Update to iPad pro?

[ThirteenCinders]

Hey everyone,
I'm a college student trying to decide if I want to upgrade to the iPad pro. I got my mom's 4th generation iPad recently, so I can actually sit where I want and use the Internet. My MacBook Pro refuses to use wi fi now, but don't want to replace it just for that. So the iPad would be for class notes, surfing the web, and apps. Would it be worth it for me to get the iPad pro for myself?
I am content with the old iPad right now, but I kind of want more processing power and the big screen. Size is no problem for me since I'm use to carrying my 15 inch MacBook Pro. Also I am trying to decide to ask for my birthday (April) or Christmas (December) since the first run of any product tends to have its issues. Any input would be really helpful.

 

[engineerben]

Well, obviously it's your call, but it depends on several factors:

Are finances a factor? The IPP isn't cheap, the the IP4 isn't all that old. If it's just for content consumption, I'd consider staying with the IP4 (I'll be upgrading from an older IP2 myself.)

You mentioned note taking. The Apple Pencil may be a draw for you, and may make the IPP worth the expense all by itself. I hate organizing paper notes, and having everything in one place sounds ideal for my use case.

As far as first run issues, I wouldn't worry about it. Inside, it's still an iPad. Apple knows how to build CPUs, display drivers and radios, so I don't see this as a first-run product. And if there are manufacturing issues, Apple is great (in my personal experience) about resolving problems.

Just one caveat: if you're expecting to do a lot of intensive computing on the IPP, you might want to consider a notebook instead. As many others have mentioned, the IPP will be great for content consumption (web, movies, TV) and some content creation (sketching, art creation, light word processing) but not so good if your workflow involves tools specific to the PC/Mac environment (Photoshop is the canonical example).

Enjoy!