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What is the ideal iPad size?

  • iPad Air (9.7 inch iPad

    Votes: 88 59.1%
  • iPad Pro

    Votes: 39 26.2%
  • iPad mini

    Votes: 22 14.8%

  • Total voters
    149
The ideal size is what works best for each of us... might be the Air, the iPP, and for some , it may be the mini.

+1

It's all about how you use it. For me, if I was using it a lot of the go, and was using local transit, the Mini has a nice advantage there. If I was using it on a table most of the time or on a lap desk, the extra screen space makes the Pro interesting. But since I tend to be in the middle where I use it around the house and office, on the couch, in my hands, the Air has made the most sense.

I still like the idea of the Pro, but I found myself reaching for the Air since it just fit that niche of how I use tablets better.
 
With current iOS (9), iPad mini is the one and only iPad. Same resolution like iPad Air, but smaller. With an iOS more like OS X, I'll switch yesterday to iPad Pro and even sell my MBr if iPad Pro also does Xcode...
 
Is blue the ideal color? No, green is.
Is broccoli the ideal veg? Of course, everyone knows this!
Is Wednesday the ideal day of the week? Yes, for most weeks
Is Homer the ideal name? Of course not!
Is this the ideal thread? Yes

I think it's the poll title that is throwing people. If you had asked: "What is the ideal size iPad for you?".....might have worked better (IMHO). Then, the results of you're poll would be more of a popularity contest showing which size iPad most responders prefer. It's a targeted question. Asking "Which size iPad is ideal?" is not specific enough (i.e. Ideal for me?, ideal in terms of making some subjective determination as to what size iPad is "the ideal size" in general, etc....).
 
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If you had asked: "What is the ideal size iPad for you?".....might have worked better (IMHO).

Even with that question, I'm having trouble casting a vote. For me, the Pro is ideal for working on documents, the Mini is ideal for taking out, and the Air is ideal for reading in bed. :p
 
Rules or Marketing state that a device such as the iPad Air is "stuck in the middle", therefore the majority of people will tend to buy the smaller, cheaper one and all others the larger beast. Unfortunately apple revenues confirm this rule, as iPad Air is selling less than the mini.

For me 9,7" is the best size for three reasons:
- it has the same size of a moleskine notebook or a regular essay book, which is ideal for reading and taking notes
- I take with me a MacBook 12 and and iPad air when traveling - best of two worlds and still less bulky than an iPad pro (!!!)
- iPhone 6 does the job when I really do not have another device at hand, so I do not see the point of the iPad mini?
 
Rules or Marketing state that a device such as the iPad Air is "stuck in the middle", therefore the majority of people will tend to buy the smaller, cheaper one and all others the larger beast. Unfortunately apple revenues confirm this rule, as iPad Air is selling less than the mini.

For me 9,7" is the best size for three reasons:
- it has the same size of a moleskine notebook or a regular essay book, which is ideal for reading and taking notes
- I take with me a MacBook 12 and and iPad air when traveling - best of two worlds and still less bulky than an iPad pro (!!!)
- iPhone 6 does the job when I really do not have another device at hand, so I do not see the point of the iPad mini?
I definitely agree that the 9.7 inch size is perfect for textbooks which I use my iPad for. It is excellent for this. If I didn't use textbooks I may actually have kept the mini 4, but the air 2 is best for me right now especially for textbooks.
 
Rules or Marketing state that a device such as the iPad Air is "stuck in the middle", therefore the majority of people will tend to buy the smaller, cheaper one and all others the larger beast. Unfortunately apple revenues confirm this rule, as iPad Air is selling less than the mini.

For me 9,7" is the best size for three reasons:
- it has the same size of a moleskine notebook or a regular essay book, which is ideal for reading and taking notes
- I take with me a MacBook 12 and and iPad air when traveling - best of two worlds and still less bulky than an iPad pro (!!!)
- iPhone 6 does the job when I really do not have another device at hand, so I do not see the point of the iPad mini?
I don't think that confirms anything. Of course the mini will sell better. It's cheaper. Not to mention the Air didn't get a refresh at all this year.
 
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I don't think that confirms anything. Of course the mini will sell better. It's cheaper. Not to mention the Air didn't get a refresh at all this year.
Yeah the mini prob sold better cause it was updated. People who had older minis probably upgraded to the mini 4 cause it just came out, whereas when the air 2 came out many upgraded from older 9.7" iPads and the air probably sold better.
 
The ideal size is what works best for each of us... might be the Air, the iPP, and for some , it may be the mini.


I agree. Depends entirely on usage.

Had a Pro for a week or so before I returned it. Was a silly purchase really as the Air 2 is better for what I use it for - toting around the house, listening to podcasts, shoving in a bag for trips etc. Basically 100% consumption if I exclude emails from productivity.

I use a rMBP and a Mac Mini for productivity, not personally a fan of tablets for anything other than consumption.

Also, after a few days with the Pro something became incredibly obvious - with the exception of video, looking at photos or the occasional game I use tablets almost exclusively in portrait. The Pro felt very, very much like predominantly a landscape device to me, with the option of portrait when necessary or applicable. In portrait, in hand, it just wasn't practical for me.

The one thing I do miss is comics and manga on the Pro, that was amazing but hardly justified keeping it.
 
A very subjective call. To each his own actually. I loved the Air when i bought and still use it for consumption related stuff whenever am home. Have got an iPhone 6s plus and Macbook pro too. I would say post the arrival of iPhone 6s plus, my usage of air has reduced a bit as certain things like gaming and browsing etc (couch activities ) have now been equally divided between air and 6s+.

But the macbook pro has its own place which is irreplaceable.
 
A very subjective call. To each his own actually. I loved the Air when i bought and still use it for consumption related stuff whenever am home. Have got an iPhone 6s plus and Macbook pro too. I would say post the arrival of iPhone 6s plus, my usage of air has reduced a bit as certain things like gaming and browsing etc (couch activities ) have now been equally divided between air and 6s+.

But the macbook pro has its own place which is irreplaceable.
Agreed, my MacBook Air could never be replaced by any iPad, that's why a Pro would be silly for me, except for the large screen for reading textbooks and watching NHL....nice, yes, but not worth the extra price plus the extra weight and size while holding it.
 
I would ideally like the large Pro size, but considering the £200-320 premium over the Air, I wouldn't consider it. My Air 2 is big enough and gives me all I need. No need to upgrade yet.
 
I would ideally like the large Pro size, but considering the £200-320 premium over the Air, I wouldn't consider it. My Air 2 is big enough and gives me all I need. No need to upgrade yet.
Exactly, the air 2 is so powerful and the size is great, no need to upgrade. The Air 3 looks like it'll just add the 4 speaker system, a smart connector with matching smart keyboard (according to the supposed leaked case), and a camera flash, along with an A9 processor and maybe pencil support. Not much to be excited about for me, I'll be sticking with my air 2.
 
When you use a larger or smaller variant of something, its hard to go back.

You really have to try to 'fit' that previous size in your lifestyle again, or eliminate it completely.
Unless of course, you didn't like the different size, then the original size is perfect for you.
 
This is very subjective.
I owned an iPad, iPad 2 , iPad 4 and iPad Air, all 9.7" devices, and now I'm using an iPad Mini 4
 
Yeah the mini prob sold better cause it was updated. People who had older minis probably upgraded to the mini 4 cause it just came out, whereas when the air 2 came out many upgraded from older 9.7" iPads and the air probably sold better.

Not to mention the iPad 4 was dropped from the lineup as the cheap 9.7" model. But if you look at individual models, the iPad Air 2 was selling the most at over 25%, while second place was the Mini 2 at just under 25%. The Mini 4 by itself was selling less than the Mini 2. But it was beating the Air 1, and the Pro (not surprising).
 
When you use a larger or smaller variant of something, its hard to go back.

You really have to try to 'fit' that previous size in your lifestyle again, or eliminate it completely.
Unless of course, you didn't like the different size, then the original size is perfect for you.
Perfectly said.. It applies to everything in life
From houses, cars, phones to tablets ..
 
i own a Pro after using a regular ipad for years. i would never go back now, but......
i would consider a mini, even though i'd never go down to an iphone sized screen.

it's all super subjective. the op's original poll isnt even worth answering as there is no answer. and your personal answer has no relevance on the next man.
 
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After buying the original iPad, the Unindicted Co-Conspirator decided it was the perfect size - about the size of a human face. A few generations later, she still holds that view, and her iPad is seldom far from her.

Me, I'm leaning more towards the iPad Pro size, but it is a little ungainly sometimes.
 
Short answer? Absolutely yes. I played with a Pro at the apple staore and while it was darned cool it felt like I was holding a small computer monitor in my hands. Its a great product, dont get me wrong. But it was just too much size, NOT weight, but size. It has its uses, obviously but 9.7" just happens to be right in the wheel-house for portability, screen size, weight, everything else, IMO.
 
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