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Jacoblee23

macrumors 65816
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Nov 10, 2011
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I just sold my Air 2 to the 256 cellular 10.5 pro. I also have a mini4 and a 12.9 first gen cellular pro. I feel like the 10.5 is the perfect size. I am a speech pathologist and use my iPad for therapy. I was using my 12.9 but it was a bit too cumbersome to carry around all day and the air 2 was too small. This 10.5 is perfect. The fact that it's the cellular version is just icing on the cake.
 
If my wallet was ready for one, I'd rather use a 13".

Portability is irrelevant to me because I already carry a 15" MBP around and I don't find it that difficult.
 
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It is for me too. I'm highly mobile and the 10.5 gives just enough additional screen space over the 9.7 to make a huge difference in usability while still being very light and so small you hardly know its in your bag. It's the ultimate portable computer.
 
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10.5 would be the preferable size to me.

I just bought a 9.7 Pro, and the only feature of the newer Pro that tempted me to spend another $200 plus is the size. ProMotion would be nice but not nearly as important to me. I can also function nicely with 2GB RAM. 9.7" works well, but 10.5" would be ideal.
 
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10.5 would be the preferable size to me.

I just bought a 9.7 Pro, and the only feature of the newer Pro that tempted me to spend another $200 plus is the size. ProMotion would be nice but not nearly as important to me. I can also function nicely with 2GB RAM. 9.7" works well, but 10.5" would be ideal.

Agree. I think the slight increase to the 10.5 was ideal. Then add the 40% reduction of bezels and it made the display look much more refined.
 
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The 10.5 seems huge next to my Air 2, and makes watching video and reading a different experience. The ProMotion technology sold me on it, however. I only had to touch the screen for a moment or two at Best Buy to see how buttery smooth it was. Ten minutes later it was mine.
 
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The 12.9 would be too big for me. I'm already moaning about using my 9.7 inch air 2 on my commute. If I got the 12.9 I'd only use it at home to watch videos. Then I'd still need a 9.7 inch iPad for regular use. I think 10.5 is a nice size because it's bigger than the 9.7 but not as cumbersome (my opinion) as the 12.9 inch.

Anyhow I'm on my way to my local Apple Store to have a look and buy. I did briefly have a look about 1.5 months ago at a tech store near me but their display models are rubbish. Sometimes they are not even turned on. There wasn't even an Apple Pencil to try with it or the Smart Keyboard.
 
The only iPad I've had before was the iPad mini 4. And I sold it within a few months, as I noticed that I never really used it. Just didn't feel the need for it at the time. With the introduction of iOS 11 however, Apple got me hyped again. So I decided to give the 10.5-inch model a try. Or well, a try isn't the right word maybe. :p

Anyway. My dad does have an iPad Air 2. I did a quick comparison, just for the sake of it. And to be honest, I think 10.5-inch is perfect! 9.7-inch is fine, no problem with that one. And it's not like it's a massive difference. However, the reduction of the bezels while at the same time making the screen bigger makes up for a good size in my opinion. You get a bit more screen estate, without the iPad feeling as big as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. And I did try that one out in the store. Boy, that thing is yuge! Maybe it's because I don't have big hands, but still... They should at least reduce the bezels on that one too. Not only would it make that model slightly more portable, it also looks nicer!

The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is as portable as the 9.7-inch models in my opinion. Add to that of course the incredible performance and that ProMotion display. It was almost like the iPad Air 2 stutters, even though I never noticed that. :p
 
I don't actually like tablets much usually, only got the 12.9 as a computer, not a tablet.

So the 10.5 is my first real tablet, but I've tried 9.7 and 8.9 devices for reading before and they're not as good as this.

They can reduce the top and bottom bezels, but not really the sides unless they make the glass curved as it'll be hard to hold. So maybe the perfect size will end up being around 12" once the form factor comes down? Right now this is it.
 
Perfect size is relative to how one uses the device and personal comfort. That's why it's great all of Apple's products come in multiple sizes rather than a "one size fits most."
 
The 10.5 iPad Pro is the Goldilocks of iPads. The 12.9 is to big. The 9.7 is too small. The 10.5 is just right.:)
 
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On the contrary I thought the earlier 9.7" iPad Pro was a man made marvel it was incredible light and thin and portable and amazing device and the size was just too perfect not too big not too small ! I am little irked Apple made the transition from 9.7" to 10.5"
 
I'm glad its the perfect size for your needs. For me the perfect size is the mini. Big enough to do all my iPad tasks, and small enough to fit in my jacket pocket when out and about.
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On the contrary I thought the earlier 9.7" iPad Pro was a man made marvel it was incredible light and thin and portable and amazing device and the size was just too perfect not too big not too small ! I am little irked Apple made the transition from 9.7" to 10.5"

Dimensionally, the height only increased by 0.4", and the width by 0.2" :p
Though Id be irked too because I like to use the free MS office apps.
 
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Size? If we're just talking size then I think 12.9 to 15 ish inches would be the perfect size. The problem is actually *weight*. When I tried the 12.9 inch I really liked the size, but it wasnt comfortable to hold because of its weight. If it was the size AND WEIGHT of a piece of paper then it would be the better size device.

(Actually the lever force generated by the length of the device is part of what I'm calling "weight", but that's just a physics semantics difference)
 
On the contrary I thought the earlier 9.7" iPad Pro was a man made marvel it was incredible light and thin and portable and amazing device and the size was just too perfect not too big not too small ! I am little irked Apple made the transition from 9.7" to 10.5"

I wonder how much the increased size was as much for marketing as anything else. I do like the idea of the 10.5 but wouldn't have considered the 9.7 too small, otherwise. I suspect that the 2017 iPad Pro without the increased size but with the new features would have been met with less enthusiasm than is the case with the release of the 10.5.
 
On the contrary I thought the earlier 9.7" iPad Pro was a man made marvel it was incredible light and thin and portable and amazing device and the size was just too perfect not too big not too small ! I am little irked Apple made the transition from 9.7" to 10.5"
I agree. The 10.5 is a great device but I preferred the 9.7" pro and bought one on sale from Best Buy last week for $400. Win win!
 
On the contrary I thought the earlier 9.7" iPad Pro was a man made marvel it was incredible light and thin and portable and amazing device and the size was just too perfect not too big not too small ! I am little irked Apple made the transition from 9.7" to 10.5"

As a one size fits all or most tasks, agreed. 9.7 > 10.5,

I really like my 12.9, but I acknowledge the tablet-ness takes a little more of a backseat wielding wise

But I’m really really enjoying 12.9 for immersion, less bezels would be nice but also would turn into a 10.5 situation imo where my hands partially obstruct the sides holding it in portrait, and i have to hold it more carefully

The same bezels on 12.9 and 9.7 are perfect, its the top and bottom in portrait that i think could use a more needed trim
 
11.5, in my dreams of course.

honestly I don't believe the perfect size exist. You either go small or go big - not perfect!

I'm leaning towards 10.5 because it's the ideal one of the 2 sizes (considering I already got a 13 inch MBP), but the only thing that makes me second guess myself is the potential of multi view + slide view on top of it. The iPad 10.5 should not have the option for a third app, in my opinion. Why would I want to cover up one of my app in split view with slide view?

And I've heard that they both fail to give you a comfortable experience in bed. 12.9 is obviously challenging to hold in your hands after a while. The 10.5's thin bezels will be causing trouble when laying in bed and the screen will sink a bit into your bed sheet, pillow (stomach?). It's going to be uncomfortable to pull up the dock.
 
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