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iPad M1 iPad Pro 5 years on

C

Ctrlos

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Sep 19, 2022
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Just a check in really with anyone else still running the M1 iPad Pro since its 2021 release?

Mine has been a faithful companion over the last 5 years, my work computer away from work. I know many people don’t see the iPad as a workhorse yet mine gets shoehorned into all sorts of tasks from LiDAR scanning locations to editing videos of experiments. Being able to record in 4K on the 0.5x camera, edit and share all from the one device reduces so much friction.
 
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I am running all sorts of iPads, my M1 still runs great on iPadOS 26.1 (2TB model), but the oldest I am running is my A12X (1TB 6GB RAM on iPadOS 17) and it's snappy.
The most used one however is the M4.
As long as the iPad has enough RAM for the OS it's running I'd say any pro from 2018 is pretty fast.
 
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Digitalguy said:
I am running all sorts of iPads, my M1 still runs great on iPadOS 26.1 (2TB model), but the oldest I am running is my A12X (1TB 6GB RAM on iPadOS 17) and it's snappy.
The most used one however is the M4.
As long as the iPad has enough RAM for the OS it's running I'd say any pro from 2018 is pretty fast.
Click to expand...

Yes, sage advice. My old A12 iPad Pros struggle with iPadOS 26 bigtime.
 
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If it wasn’t for an issue on the USB C (not 100% reliable for data and charging), I would have kept my 12.9 M1.
But now that I’ve upgraded to the M5, I must admit that I appreciate, more than I thought, the lighter weight, the new Magic Keyboard (had the Logitech Combo on the M1) and the OLED screen.
 
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Kevinm1 said:
If it wasn’t for an issue on the USB C (not 100% reliable for data and charging), I would have kept my 12.9 M1.
But now that I’ve upgraded to the M5, I must admit that I appreciate, more than I thought, the lighter weight, the new Magic Keyboard (had the Logitech Combo on the M1) and the OLED screen.
Click to expand...
I've had a similar issue for years. My phone always works first time with a USB-C hub and HDMI yet the iPad always needs a few takes.
 
My 11" still works as well as it did at start, though I've avoided 26 thus far as I'm pretty happy with 18. Unfortunately my use cases changed so it hasn't been as vital as I expected, but I've still enjoyed its company.

I've been tempted to swap it to the upcoming iPad Mini 8, but I'm uncertain if the M1 is too much better than whatever it'll have.
 
I still use M1 iPad Pro 11” with MK for reading and zoom every day. No issues so far (iPadOS 18). Just slightly slower than original iPadOS version (15?).
 
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Ctrlos said:
Just a check in really with anyone else still running the M1 iPad Pro since its 2021 release?

Mine has been a faithful companion over the last 5 years, my work computer away from work. I know many people don’t see the iPad as a workhorse yet mine gets shoehorned into all sorts of tasks from LiDAR scanning locations to editing videos of experiments. Being able to record in 4K on the 0.5x camera, edit and share all from the one device reduces so much friction.
Click to expand...
Have you replaced the battery or anything? I have an M2 iPad and battery life is my only issue. It only lasts an hour or two of just moderate use. Otherwise, it's still amazing at almost every task. Thanks!
 
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I have a 11” iPad Air M1 and it has been fine with iPadOS 26. Since it’s mostly a media consumption device for me I want to update to a newer model to take advantage of the hardware video decoding for YouTube and other video apps. And of course the battery doesn’t really hold up as well these days too.
 
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I had a 12.9 M1 iPad Pro for a few years. Great device. Downsized to the iPad mini 7. My wife had a 2018 12.9 iPad Pro that worked unbelievably well for her photography editing. We just replaced with the iPad Pro 13 back in December. iPads are awesome devices, especially the Pros.
 
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I got my 11 inch M1 iPad Pro refurbished from Apple in Feb of 2024, so not at launch. But I still love the heck out of it. Gets used daily, not a hint of lag (it’s a freaking M1 processor after all), and paired with the Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folios I snagged for cheap it’s almost the only computer I need these days.

Someday I’ll trade up to an M9 or whatever CPU iPad is current when this one gives up the ghost. But that won’t be for a LONG time to come.
 
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I have an 11" M1 iPad Pro I bought as a refurb from Apple a few years back. Despite trying several different ways to integrate it into my workflow, I realized I really hate iPadOS and determined it's not a device that's going to provide "productivity" value to me. So I use it for couch surfing and a screen for watching items on my Plex server or streaming when I'm on the exercise bike, etc. That's about it, so it's still very functional. Overkill, really—I'm sure it'll work great for those tasks for years to come. When it dies or becomes unusably slow or whatever, I'll retire it and doubt I'll replace it.
 
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cateye said:
I have an 11" M1 iPad Pro I bought as a refurb from Apple a few years back. Despite trying several different ways to integrate it into my workflow, I realized I really hate iPadOS and determined it's not a device that's going to provide "productivity" value to me. So I use it for couch surfing and a screen for watching items on my Plex server or streaming when I'm on the exercise bike, etc. That's about it, so it's still very functional. Overkill, really—I'm sure it'll work great for those tasks for years to come. When it dies or becomes unusably slow or whatever, I'll retire it and doubt I'll replace it.
Click to expand...
Our launch-day A12X iPad Pro 11" is my favorite Apple product, and after 7 years I still can't find a consistent use for it. That's why it's hard for me to upgrade/replace it, even with all the insane deals on M4s at Costco this week.

(I'm not throwing shade on anyone else's use of the iPad. It's such a cool device!)
 
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I use my 11" IPP M1 mostly when away from home, as an alternative to my MacBook Pro. It also get used at home occasionally to stream sport events. Still working great.
 
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My M1 iPad Pro is my most heavily used device. It’s still running fine after getting it in Oct 2021.
It will probably last me another 2-3 years because I’m a basic user, so 7-8 years longevity all up,
I only got the pro because I wanted the speakers, but it’s probably worked out cheaper than getting the basic model
 
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I would still buy a used M1 12.9" IPP if I could find a clean one with a new battery.
Having Thunderbolt would be nice with my audio interface and external SSD, though I have an M1 Mac Mini 16/512 for that.

I'm using an A12Z 12.9" IPP since new, and the only thing really wrong with it is a slightly bent frame which makes replacing the battery impossible. It runs fine on 26 for me.
 
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ScanTheNavian said:
My 11" still works as well as it did at start, though I've avoided 26 thus far as I'm pretty happy with 18. Unfortunately my use cases changed so it hasn't been as vital as I expected, but I've still enjoyed its company.

I've been tempted to swap it to the upcoming iPad Mini 8, but I'm uncertain if the M1 is too much better than whatever it'll have.
Click to expand...
I did try that for a stint. On one hand it was better for reading and playing games. It made a nice little portable TV for train journeys. But I found I missed the screen size and 11" is still quite 'mini'. The thing that put me off was the awful jelly scroll.
 
I replaced my M1 11" with an M5, not because the M1 was slow or anything; I just wanted the OLED display, the thinness and lightness, and the better magic keyboard.
 
I’ve been using a 12.9" M1 without any issues. I’m hoping to get a solid 8–10 years out of it, ideally carrying me close to the release of the M10 processor.
 
Digitalguy said:
I am running all sorts of iPads, my M1 still runs great on iPadOS 26.1 (2TB model), but the oldest I am running is my A12X (1TB 6GB RAM on iPadOS 17) and it's snappy.
The most used one however is the M4.
As long as the iPad has enough RAM for the OS it's running I'd say any pro from 2018 is pretty fast.
Click to expand...
100% RAM is the biggest factor for Apple devices as their A and M chips are beats for CPU/GPU.

That’s why for years apple were always behind android for RAM because prior to Apple Intelligence and Liquid Glass, the OS just didn’t need as much RAM.
 
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