To iPad or not to iPad?

[forza69]

Just looking for purchase input on an iPad. I used to have an iPad Air but I gave that to my mom so I’m looking to get a new one. I was thinking the Pro 10.5” 64GB. Is it worth it? You guys think Apple might release an updated iPad soon, maybe something iPhone X-like? Should I wait?

 

[BenTrovato]

Just looking for purchase input on an iPad. I used to have an iPad Air but I gave that to my mom so I’m looking to get a new one. I was thinking the Pro 10.5” 64GB. Is it worth it? You guys think Apple might release an updated iPad soon, maybe something iPhone X-like? Should I wait?

The 10.5 is a great device. If you want to wait for something new, go for it. Price will also be more expensive if that’s a factor.

 

[augustya]

Depends on your patience and how long are you able to hold it ? The new iPad Pro is still a long way, 6 months a minimum, if you think you want something right now which you need really badly go for it right now. If you had any iPad right now I would have suggested you to hold on. But since you don't I think you should go for it. But only you and you can make that decision.

 

[BeanieMan]

I heart my iPad pro 10.5, though my usage of it is in phases, depending on the type of work I'm doing. The size is perfect.

typical uses: email, google docs, browser, reading PDFs, reading news, some tv shows for portability, rough freehand engineering design concepts in sketchbook, chatting in Hangouts, kid videos (PBS kids, Nick Jr, etc), other kid entertainment (mostly sketchbook).

Of course, more substantial work (coding, CAD, whatever) requires a real computer. Don't expect to change your whole workflow as a result of having an iPad. For me, it's more of a luxury of portability for a subset of work.

Your guess is as good as anybody's when new iPads will come out and what features it will have. Subject to those guesses, you're the only one who can decide if the wait is potentially worth it. I personally think edge to edge screen all around would be pretty nice. Button isn't too necessary anymore. I've already started primarily using the gestures in iOS that make the button unnecessary.

I would consider keyboard and (to a somewhat lesser extent) apple pencil to be necessities with the iPad pro. I always suggest to people to max out the internal storage, although i suppose iPads are not so often used for gathering gobs of photos and videos. I currently have 55GB of music and 25 GB of photos/videos on my iPad, 98 of 256 GB used. Pretty sure I set my account to sync all full res photos/vids from iPhone to iPad though.

 

[forza69]

Yeah I need it now. I’m starting some courses on coursera and want something easy to use and even easier to carry around. I’ve been watching a few YouTube videos on the 10.5 and everyone loves it. Looks like I’ll be the owner of a new 10.5” Pro tomorrow
[doublepost=1519189222][/doublepost]

I heart my iPad pro 10.5, though my usage of it is in phases, depending on the type of work I'm doing. The size is perfect.

typical uses: email, google docs, browser, reading PDFs, reading news, some tv shows for portability, rough freehand engineering design concepts in sketchbook, chatting in Hangouts, kid videos (PBS kids, Nick Jr, etc), other kid entertainment (mostly sketchbook).

Of course, more substantial work (coding, CAD, whatever) requires a real computer. Don't expect to change your whole workflow as a result of having an iPad. For me, it's more of a luxury of portability for a subset of work.

Your guess is as good as anybody's when new iPads will come out and what features it will have. Subject to those guesses, you're the only one who can decide if the wait is potentially worth it. I personally think edge to edge screen all around would be pretty nice. Button isn't too necessary anymore. I've already started primarily using the gestures in iOS that make the button unnecessary.

I would consider keyboard and (to a somewhat lesser extent) apple pencil to be necessities with the iPad pro. I always suggest to people to max out the internal storage, although i suppose iPads are not so often used for gathering gobs of photos and videos. I currently have 55GB of music and 25 GB of photos/videos on my iPad, 98 of 256 GB used. Pretty sure I set my account to sync all full res photos/vids from iPhone to iPad though.

I was thinking about getting the keyboard case for it and maybe the pencil though the pencil is more of a want than a need. I carry all my music on my iPhone as well as pics. 64GB should be plenty for me.

 

[Sunshoopa]

Good choice! I also went from an Air to a 10.5 it’s amazing. People say it’s expensive, but it’s a little more than the Air I had since I got a 32gb of that (and $50 cheaper than the iPad 2 64gb before that).

 

[augustya]

Yeah I need it now. I’m starting some courses on coursera and want something easy to use and even easier to carry around. I’ve been watching a few YouTube videos on the 10.5 and everyone loves it. Looks like I’ll be the owner of a new 10.5” Pro tomorrow
[doublepost=1519189222][/doublepost]
I was thinking about getting the keyboard case for it and maybe the pencil though the pencil is more of a want than a need. I carry all my music on my iPhone as well as pics. 64GB should be plenty for me.

Yes going for the Apple keyboard and Pencil would be a good decision. Everyone seems to just love it !

 

[mofunk]

I'm using about 20GB so far on my iPad Pro 256GB and I love that I don't have to move around apps or worry about space. I was thinking that the 64GB would still be small considering that the iPad apps are larger than the other iPod/iPhone apps. The camera and speaker on this iPad is very impressive too. This feature isn't huge with me but so far what I've seen is impressive.

When you get yours, play around with it before looking for accessories. I've been toying back and forth with buying the keyboard. Before getting the pencil, I played a bit with my stylus and got similar results. The only thing that I couldn't do with my stylus is the type of shading that you can do with the Pencil.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Brenster]

Yeah I need it now. I’m starting some courses on coursera and want something easy to use and even easier to carry around. I’ve been watching a few YouTube videos on the 10.5 and everyone loves it. Looks like I’ll be the owner of a new 10.5” Pro tomorrow
[doublepost=1519189222][/doublepost]
I was thinking about getting the keyboard case for it and maybe the pencil though the pencil is more of a want than a need. I carry all my music on my iPhone as well as pics. 64GB should be plenty for me.

10.5 pro user here, replying from my iPad with the Smart Cover. This thing goes EVERYWHERE with me. Work for music playback and reference work. Home for distance learning note taking (yellow OneNote!). Kitchen for YouTube videos whilst cooking. Bathroom for Audible audiobook playback whilst taking a bath. Banking & household budgeting in the mornings over breakfast. Occasional ebook reader when my Paperwhite is at home via the Kindle app.

WHilst some of the more advanced note taking has to be done on a desktop class machine (esp mathematical notation), my daily driver is my iPad Pro 10.5 and no longer my late 2011 MacBook Pro.

If you need a highly portable device right now, iPad Pro 10.5 definitely fits the bill. IOS 11 is now good enough with side by side windowing, drag and drop etc to cover most light to moderate productivity work and flies when it comes to media playback. I’m a huge fan of Apple’s own Smart Keyboard cover (although I could use a backlight). See what works for you though, and if you get chance, stop by an Apple store and try out the keyboard in conjunction with either the iWork apps or MS Office, see if it works for you.

 

[thisismyusername]

I'm a big fan of my iPad Pro 10.5. I bought it to replace both my old iPad Mini, which I stopped using a couple of years ago because it was too slow for me for even the simplest of tasks, and my 2012 MacBook Pro (I still have a desktop PC at home for when I need a "real computer"). I wanted something that was ultra portable, good for all the typical day-to-day things one uses an iPad for, watch movies and whatnot while traveling, and just barely "Pro" enough so I can get my work done in a pinch while I'm traveling. It does everything I expected it to do and more. Honestly, I'm surprised at how productive I can be with it, especially when also using Apple's Smart Keyboard.

Now I'm not going to say it's a 100% replacement for a computer but it's good enough where I no longer need a personal laptop in addition to my PC.

Just keep in mind that the iPad Pro with a Smart Keyboard isn't exactly cheap. You're well above the cost of a cheap non-Apple laptop, and almost at the cost of the cheapest MacBook offerrings. However, if ultra portability is one of your highest priorities (it is for me) and can live with only being able to run iOS apps, it's a fantastic device.

I wouldn't bother waiting another 6 months for the next version.

 

[KitnB]

It all depends on your use case, your budget and how long you can hold out for a refresh of the iPad line. From what I'm seeing, a refresh of the NON-Pro iPad and the Mini may be announced at WWDC with a refresh of the Pro line coming later this summer or Fall.

 

[Reno Raines]

I am most likely in the minority here but my iPad 2017 has been awesome. Plenty fast and no slowing down (yet) and was a great price!

 

[augustya]

Absolutely agree Apple has done a good strategy by introducing the 9.7" Non Pro iPad for someone who doesn't the Pro features I think an iPad at tat Price Point is just a perfect deal.

 

[Crow_Servo]

The rumored edge-to-edge iPad probably won’t be out until the Fall, and there’s no telling what it will be like internally (though I’d assume it’ll at least compare to the most recent Pros), so I’d suggest moving on the 10.5” Pro if you like the size. It’s got plenty of processing power and RAM. It’s a great choice that should satisfy for the foreseeable future.

Personally, I downsized from an Air I had for years to the Mini 4 (even though it’s not a big jump internally, just A8 over A7 and 2 GB RAM over 1 GB RAM plus 128 GB storage over 32 GB storage). I wasn’t finding myself grabbing the iPad as much as I’d like at home, nor did I bring it on all my trips (just some of them), all because it was too bulky for me.

But my iPad wants are super casual. Just games, web browsing and streaming videos mostly. Sounds like you’re sold on the 10.5” (I believe you already bought it by now), so enjoy it! Glad there’s an iPad for everyone.

 

[Ffosse]

I'm not using my iPad as much as I'd like, I'm investigating ways in which I could.

You may find the basic iPad a good buy as opposed to the more costly iPad Pros - depends on how you use it, but that's me going round in circles again.

 

[Vegastouch]

Absolutely agree Apple has done a good strategy by introducing the 9.7" Non Pro iPad for someone who doesn't the Pro features I think an iPad at tat Price Point is just a perfect deal.

Agree, i just got the 9.7" iPad on sale for $273. I didnt need the Pro. Too expensive and i dont care about the Pen it comes with.
I would of liked the 128GB version better but it was for my Wife and the 32GB is fine for her. But, .....now she wants her Samsung Tab S2 back because the iPad is too different and it doesn't do some of the things that is easy for her to do on Android(she isnt very tech savvy)....like sharing from any app or site and no back button.
So, im going to keep the iPad for me. This will be the first Apple device ill have since my original iPhone i used in 2010.

Question, is there a way to change the lockscreen picture on it? I always use a picture from my gallery on my devices. I ask because i havent reset it yet for me and we dont have any pics in the photo section yet. Only had it five days.
I have found how to reset it to factory from the device. I used to have to do that on iTunes, lol. Its been a while since ive used iOS.

 

[Crow_Servo]

Yes, you can custom choose the lock screen photo.

 

[Ffosse]

You don't have to use iTunes on iPads these days.

 

[aoaaron]

I'd get one now.

God know what apple are going to do with the next redesign. Possibly another ugly notch on the top of the screen which would potentially KILL ipads for me as my main use is as a media consumption advice and I like to see ALL The media I play.

 

[Precursor]

I was thinking about getting the keyboard case for it and maybe the pencil though the pencil is more of a want than a need. I carry all my music on my iPhone as well as pics. 64GB should be plenty for me.

I'd suggest the pencil more than the keyboard. You can use on screen keyboard or an external one, but the pencil, although you think there is no use for it, will transform the way you see and use your ipad.

 

[Dave245]

Apple are rumoured to be working on an updated iPad Pro with Face ID no home button and slimmer bezels for later this year so i would hold off if i was you. I don't have the 10.5" iPad Pro instead i went for the 12.9" version with Apple Pencil, i love it the Pencil is very responsive and works great for note taking and drawing (as you would expect). The iPad itself is one of my favourite Apple devices (along with iPhone and AirPods) it works really well and since IOS 11 i'm able to get more done with it, drag and drop, multitasking and so on work flawlessly.

The only thing i wish Apple would do is make a version of Final Cut Pro X for the iPad Pro i would then use my iPad for everything with no need to buy a new Mac or MacBook Pro.

 

[Vegastouch]

Apple are rumoured to be working on an updated iPad Pro with Face ID no home button and slimmer bezels for later this year so i would hold off if i was you. I don't have the 10.5" iPad Pro instead i went for the 12.9" version with Apple Pencil, i love it the Pencil is very responsive and works great for note taking and drawing (as you would expect). The iPad itself is one of my favourite Apple devices (along with iPhone and AirPods) it works really well and since IOS 11 i'm able to get more done with it, drag and drop, multitasking and so on work flawlessly.

The only thing i wish Apple would do is make a version of Final Cut Pro X for the iPad Pro i would then use my iPad for everything with no need to buy a new Mac or MacBook Pro.

Well, I'm not hung up on bezels like some here are and I don't use any of the security features like fingerprint, pin# ,etc so face ID I dont need either. Just something else to raise the price. I just want a tablet.

I prefer a Surface Pro to do laptop things because there are some things you just can't do on a tablet that you can and is easier on a laptop. I got the cheaper 9.7" iPad for $273 on sale and a Surface Pro will be next to replace my Lenovo Yoga 11S.

Oh and the Surface Pro comes with the pen. And if you buy it at Costco it comes with the keyboard for the same price every one else sells it without it.

 

[Dave245]

Well, I'm not hung up on bezels like some here are and I don't use any of the security features like fingerprint, pin# ,etc so face ID I dont need either. Just something else to raise the price. I just want a tablet.

I prefer a Surface Pro to do laptop things because there are some things you just can't do on a tablet that you can and is easier on a laptop. I got the cheaper 9.7" iPad for $273 on sale and a Surface Pro will be next to replace my Lenovo Yoga 11S.

Oh and the Surface Pro comes with the pen. And if you buy it at Costco it comes with the keyboard for the same price every one else sells it without it.

You may not but a lot of other people do I love Face ID on my iPhone X it works flawlessly, ever since I switched to a Mac years ago I don’t like Windows so I wouldn’t touch a Surface device with a barge pole but each to their own. It really depends on what you want to do, if it’s just every day tasks such as email, browsing the web, YouTube, Netflix and a bit of word processing the iPad Pro is more than capable.

 

[Vegastouch]

You may not but a lot of other people do I love Face ID on my iPhone X it works flawlessly, ever since I switched to a Mac years ago I don’t like Windows so I wouldn’t touch a Surface device with a barge pole but each to their own. It really depends on what you want to do, if it’s just every day tasks such as email, browsing the web, YouTube, Netflix and a bit of word processing the iPad Pro is more than capable.

I didn't even get the iPad Pro, just the 9.7". Much cheaper and didn't need the pen.
On my phone or tablet I don't use anything to unlock it but I did use the fingerprint part on a few apps on my phone that I buy stuff from like eBay, Amazon. Whatever has my card info on it.

 

[Dave245]

I didn't even get the iPad Pro, just the 9.7". Much cheaper and didn't need the pen.
On my phone or tablet I don't use anything to unlock it but I did use the fingerprint part on a few apps on my phone that I buy stuff from like eBay, Amazon. Whatever has my card info on it.

I also use it for Apple Pay it works well very handy for quickly paying for things. My only complaint is that there’s still a £30 limit in some of the stores here in the U.K

The 9.7” iPad is good if all your going to do is consume content. I personally like the Apple Pencil I think it works well for note taking and drawing. I didn’t get the Apple Keyboard but I think I will when I next upgrade my iPad Pro.