iPad Pro - Would it be too big?

[Tompie913]

Reading a number of articles about the possibility of an iPad Pro/Plus, I saw that many people had reservations about the size (12.9 inches), saying that it's large size will make it unportable and hard to use, and keep it from having mass appeal.

Having lived with both an iPad 2 and a 12.5" Windows tablet for a while, I'm not sure how valid these concerns are.

First on the portability front - a 12.9" iPad would almost certainly be much smaller than a 13" Macbook Air, which is classified as an "ultraportable" laptop. It would probably weigh less than half as much, have a much smaller bezel, and be much thinner. So the idea that an iPad Pro wouldn't still be ultraportable seems silly to me.

Usability seems a slightly more legitimate concern to me. The thing that strikes me about the iPad is the fact that somehow, no part of the screen seems to be too far to reach. I would attribute this to the 4:3 aspect ratio. Going back to my Windows tablet, its aspect ratio is 16:9, which I found was a bad ratio for a tablet. It's too wide to reach the center of the screen in landscape mode, and it's absurdly tall and top-heavy in portrait mode. 4:3 on a larger 12.9" device would probably still be an improvement, but I concede that there may still be some reachability issues. What I noticed was that with my Windows tablet it was hard to use when used purely as a tablet because your hands holding the sides can't reach the center of the screen. But when I put it on its keyboard dock to use as a stand, it was much more usable. So maybe some sort of stand for the iPad Pro might be important. I know it's very unlikely, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a Surface-style kickstand.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Would an iPad Pro be too big?

 

[The Game 161]

as a note 12.2 user yes...but i use mine with a keyboard so it's like a laptop

 

[bufffilm]

I would get a case if it doesn't come with one. It's that simple.

And no, 12 inches wouldn't be too big.

 

[nightlong]

As always, depends on your uses. I doubt a graphic artist, writer, or someone using it for business purposes, with stylus and/or keyboard will find it too big, or too heavy for portability. Might not be too convenient for a mountain climber, or people who find the iPad mini perfect size-wise.

I write a lot with iPads and use two for multitasking, so I'll be interested to see if I could do all that comfortably with the plus/pro.

 

[Bromio]

Depends on the usage. For me the iPad is the definitive reading device. The Air is already quite big. However, for those wanting multitasking, the Pro would be better.

 

[Pakaku]

If a 13" iPad Pro would be too big for you, why wouldn't you just buy a standard iPad or a Mini? That's why choices exist.

 

[Dave245]

Well if people can carry 15" laptops around why not a iPad Pro with a 12" display? personally i really hope that Apple are going to release an iPad Pro soon, with IOS 9's multitasking it would be a great device. Price wise will be interesting to see and what Apple present, will it just be a bigger iPad or will they add more functionality? a stylus? USB C?

 

[Pakaku]

Well if people can carry 15" laptops around why not a iPad Pro with a 12" display? personally i really hope that Apple are going to release an iPad Pro soon, with IOS 9's multitasking it would be a great device. Price wise will be interesting to see and what Apple present, will it just be a bigger iPad or will they add more functionality? a stylus? USB C?

It'll be nothing but a bigger iPad. Apple is extremely stubborn about adding any sort of common useable functionality to their iOS line when they feel like they can get away with it.

 

[Dave245]

It'll be nothing but a bigger iPad. Apple is extremely stubborn about adding any sort of common useable functionality to their iOS line when they feel like they can get away with it.

Personally I'm ok with with it just being a bigger iPad, I think the extra size will be great for the multitasking features. There is a rumour or two that iPads will be announced along with the iPhone's next month, but I find this very hard to believe because Apple usually announced iPads in a October event.

 

[nj-morris]

It'll be nothing but a bigger iPad. Apple is extremely stubborn about adding any sort of common useable functionality to their iOS line when they feel like they can get away with it.

For example?

 

[Badrottie]

It should have been an iPod Pro....

 

[Pakaku]

For example?

Just the fact that the original iPad still used the dock port instead of USB, and definitely if they still stick with Lightning instead of USB-C in their next releases. Software-wise, iOS still doesn't have a basic file browser...

 

[cdm283813]

Let's wait until we have an official announcement. Tablet sales are slowing and they could pull it at the last minute. Not saying that Apple hasn't made prototypes close to the real thing but Apple has to be careful. They just can't price it at $600 plus and figure that it will sale.
I personally don't feel the need for a larger tablet. At that point I would rather use my dual screen computer. But if Apple can shoehorn OS X in that form factor at that price I'm in. I believe there is a market to have a full blown OS on a 13" Apple tablet if the price is right.

 

[Tompie913]

Just the fact that the original iPad still used the dock port instead of USB, and definitely if they still stick with Lightning instead of USB-C in their next releases. Software-wise, iOS still doesn't have a basic file browser...

iPad Pro definitely needs a USB-C port. If not, I might just go with an iPad Air. And I don't know that iOS needs a full-blown file browser so much as an app that can store files and let you access them from different apps. Stuff like Dropbox and Box already do this to some extent, but iOS limits them, and they're both cloud based. iOS needs a Finder app that is more a storage app than a file browser, and which you can access from all other apps. But on my Windows tablet, I found Windows Explorer to be a serious pain to use & I didn't find many cases where I really needed it. Even 12.5 inches just isn't enough screen real estate to do any really serious work. I think the minimum size is 13.3", though 12.9 might be close enough.

I personally don't feel the need for a larger tablet. At that point I would rather use my dual screen computer. But if Apple can shoehorn OS X in that form factor at that price I'm in. I believe there is a market to have a full blown OS on a 13" Apple tablet if the price is right.

Apple has said rather firmly that iOS is for touchscreen devices and OS X is for mouse/trackpad + keyboard. And if you've ever tried to use a Windows tablet, you can see that they're right. If you try to make an OS work on both environments, then its going to be compromised on both environments. I think that the path that they've started towards with iOS 9 and multitasking and the rumored mouse support is adding OS X capability to iOS in a way that works well on a small-ish touchscreen device. I still say 12.9" inches isn't exactly huge when most laptops are over 13". So I think the iPad Pro has great potential.

 

[Billy95Tech]

For me 12.9 inch ipad pro is too big and not that portable compared to the ipad mini and 9.7 inch ipad, being at 12.9 inches that big it defeats the purpose for a tablet and i am not interested buying and not care about the ipad pro.

I like the 9.7 inch ipads!!


I have a 11.6 inch Windows tablet and i won't go any bigger than that for a tablet!!

 

[ACG12]

Way too big, I would never consider anything larger than my iPad Air 2. I tend to use it outside of the home and I would hate to carry around an iPad Pro.

 

[Crosscreek]

Too big....iPad Air2 just right.

 

[addictzz]

For regular consumer, it would be too big.

iPad air with 9.7" and 4:3 screen ratio is just about the right size. One-handed operation still can be done on iPad Air.

 

[Mak47]

If it's just like the current iPad but bigger, then it's going to be too big. I'm holding out some hope that it's not going to be that, but instead, something closer to a multitouch Mac. The current incarnation of OS X would require a few tweaks to make it touch friendly--but not a whole lot. With the rumors of OS X running on ARM chips over the last few years, it's not a ridiculous idea.

Couple all of that with the fact that tablet sales are slowing and being cannibalized by bigger phones it may be time to try something new. The new MacBook can run in an ultra slim form factor with no fans, it's not too much of a stretch to bring the same concept to a tablet form factor. If a product like that is 12.9" then I think it's a good fit. For a regular iPad, it's just unnecessary.

 

[Dave245]

If it's just like the current iPad but bigger, then it's going to be too big. I'm holding out some hope that it's not going to be that, but instead, something closer to a multitouch Mac. The current incarnation of OS X would require a few tweaks to make it touch friendly--but not a whole lot. With the rumors of OS X running on ARM chips over the last few years, it's not a ridiculous idea.

Couple all of that with the fact that tablet sales are slowing and being cannibalized by bigger phones it may be time to try something new. The new MacBook can run in an ultra slim form factor with no fans, it's not too much of a stretch to bring the same concept to a tablet form factor. If a product like that is 12.9" then I think it's a good fit. For a regular iPad, it's just unnecessary.

While it's possible that Apple could use OS X for the iPad Pro, i don't think that they will. Tim Cook and other Apple executives have said on a few occasions that Apple will not do hybrid devices (Tim compared it to a toaster and fridge i think) but then again Steve Job's didn't like the idea of a smaller iPad and we now have the iPad mini. In my opinion i think the iPad Pro will be a bigger iPad, with IOS 9 multitasking it would be great on a bigger screen, this might be what Apple are looking at.

Obviously this is all rumours and guess work at the moment, i could be wrong or right, we will probably find out in October IF the iPad Pro is announced.

 

[addictzz]

Desktop OS on tablets and other mobile devices is the reason why XDA O2 and tablet computers did not make it into mass market. There is a difference in experience. I don't think Apple would want to repeat that mistake.

 

[wheelhot]

One feature I can see them doing with the iPad Pro is allowing something like TargetDisplayMode, so for those with laptops, it doubles as a 2nd monitor with it being touch as well, so you'll be looking something like a Wacom tablet. And since it's a feature, I guess even when cordless, performance wise is similar to corded due to Apple proprietary under the hood stuff.

And yes, I'm betting we'll see Apple release a smart stylus alongside it.

 

[theluggage]

First on the portability front - a 12.9" iPad would almost certainly be much smaller than a 13" Macbook Air, which is classified as an "ultraportable" laptop.

"Luggability" c.f. a clamshell laptop isn't an issue - its hand-held usability that is the important factor. A 12" iPad would be less comfortable to use as a 'comfy chair' web/media browser/casual gaming device, and more of a table-top device. Above a certain size, a clamshell gets easier to use, even on your lap.

That would take a major bite out of the utility of an iPad Pro for many customers - you'd need some compelling new uses for a "desktop tablet" to make up for that.

A while back, I bought a 'keyboard cover' for my iPad - end result: I found that I stopped using it. My phablet was easier to use in comfy chair mode and, on a desktop, I soon decided that Steve Jobs was right on the money with his "gorilla arms" crack about the combination of external keyboard and touch screen. Touch is great for true handheld use, but it is very limited and imprecise compared to a keyboard and a mouse/trackpad-controlled cursor.

What might help distinguish the iPad Pro?

Force touch - suddenly the touch interface becomes more expressive, because you now have a clear distinction between a touch, a click and a force-click. You can position something accurately before clicking, you get back the 'hover' functionality of a mouse (touch without clicking) you can distinguish between swipes and clicks (no more accidentally opening ad links on websites while you're scrolling) and you've got force-click for alternative actions. Frankly, though, this might work better with OS X (since it can emulate a mouse) than iOS (where you'd have to re-think the UI to use force touch like this).

Stylus - yes, if a handheld device needs a stylus you're doing it wrong (you need three hands) but on the desktop, both hands are free and you can draw, paint and write with far greater precision given a proper stylus (with an active digitiser - not the plastic fingers sold for current iPads). There are several reasons why finger-painting is for kids, and its not just the mess. A stylus is not a better way to browse the web - but it opens up new possibilities.

Split screen/multi-tasking - not so sure about this. I don't think its helpful for the sort of things people do on current tablets, but if you expand the use of tablets, and with a bigger screen, maybe...

Full OS X - One of the iPad Pro's chief competitors is going to be the MS Surface Pro, which boasts "full" Windows, not a cut-down tablet OS. The other competitor is, of course, the MacBook, which also has a "proper" OS. As mentioned above, a force-touch display might make OS X usable with a finger. On the other hand, I very much doubt that Apple would have released the MacBook as it is if they were also planning an OS X/Intel tablet (actually, part of me speculates that the iPad Pro and the MacBook were two competing prototypes, only one of which would live, and the MacBook won).

 

[driftless]

Stylus - yes, if a handheld device needs a stylus you're doing it wrong (you need three hands) but on the desktop, both hands are free and you can draw, paint and write with far greater precision given a proper stylus (with an active digitiser - not the plastic fingers sold for current iPads). There are several reasons why finger-painting is for kids, and its not just the mess. A stylus is not a better way to browse the web - but it opens up new possibilities.

Split screen/multi-tasking - not so sure about this. I don't think its helpful for the sort of things people do on current tablets, but if you expand the use of tablets, and with a bigger screen, maybe...

Full OS X - One of the iPad Pro's chief competitors is going to be the MS Surface Pro, which boasts "full" Windows, not a cut-down tablet OS. The other competitor is, of course, the MacBook, which also has a "proper" OS. As mentioned above, a force-touch display might make OS X usable with a finger. On the other hand, I very much doubt that Apple would have released the MacBook as it is if they were also planning an OS X/Intel tablet (actually, part of me speculates that the iPad Pro and the MacBook were two competing prototypes, only one of which would live, and the MacBook won).

Really? Talk to creatives who use Wacom's, a stylus would make the iPad instantly more productive. Same with split screen/multi-tasking that would make the iPad more productive as well. OS X does not make sense on a tablet.

I don't see most of the members of this forum being the target audience for the iPad Pro, those being creatives, business & enterprise application. However, it might be the ultimate video watching machine for cabins, camping, etc.

 

[wheelhot]

Apple will stick with iOS for ipad pro, cause if you look at what can be considered as pro apps on the ipad, it's better designed for touch surfaces then desktop apps offering, sure it might be lacking in features in comparisons to a desktop app, but this could change depending on what Apple does for the iPad Pro and it'll be foolish for apple to just halt the progress of pro apps for iOS, what they'll likely do instead is to find ways to improve these pro apps even further to make business people to have a real reason to buy iPad Pros for their business.