More than %90 of my use of my iPad Pro is in landscape mode.
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iPad Pro I’ve come to a new conclusion regarding 11” vs 13” iPads
- Thread starter Adelphos33
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More than %90 of my use of my iPad Pro is in landscape mode.
Sitting, not walking or standing.
That is, the situations for which a portable device is created.
But if you have to sit down then buy an iMac, at 1/4 of the price you have a 24" that is definitely productive of the more expensive iPad Pro, and it's also good for watching videos.
Surface Pro. But in the end, I don't care where the volume buttons are - even at my advanced age, I'm adaptable.
I've never been able to find my ideal iPad setup since 2017.
Originally I had 9.7" to 10.5" class iPad devices and back then it was honestly simpler. In 2021 I branched out and got the 12.9" iPad Pro M1 for the screen and the Magic Keyboard to go all-in on a mobile system. Well, I found iPadOS ultimately lacking and due to the size I rarely reached for the device and as a result it became a glorified T.V. At some point I ended up with a heavily discounted iPad mini 6 on a whim and found that I was using it 75%+ of the time.
I didn't like having multiple iPads so with the M4 generation I consolidated the larger Pro and mini into an 11" iPad Pro M4. However, about six months later I purchased an iPad mini 7 because of how much I missed the form factor. Now I'm considering bumping the iPad Pro 11" to a 13" in the next cycle for greater differentiation and just accepting that one iPad will be used way more than the other.
Originally I had 9.7" to 10.5" class iPad devices and back then it was honestly simpler. In 2021 I branched out and got the 12.9" iPad Pro M1 for the screen and the Magic Keyboard to go all-in on a mobile system. Well, I found iPadOS ultimately lacking and due to the size I rarely reached for the device and as a result it became a glorified T.V. At some point I ended up with a heavily discounted iPad mini 6 on a whim and found that I was using it 75%+ of the time.
I didn't like having multiple iPads so with the M4 generation I consolidated the larger Pro and mini into an 11" iPad Pro M4. However, about six months later I purchased an iPad mini 7 because of how much I missed the form factor. Now I'm considering bumping the iPad Pro 11" to a 13" in the next cycle for greater differentiation and just accepting that one iPad will be used way more than the other.
A MacBook is portable but you don’t really see folks using it while standing (unless there’s a flat surface they can put it on).
How is an iMac 1/4 the price? Maybe if you bought all the optional accessories for the iPad and got the top storage.
As for the sitting, you pretty much need to be sitting in front of a desk to use the iMac. I can easily carry and use the iPad sitting in bed, the couch, patio, poolside (in shade), etc. Heck, I’ve even used it sitting on the sidewalk (long line for an anime convention). Can’t do that with the iMac.
Besides, the devices don’t have to be an either/or situation. I have Windows-based work and personal desktops (along with a couple of rarely used laptops). When I’m at home though, I prefer to use the iPad. I prefer it on the go, as well. I like the iPad better than iPhone and used 9.7”/10.5” iPads as my daily driver before getting the mini 6.
And you know well why: because it's a computer, and computers are used while sitting, because keyboards are used horizontally, if you're fond of wrists.
How much does a 2Tb 13" iPad Pro with matte screen option, keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro cost?
An iMac starts at $1299
If you want a tablet and not a laptop, the cost of an iMac is totally irrelevant.
Yup.
Besides, the entry level 13” iPP starts at $1299, too, albeit with only 8GB RAM and no keyboard although it does have 1 more CPU core and 2 more GPU cores than the base iMac.
I just checked the cost for iMac with 10-core CPU/10-core GPU, nano-texture and 2TB SSD and it was $2499. The iPad Pro with all the bells and whistles is still pricier but it’s far from being 4x the price of an iMac.
Yeah, I don't weigh the cost of something I want against something I know I absolutely do not want. I weighed the merits of the 13" Pro and MKB and decided I would take them at the going price, eyes wide open. This argument to buy a laptop in lieu of a tablet is ridiculous when you are looking for a tablet. And at any rate, I already had a laptop.
An iPad Pro will always cost too much until it can run macOS.
And you know it too, who hope to make run, one day, macOS.
Love my 13" Pro and hope it never runs MacOS. If I wanted MacOS - and I don't - then I'd buy a Mac.
I didn’t understand what the new conclusion is. You buy a 13” iPad if you want a tablet that is larger than 11”. That has always been the case.
Value is subjective.
Personally, I don't really care about macOS. I'd be more interested in Windows virtualization.
The M1 iPad Pro 12.9" cost me a little over $2,200 with tax (1TB cellular, no accessories). I use it for 6-8 hours 5 days a weeks since May 2021 so I consider that money well spent.
Meanwhile, I got the M1 MacBook Air for around $1,300+ (512GB) back in December 2020. I only used it for a total of 100 hours tops so kind of a waste. Its only utility is troubleshooting iCloud/iPad on very rare occasions.
Yeah the 13"/MK/Pencil + iPad Mini combo is the most ideal setup for me even though my 13" doesn't get nearly as much use as my Mini. But when I do use my 13" it's for pretty important tasks that are frustrating to do on the Mini, so that's how I justify its existence. And one middle size device doesn't work for me because then I feel frustrated on both ends, when I want a bigger screen and when I want a smaller device. I do really like having the bigger size differentiation—I find more range of utility.
Just the opposite for me - the 13/MK get the most use, the Mini 6 the least (I'd even say minimal use at this point). Personal preference, of course, and it's nice having the options.
In what situations do you use the Mini? I use it at home for all my casual consumption and quick tasks, and it’s my phone replacement when at home.
Funny - I never use it at home, only when I want something larger than my phone when out and about (it's a cellular model). I also use it at times in the backcountry for mapping purposes; I got the cellular model mainly for the GPS. I did cartographic work and navigation s/w development so it's a bit of a hobby in my retirement.
Interesting. Those are great uses for the Mini. Wish my life required more of those uses.
An iMac also doesn't fit very conveniently in a backpack or carry-on, and it's pretty hard to set up and use in my car or on an airplane. I can use an iPad sitting on top of a mountain miles from civilization, I can't usually seem to find electrical outlets for an iMac in places like that. 😆
I have a 24" iMac, it stays on the desktop in my office at home where it belongs. It's irrelevant that the iMac cost less than a similarly equipped iPad Pro, my use cases for an iMac and iPad are completely different from each other.
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I quote a famous aphorism attributed to Oscar Wilde.
Don't understand that buying a 13" iPad (because they still don't do it for 24", but I'm sure you'll run to buy it as soon as it's available!) calling it "Pro" when at half the price you can buy a 24" screen (because as a tv video editor of professionals who blind themselves on a 13" I haven't seen any) with a real and really "Pro" operating system and even thinking of making fun of it is typical of those subjects stigmatized by Wilde.
😅
What is “pro”? A professional use case could be video editing, but it could also be LiDAR scanning, where the iPad excels. Or CAD, where an iPad can be (surprisingly) very good in some cases. In general, for “complex” professional use cases, an iPad is not the best device, because those normally require the precision of a mouse and keyboard, and power makes a big practical difference.
But even in that category: I think many tech people are not aware of how many complex use cases are perfect for the iPad form factor, as the ones I mentioned. Usually, we hear complains from people whose main goal is not best accomplished by an iPad (video editors, developers, etc.). It’s funny to read about making the iPad better for power users; the iPad already has power users, it’s just a different set of people.
And besides that, there are many “simple” use cases which are entirely professional, even if in MacRumors they would be absolutely demoted. Reading and researching on an iPad Pro can be much nicer and comfortable than doing it on a $4000 Mac. And it can lead to more professional impact than editing a movie. And for that kind of user, who values a very easy-to-use OS, with great capabilities to take notes, perfectly adapted to either portrait or landscape, etc. iPadOS can be a much more professional operating system than macOS.
Both laptops and iPads have their place for different use. And my favorite combo would be a 13” MBA with iPad Mini for the ultimate power and portability.
While we're playing the opinions game, I think that an iPad running macOS is absurd. A super awkward touchscreen device running an OS that's not touch optimised with interface elements that are too small and close to accurately hit, that is severely thermally limited, and will throttle whenever a slightly demanding task needs to be performed. I think that touchscreen laptops in general are an ergonomic mess that don't bring anything useful.
They're just opinions though. They're valid for me, but they're not universal rules.
The great thing about the iPad is its versatility. There isn't a wrong way to use it, and everyone adapts it to their use case. Mine iPad Air 2 is locked into landscape because that's the way it works best for me. One day when I have the money, I'll upgrade to a 13" iPad Air, because my eyes are crap, and I want a bigger screen.