connection.
 
dannyyankou said:
In all honestly, most people don't need an iPad Pro, and iPad Air works with the pro accessories anyway (magic keyboard, Apple Pencil 2, etc). The only problem is they make you pay $749 if you want anything higher than 64gb storage.
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As someone that uses Sidecar to work in Illustrator and Photoshop sometimes, this would be very nice if it operates how a Wacom pen does. My 2019 iPad Pro is still going strong but nice to know that feature exists for sometime down the line when I upgrade.
 
CalMin said:
I have two 2018 iPad Pros. They both feel fresh and are very responsive with their A12Z CPUs. While the newer ones have some advantages, iPadOS and iPad software doesn't really harness the extra power. Mini-LED would be nice, but it's not as if the older screen tech sucks - most people wouldn't notice or care.

iPads have always had a long shelf-life and the devices are mature enough that regular upgrades are no longer necessary. A new form factor or extra functionality would pique my interest, but at this point, I really don't know what they could add to make the new one a 'must buy'.
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landscape front camera... :) killer feature for me
 
Kylo83 said:
Apple should be ashamed of themselves for these updates
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I agree that this is a lame upgrade, but in all seriousness, what more can we expect? Tablet and smartphone technology is maturing, and Apple is already making the best tablet in the industry and knows that their competition can't compete with their ecosystem and the complete package the iPad is.

In other words, Apple doesn't NEED to do much year by year. I think we'll start to expect actual refreshes of iPad and iPhone probably every 5 years or so.
 
I think Apple has done the same with the iPhones and iPads by updating the hardware architecture on the low-end models first. The iPhone 14 got completely redesigned internally while the Pro models kept basically the old platform and it looks like they've done the same with the iPad.

The next generation of Pro devices will probably leverage the changes that we've seen on the base models.
 
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