So I went all in on an iPad Pro in 2021 after wanting to try replacing my laptop with it for years. I got a 12.9” M1 iPad Pro, Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil 2. I managed to go iPad only for months, but, as most on these forums seem to do, I ended up going back to Mac after I found the iPad frustrating and incapable for certain tasks. Plus, there was the Apple Silicon revolution for Macs which resolved a lot of my issues with Macs.
Now, my iPad only gets used for a few hours a week. Most of that use is done on the Magic Keyboard, meaning that I’m mostly just using it as I would my MacBook Pro. I tend to pick up MacBook Pro over my iPad now because it’s just easier to do the things I want to do, even if it’s just consumption. For example, I can use Firefox on Mac with uBlock Origin, have multiple tabs and windows open, and never worry about any of the tabs reloading or crashing or the adblock not working. My MacBook Pro is better for watching movies because its display has much less blooming compared to my iPad, the screen is larger and adjustable to more angles. It’s starting to feel pretty wasteful knowing that something I spent around $1,500 for something that only gets used a few hours a week and most of its use case can be done the same on my other devices (MacBook or iPhone).
Really, the only things I think I would miss from the iPad are the portability (compared to my MacBook Pro), large touch screen, and occasional Apple Pencil use. For portability, it’s way easier to bring to places than my 16” MBP is, but I rarely bring either device out of the house anyways. The iPad is also still pretty heavy and bulky with the Magic Keyboard anyways. It’s actually pretty bulky to use as just a tablet compared to the 11” size too. Having a large touch screen is nice and feels more futuristic, fun, and immersive than a trackpad and keyboard on a laptop, but again, the 12.9” isn’t great to use as a tablet, so I tend to use it with the Magic Keyboard anyways For Apple Pencil use, I do like to make art and and do jigsaw puzzles, but that’s maybe once a month. I used to take a lot of handwritten notes, but I rarely do anymore.
Right now, it seems to make sense for me to just sell my iPad while resale values are still good. My laptop replacement experiment didn’t work. The iPad doesn’t really fit my lifestyle anymore. I don’t have enough time in the day to really use it. So what’s the problem? My fear is that in a few months from now, I’ll regret having sold it and just end up buying a new one and spending more money overall. I also absolutely hate the process of selling electronics online, and I’d have to sell three different electronics (iPad, Magic Keyboard, and Pencil) unless I did an all-in-one listing which I don’t know would work since it would look high priced compared to other similar iPads being sold. What would you do in my situation?
Also, please note that buying a different iPad really isn’t an option to me. I don’t really have an interest in any of the other iPads because I really value high contrast displays (mini-LED or OLED) and ProMotion. Also, if my whole reason for selling my iPad is because I don’t use it enough, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me to just buy a different, albeit cheaper, iPad if I’m still going to use it much (and probably would use even less since it’s not really an iPad I want anyways).
Thank you in advance for any responses and perspectives!
Now, my iPad only gets used for a few hours a week. Most of that use is done on the Magic Keyboard, meaning that I’m mostly just using it as I would my MacBook Pro. I tend to pick up MacBook Pro over my iPad now because it’s just easier to do the things I want to do, even if it’s just consumption. For example, I can use Firefox on Mac with uBlock Origin, have multiple tabs and windows open, and never worry about any of the tabs reloading or crashing or the adblock not working. My MacBook Pro is better for watching movies because its display has much less blooming compared to my iPad, the screen is larger and adjustable to more angles. It’s starting to feel pretty wasteful knowing that something I spent around $1,500 for something that only gets used a few hours a week and most of its use case can be done the same on my other devices (MacBook or iPhone).
Really, the only things I think I would miss from the iPad are the portability (compared to my MacBook Pro), large touch screen, and occasional Apple Pencil use. For portability, it’s way easier to bring to places than my 16” MBP is, but I rarely bring either device out of the house anyways. The iPad is also still pretty heavy and bulky with the Magic Keyboard anyways. It’s actually pretty bulky to use as just a tablet compared to the 11” size too. Having a large touch screen is nice and feels more futuristic, fun, and immersive than a trackpad and keyboard on a laptop, but again, the 12.9” isn’t great to use as a tablet, so I tend to use it with the Magic Keyboard anyways For Apple Pencil use, I do like to make art and and do jigsaw puzzles, but that’s maybe once a month. I used to take a lot of handwritten notes, but I rarely do anymore.
Right now, it seems to make sense for me to just sell my iPad while resale values are still good. My laptop replacement experiment didn’t work. The iPad doesn’t really fit my lifestyle anymore. I don’t have enough time in the day to really use it. So what’s the problem? My fear is that in a few months from now, I’ll regret having sold it and just end up buying a new one and spending more money overall. I also absolutely hate the process of selling electronics online, and I’d have to sell three different electronics (iPad, Magic Keyboard, and Pencil) unless I did an all-in-one listing which I don’t know would work since it would look high priced compared to other similar iPads being sold. What would you do in my situation?
Also, please note that buying a different iPad really isn’t an option to me. I don’t really have an interest in any of the other iPads because I really value high contrast displays (mini-LED or OLED) and ProMotion. Also, if my whole reason for selling my iPad is because I don’t use it enough, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me to just buy a different, albeit cheaper, iPad if I’m still going to use it much (and probably would use even less since it’s not really an iPad I want anyways).
Thank you in advance for any responses and perspectives!
