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besides bigger screen, productivity is the same. I will say that split screen would obviously be more useful on the 12.7", still doesn't change that there is not functional difference
So besides an admitted functional difference that you've noted you claim they're functionally the same. Got it. No need for that 65" tv when there's a 55" that is "functionally equivalent."
 
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Even I kind of agree 12.9" iPP is only for select people with select purposes ! I don't know about productivity because should be the same as 9.7", but portability is sure a huge problem with that big thing !!
Yes, portability can be an issue. I have a Swiss Gear bag in which the iPP fits perfectly and I can carry necessary items easily like the Pencil and charging essentials. The "man purse" is much smaller than what I used to carry my MBP. I take it with me almost everywhere I go. As a companion, I have an iPhone 6+. If anyone has a favorite series of apps that they use with the iPG, please share with me.
 
I use my rMB when I need full OS X capability and I traded my iPad Air 2 for the iPad 9.7 Pro for mostly media consumption. The speakers, screen and speed make it excellent for email, movies, editing pictures and even editing 4K video streams. The pencil capability is excellent for scanning/editing PDFs and electronically signing documents. I don't think there is one device that will do everything well, but the rMB and IPP 9.7 covers about 99% of what I need to do and is still extremely portable when carrying both.
 
So besides an admitted functional difference that you've noted you claim they're functionally the same. Got it. No need for that 65" tv when there's a 55" that is "functionally equivalent."

Horrible example you used
 
Just bought the 9.7 Pro. My first iPad since I bought the original iPad 64gb 3G.

After apple crippled my first iPad only 2 years in with un-reversable software updates, I became a bit resentful of apple and ceased my interest in future iPads (Mac/iPhone/iPod user of 20 yrs here).
After all, I had spend like £700+ on a tablet that became near useless 2 years after it went on sale!

But I always knew I would be super interested in iPads again if they created a quality stylus. I work in design you see. And wow!!! This thing rocks with the apple pencil!!

Not to mention that compared to my original iPad this thing is vastly improved in every way. It's thinner, lighter, brighter, sharper, faster, louder, better, more productive . .
 
Do you only use iPads? How is that working for you? I want to sell my MacBook, and just use iPad at home.

I think it depends on your usage. I don't have a need to be on laptop so the transition was very easy and very refreshing. I'd slowly been using iOS more and more over the years so the iPad Pro was just the final step. After a week tweaking the set up and getting used to working totally with iOS it has been great. I prefer it. It feels much easier to use iOS.

I now only use my laptop / hard drive once a week to archive files from my iCloud that I don't want or need to keep on the device or iCloud. And the laptop gets backup as usual every 2 weeks. I doubt I'll be replacing my MacBook Pro - it'll just be an archive. Still not 100% comfortable leaving things in the cloud but it's a work in progress situation - I'm sure end to end private key encryption will happen in the near future.

I can't see myself going back to Mac OS. iOS feels like the future for most users in my opinion.

I don't have the keyboard - i tried it but much prefer the onscreen keyboard + I usually sit on the sofa with a pillow under my iPad.

I have the pencil but don't use it much and should have probably given it back - but kept it for notes as and when I need it - when on phone call or just don't feel like typing.
 
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besides bigger screen, productivity is the same. I will say that split screen would obviously be more useful on the 12.7", still doesn't change that there is not functional difference

Do you even agree that bigger screens are better for productivity and consumption? Not sure where to start here.

Can't all your arguments about the 9.7" > 12.9" be made by someone else arguing the 7.9" > 9.7"? They might think 7.9" is the maximum size for portability and there is no reason for a 9.7" tablet to exist. Who is to say who is right? We make arbitrary lines but it's really just a spectrum.
 
Do you even agree that bigger screens are better for productivity and consumption? Not sure where to start here.

Can't all your arguments about the 9.7" > 12.9" be made by someone else arguing the 7.9" > 9.7"? They might think 7.9" is the maximum size for portability and there is no reason for a 9.7" tablet to exist. Who is to say who is right? We make arbitrary lines but it's really just a spectrum.

I agree that the bigger screen is better for consumption, hence why I'd rather watch a movie on a 60" TV than a 40" TV, but for a portable tablet it's counterintuitive when it comes to portability, which is what the tablet is all about
 
Are we really having a discussion about how non-portable a device that weighs less than two pounds is? Possible a little more than two with a keyboard. These people would hate early notebooks (I think they were called luggables by some people?), and I doubt these people use laptops either with how much they weigh. I feel bad for them, not able to carry such weight.
 
I agree that the bigger screen is better for consumption, hence why I'd rather watch a movie on a 60" TV than a 40" TV, but for a portable tablet it's counterintuitive when it comes to portability, which is what the tablet is all about

My point is though, it's all arbitrary.
 
I understand why people debate this. The 12.9 iPad is new and different and the size is striking. It's easy to be tempted to pick it. If you're a graphic artist, in most cases it's a no-brainer. Paired with an Apple Pencil, it's a Wacom tablet on steroids. But for the rest of us, you need to take a close, hard look at your use case. I still have to use a full PC for most work tasks, so the iPad is my PC alternative for when I don't need full PC capabilities. My iPad is something I use on the go, or while lounging on the couch, or on an airplane. For those needs, the 9.7 hits the sweet spot. I do really admire the 12.9, but it's not optimal for how I use my iPad. If I had extra money to burn, I'd get both, but having to make a choice, the 9.7 is right for me. I think the 12.9 is good for like 10-15% of iPad users, but that's ok. It's great to have choices like this.
 
12.7" Pro just doesn't have the portability factor, can't be held in portrait mode, why is this thing even a tablet again?

Because it's a tablet.
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Same size as a MacBook with a fraction of the productivity

Just doesn't make sense for it exist

I don't like Windows therefore there is no reason for it to exist.

Your logic sucks. Different people have different tastes.
 
Just went Kindle Voyage -> iPad Mini 4 (this was literally a straight trade + $30 on my end.... Craigslist is weird) -> iPad Pro 9.7 for less than $100 on Craigslist. Sometimes I admit I get a little carried away in trying to get the latest/greatest but boy the 9.7" Pro is cool!
 
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Because it's a tablet.
[doublepost=1464152606][/doublepost]

I don't like Windows therefore there is no reason for it to exist.

Your logic sucks. Different people have different tastes.

that's not my point, Windows is SOFTWARE, iPad is HARDWARE, maybe you don't know the difference. The iPad is meant to be portable over everything, the 12.7" negates that portability
 
Just went Kindle Voyage -> iPad Mini 4 (this was literally a straight trade + $30 on my end.... Craigslist is weird) -> iPad Pro 9.7 for less than $100 on Craigslist. Sometimes I admit I get a little carried away in trying to get the latest/greatest but boy the 9.7" Pro is cool!

How is the 9.7 iPad working for you as a e-reader? Personally, I never liked e-ink, but many people swear it's much easier on the eyes than LCD. Do you notice any difference in eye strain?
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The iPad is meant to be portable over everything, the 12.7" negates that portability

If portability is paramount, then iPhones are it. IMO, iPads were always an attempt to combine portability with productivity (remember original iPad had a keyboard dock, and iWorks for iPad was prominently featured in the introduction), and 12.9 is placed more toward the productivity side of the continuum.
 
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that's not my point, Windows is SOFTWARE, iPad is HARDWARE, maybe you don't know the difference. The iPad is meant to be portable over everything, the 12.7" negates that portability

Can we all just agree that the 12.9 is less portable than the 9.7, but still portable enough for some people, and more portable than the 15" laptops that a lot of people lug around? For some, the added screen real-estate of the 12.9 is a game-changer. For others, the large size is inconvenient and outweighs the real-estate advantage. One size does not fit all, and it's nice to have options. And the 12.9 certainly still qualifies as a tablet, just a big-ass one.

How is the 9.7 iPad working for you as a e-reader? Personally, I never liked e-ink, but many people swear it's much easier on the eyes than LCD. Do you notice any difference in eye strain?

My personal take is that it depends, and it's changing as the technology has improved. The main reason I picked up a Kindle is to have a much less expensive device in my hands at a public pool than an iPad (one that I'm not afraid to slip under a towel while I swim), and one which can easily be read outside in direct sunlight. Indoors, the iPad is arguably easier to read because it's backlit, and now with high DPI and True-Tone, the LCD is getting extremely easy on the eyes. LCD vs. e-ink is a way different comparison than it was even a few years ago.
 
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Can we all just agree that the 12.9 is less portable than the 9.7, but still portable enough for some people, and more portable than the 15" laptops that a lot of people lug around?

The smaller something is, the more portable it becomes.
The smaller something is, the more difficult it becomes to use.
Where those 2 lines intersect for people will vary depending on their preferences, needs and abilities.
 
well, im using a 9.7 to correct manuscripts in pdf through notability and its absolutely brilliant! whould i love a 12 inch? yes! shall i get one? no. why? cause i dont want to carry a large one around. if i were an artist or someone needing a larger screen, of course i would have preferred 12 inch version.

i must say, ipad pro 9.7 is brilliant!!! not sure about the lack of a pencil case though. apple design team is crazy or what?
also, the shiny part below the cap is getting scratched! very very poor material choice from apple! even an upstart indian mobile phone maker would have chosen a better material.
 
well, im using a 9.7 to correct manuscripts in pdf through notability and its absolutely brilliant! whould i love a 12 inch? yes! shall i get one? no. why? cause i dont want to carry a large one around. if i were an artist or someone needing a larger screen, of course i would have preferred 12 inch version.

i must say, ipad pro 9.7 is brilliant!!! not sure about the lack of a pencil case though. apple design team is crazy or what?
also, the shiny part below the cap is getting scratched! very very poor material choice from apple! even an upstart indian mobile phone maker would have chosen a better material.

I think this is exactly my opinion (minus the Pencil case, though... I refuse to get a case for a stylus). The 12.9" version would definitely be better for having 2 PDFs side by side, or a page of notes and a textbook. But I want to take the iPad with me, and that's annoying with 12.9", and easy with 9.7".
 
I struggled with this decision, mainly because of this forum. I had ordered my 12.9 then I was reading threads and beating myself up over it being too big, so I ordered a 9.7, only to cancel the order.

I am in LOVE with my 12.9 iPP. I have the Smart Keyboard and I am absolutely in love with how fantastic this setup is for me. The keyboard just makes it IMO. I can type on this thing like no other keyboard I've had (even my apple keyboard with my iMac).

I have used my iMac once or twice since getting the iPP. I am in the process of weeding through and uploading photos so I can sell it. I love the iMac, but can't justify having it just for storage. This iPad does everything I need a device to do, and more.
 
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Many reviews I've read failed to mention the differences between the 12.9" and 9.7" split view mode. For those still trying to decide between the 2, I recommend reading the MacStories 12.9 review which I think helped a lot in my decision to go with the 12.9". The difference is more than just a bigger screen for many apps when used in split view.
 
I find I use my Air 2 just as much as my big iPad Pro. If I'm not going to be using it very long I typically grab the Air 2 - quick web searches, check the weather, email that sort of thing. Longer sessions I'll pick the Pro. If I was actually reading any books right now I'd only pick the Air 2. Any videos I almost always pick the larger screen now. So just get both ;)
 
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