What are the actual benefits of an iPad Pro?

[Cool Pup]

Hey everyone, I was contemplating the notion of getting myself an iPad Pro after the realization that I haven't upgraded my portable tech in quite some time. With the new iPhone on the way, I figured that maybe it was time to put up my beloved Mini 4 and get with the iPad Pro and what it could offer. I'm intrigued also with the big enhancements iOS 11 offers the iPad with multitasking and function, but it seems like it could be better with a larger screen and better processor of the Pro.

But that's the thing — what does it offer? I'm not an animator and I have no interest in drawing with the pencil, but yet, I'm ultimately curious for the usability of the machine of the prospects of replacing a laptop in terms of browsing and communication. As someone who uses a computer for a living, is it somewhat tangible this time and not a faux experience like you have with the iPad Air?

Thanks, I just know nothing about the Pro models of iPad and want a little crash course in the potential uses and benefits of one for someone that is a "professional" user of MacOS and have had little patience in the past with iPads and tablets that profess to "replace" laptops — does the iPad Pro finally meet that standard and what is it like traveling with it and using it for professional and casual means?

 

[darkarn]

It's big in many ways...

Ok wait, that's not what I mean.

I mean, it has the biggest screen, which mean it is easier to view and use. It can have the biggest capacity if you choose to go for it, meaning you can store quite a lot of files but YMMV cos iOS. It is also one of the fastest if not the fastest tablet in the market currently.

But really, buy according to your needs. Or rather, can we know why you want to give up your Mini other than wanting to move on with the times (which itself is a good reason but surely there's more, right?)?

 

[Cool Pup]

It's big in many ways...

Ok wait, that's not what I mean.

I mean, it has the biggest screen, which mean it is easier to view and use. It can have the biggest capacity if you choose to go for it, meaning you can store quite a lot of files but YMMV cos iOS. It is also one of the fastest if not the fastest tablet in the market currently.

But really, buy according to your needs. Or rather, can we know why you want to give up your Mini other than wanting to move on with the times (which itself is a good reason but surely there's more, right?)?

Certainly there's more reasons. I'm getting the larger phone and the size discrepancy is no longer needed. I'm looking for a replacement to carrying around my MBP when traveling and the work done on a Mini is currently completely impossible for what I need it for.

Plus, I like the hardware, looking for some user experiences when it comes to usability and laptop replacement qualities and whether or not it's too bulky or heavy to accommodate using a keyboard or general browsing or filling out spreadsheets and the like.

Also, are there any major differences in the hardware between the 10.5 and the 12.9 screen sizes, or is it just the resolution?

 

[gadget123]

Certainly there's more reasons. I'm getting the larger phone and the size discrepancy is no longer needed. I'm looking for a replacement to carrying around my MBP when traveling and the work done on a Mini is currently completely impossible for what I need it for.

Plus, I like the hardware, looking for some user experiences when it comes to usability and laptop replacement qualities and whether or not it's too bulky or heavy to accommodate using a keyboard or general browsing or filling out spreadsheets and the like.

Also, are there any major differences in the hardware between the 10.5 and the 12.9 screen sizes, or is it just the resolution?

I updated from my Air 2 and it doesn't do much different the larger screen isn't noticeable over the 9.7" and true tone isn't that great I considered switching it off. It does have better speakers and a camera flash.

Over all if you don't need the pencil well I'm not seeing too much different.

I bought it because I can keep it a few years like my Air 2.

 

[maflynn]

For me, it was getting the most for my money, I was coming from a 2nd gen iPad mini. The larger screen, access to a stylus and keyboard were the selling points. Ram and blazingly fast processors were also a plus

 

[Cool Pup]

For me, it was getting the most for my money, I was coming from a 2nd gen iPad mini. The larger screen, access to a stylus and keyboard were the selling points. Ram and blazingly fast processors were also a plus

Good to hear. Do you have the 10.5 or the 12.9?

 

[maflynn]

Good to hear. Do you have the 10.5 or the 12.9?

I had both

I used the 12.9, but found that too large, so returned it and bought the 10.5, and found that to be perfect for my needs and usage

 

[Abazigal]

Hey everyone, I was contemplating the notion of getting myself an iPad Pro after the realization that I haven't upgraded my portable tech in quite some time. With the new iPhone on the way, I figured that maybe it was time to put up my beloved Mini 4 and get with the iPad Pro and what it could offer. I'm intrigued also with the big enhancements iOS 11 offers the iPad with multitasking and function, but it seems like it could be better with a larger screen and better processor of the Pro.

But that's the thing — what does it offer? I'm not an animator and I have no interest in drawing with the pencil, but yet, I'm ultimately curious for the usability of the machine of the prospects of replacing a laptop in terms of browsing and communication. As someone who uses a computer for a living, is it somewhat tangible this time and not a faux experience like you have with the iPad Air?

Thanks, I just know nothing about the Pro models of iPad and want a little crash course in the potential uses and benefits of one for someone that is a "professional" user of MacOS and have had little patience in the past with iPads and tablets that profess to "replace" laptops — does the iPad Pro finally meet that standard and what is it like traveling with it and using it for professional and casual means?

It would be easier if we knew what you want to be able to accomplish with a computer.

As a general rule of thumb, it will be able to do what you can get done on an iPhone. Of course, some things will be easier because of the larger screen, tablet-optimised apps and features such as split-screen multitasking, but some things will remain flat-out impossible. What you couldn't go on your previous iPad Air, you likely still can't do now.

The funny thing about an iPad, from my experience, is that it is both more and less than a conventional laptop. As a teacher, I find there are certain things it does better than my MacBook Air (or even my school-issued windows laptop), just as there are some things I still need a computer to get done. I was able to work around some of the limitations (i.e.: using Copied to get around the awkwardness of copying and pasting multiple chunks of text, cloud storage to obviate the lack of support for storage media, workflow to automate certain more cumbersome tasks and Siri to get around tedious data entry for apps like calendar and reminders). But these took time (and a lot of experimentation and trial-and-error) before I finally found a workflow I was comfortable with. You must want to make it work, and believe enough in the vision of using an iPad as your primary computing device see enough value in this to want to make it work.

For me, what the iPad offers is a great combination of battery life, portability and ease of use. I like being able to scan documents (made more convenient now that it's integrated directly into the notes app) and annotate on them directly using the Apple Pencil. It's awesome for presentations. Yes, apps tend to be dumbed down, but as a teacher, my needs are fairly straightforward, and I appreciate their simplicity. I have the 4g 9.7" iPad Pro, and it's handy to always have internet access no matter where you are. I have an Apple TV in my classroom, which lets me project my iPad to the projector screen from anywhere in the room. At home, the iPad is my main entertainment and reading device.

So yeah, what would you like to be able to do on an iPad?

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

Minus pen input for things like PDF markups and drawing, there’s not really much to differentiate most use cases for an iPad Pro versus a straight iPad. You can get BT keyboards, etc for both classes of devices. Apps are the same so really no differences there either.

So what it really boils down to is the differences between an iPad/iPad Pro and a laptop. And it’s here where I tend to find some subtle differences. OSX/Windows are full featured computing environments. IOS is first and foremost a mobile computing OS. And of course the tablet form factor although you can get hybrids in the Windows world that do both tablet and full laptop configuration also.

For me, it’s that tablet form factor that really sets the iPad/iPad Pro apart for mobile computing purposes. It’s instant on. There’s almost zero “systems maintenance” tasks you have to perform (or wait for the system to auto-perform for you). Your ability to rapidly move between multiple apps is smoother, even if more limited. Watching a movie when a message pops up on a laptop? You can certainly re-arrange your windows to do both at same time. But on a mobile computing platform like iOS it’s far faster (didn’t used to be but is now). The ability to do all of this with gestures and finger presses and on a tablet form factor means you can do it sitting in an airplane seat, at a crowded conference room table, in the backseat of an Uber or even while walking. It’s made for everyday multitasking although the full OS diehards will insist that it’s not really multi-tasking at all since you often are pausing one activity to go do another. But for the average user, it’s multitasking as you NEED it to work.

The tablet form factor is also much easier to share when working collaboratively with someone else. On a laptop, I generally have to slide the device over to someone else’s workspace and show them what I’m seeing or working on (I’m in the custom fabrication business and thus share designs and pictures with clients often while working with them live). On my tablet, I just hand the device to them. No matter their familiarity with Windows or OSX, they don’t stumble around with the tech to immerse themselves in the picture I’m trying to share with them. They intuitively grasp the need to pinch to zoom, or to use their finger to move focus. So many people who are Windows users struggle with the Mac touchpad at first and same is true for OSX users confronted with a Thinkpad or Dell touchpad the first time. With a tablet, especially an iPad, it’s just pickup and go. My 2 year old niece literally picked up my wifes’ iPhone and started using it without any instruction at all. It’s just that simple and intuitive, and that lack of thinking helps remove the tech barrier and let you focus straight in on the content instead, which is more meaningful than many people realize I think.

I’ve got a 10.5 Pro now, but I only really bought it to get a couple years out of future proofing my purchase. It’s not a laptop replacement, but there are things I don’t need a full laptop to do and still be productive. It fits the bill for me.

 

[Precursor]

Health benefits
Nothing beats reading comics in bed for relaxation
First had the 10.5, was squinting my eyes way too often to be able to read the tiny text, bought 12.9" after that and never looked back

 

[darkarn]

Certainly there's more reasons. I'm getting the larger phone and the size discrepancy is no longer needed. I'm looking for a replacement to carrying around my MBP when traveling and the work done on a Mini is currently completely impossible for what I need it for.

Plus, I like the hardware, looking for some user experiences when it comes to usability and laptop replacement qualities and whether or not it's too bulky or heavy to accommodate using a keyboard or general browsing or filling out spreadsheets and the like.

Also, are there any major differences in the hardware between the 10.5 and the 12.9 screen sizes, or is it just the resolution?

Well, I used to have a huge laptop and a 9.7 iPad Air. I can safely say that the 12.9 iPad Pro is way less bulkier than the huge laptop. Its screen being larger than the Air makes it easier to use my fingers to manipulate objects in the screen. For my games, it means I can stretch out my hands and space out my fingers so they won't hit each other, allowing me to play much better

Unfortunately, it cannot replace a laptop fully yet as some programs are simply run better on the Mac and Windows laptops

 

[jamesrick80]

Minus pen input for things like PDF markups and drawing, there’s not really much to differentiate most use cases for an iPad Pro versus a straight iPad. You can get BT keyboards, etc for both classes of devices. Apps are the same so really no differences there either.

So what it really boils down to is the differences between an iPad/iPad Pro and a laptop. And it’s here where I tend to find some subtle differences. OSX/Windows are full featured computing environments. IOS is first and foremost a mobile computing OS. And of course the tablet form factor although you can get hybrids in the Windows world that do both tablet and full laptop configuration also.

For me, it’s that tablet form factor that really sets the iPad/iPad Pro apart for mobile computing purposes. It’s instant on. There’s almost zero “systems maintenance” tasks you have to perform (or wait for the system to auto-perform for you). Your ability to rapidly move between multiple apps is smoother, even if more limited. Watching a movie when a message pops up on a laptop? You can certainly re-arrange your windows to do both at same time. But on a mobile computing platform like iOS it’s far faster (didn’t used to be but is now). The ability to do all of this with gestures and finger presses and on a tablet form factor means you can do it sitting in an airplane seat, at a crowded conference room table, in the backseat of an Uber or even while walking. It’s made for everyday multitasking although the full OS diehards will insist that it’s not really multi-tasking at all since you often are pausing one activity to go do another. But for the average user, it’s multitasking as you NEED it to work.

The tablet form factor is also much easier to share when working collaboratively with someone else. On a laptop, I generally have to slide the device over to someone else’s workspace and show them what I’m seeing or working on (I’m in the custom fabrication business and thus share designs and pictures with clients often while working with them live). On my tablet, I just hand the device to them. No matter their familiarity with Windows or OSX, they don’t stumble around with the tech to immerse themselves in the picture I’m trying to share with them. They intuitively grasp the need to pinch to zoom, or to use their finger to move focus. So many people who are Windows users struggle with the Mac touchpad at first and same is true for OSX users confronted with a Thinkpad or Dell touchpad the first time. With a tablet, especially an iPad, it’s just pickup and go. My 2 year old niece literally picked up my wifes’ iPhone and started using it without any instruction at all. It’s just that simple and intuitive, and that lack of thinking helps remove the tech barrier and let you focus straight in on the content instead, which is more meaningful than many people realize I think.

I’ve got a 10.5 Pro now, but I only really bought it to get a couple years out of future proofing my purchase. It’s not a laptop replacement, but there are things I don’t need a full laptop to do and still be productive. It fits the bill for me.

Exactly how I feel about my tab S3 and Galaxy tabPro S

 

[Cool Pup]

Minus pen input for things like PDF markups and drawing, there’s not really much to differentiate most use cases for an iPad Pro versus a straight iPad. You can get BT keyboards, etc for both classes of devices. Apps are the same so really no differences there either.

So what it really boils down to is the differences between an iPad/iPad Pro and a laptop. And it’s here where I tend to find some subtle differences. OSX/Windows are full featured computing environments. IOS is first and foremost a mobile computing OS. And of course the tablet form factor although you can get hybrids in the Windows world that do both tablet and full laptop configuration also.

For me, it’s that tablet form factor that really sets the iPad/iPad Pro apart for mobile computing purposes. It’s instant on. There’s almost zero “systems maintenance” tasks you have to perform (or wait for the system to auto-perform for you). Your ability to rapidly move between multiple apps is smoother, even if more limited. Watching a movie when a message pops up on a laptop? You can certainly re-arrange your windows to do both at same time. But on a mobile computing platform like iOS it’s far faster (didn’t used to be but is now). The ability to do all of this with gestures and finger presses and on a tablet form factor means you can do it sitting in an airplane seat, at a crowded conference room table, in the backseat of an Uber or even while walking. It’s made for everyday multitasking although the full OS diehards will insist that it’s not really multi-tasking at all since you often are pausing one activity to go do another. But for the average user, it’s multitasking as you NEED it to work.

The tablet form factor is also much easier to share when working collaboratively with someone else. On a laptop, I generally have to slide the device over to someone else’s workspace and show them what I’m seeing or working on (I’m in the custom fabrication business and thus share designs and pictures with clients often while working with them live). On my tablet, I just hand the device to them. No matter their familiarity with Windows or OSX, they don’t stumble around with the tech to immerse themselves in the picture I’m trying to share with them. They intuitively grasp the need to pinch to zoom, or to use their finger to move focus. So many people who are Windows users struggle with the Mac touchpad at first and same is true for OSX users confronted with a Thinkpad or Dell touchpad the first time. With a tablet, especially an iPad, it’s just pickup and go. My 2 year old niece literally picked up my wifes’ iPhone and started using it without any instruction at all. It’s just that simple and intuitive, and that lack of thinking helps remove the tech barrier and let you focus straight in on the content instead, which is more meaningful than many people realize I think.

I’ve got a 10.5 Pro now, but I only really bought it to get a couple years out of future proofing my purchase. It’s not a laptop replacement, but there are things I don’t need a full laptop to do and still be productive. It fits the bill for me.

Fantastic write-up, thank you. I'm desiring a mobile device to temporarily replace a computer in the time frame of say, a few days and some minor workloads and to use for some casual cases like video watching and the like. A week+ and I'd need a MacBook Pro for the processing and usability power I need. I don't expect this to replace a computer because of the functional tasks that a laptop can do, including large scale multi-tasking, multiple tabs, and so forth, but the minor scale lower key stuff that I think the Pro could handle better than my Mini can almost certainly in the case that I simply don't want to hassle with traveling with my MBP but don't want to drop off any sort of work or casual browsing for a minor period away from MacOS.

I'm currently thinking of siding with the 10.5 thanks to a few posts here and your own, it seems to fit the tablet/computer middle ground very well without many compromises needed.

What about storage? Does anyone here have any issues with the 64GB model? I have a 64GB Mini and I have about 10GB left with much I can sacrifice in the way of needless fluff like games and so forth. Has anybody really had a point where they cannot fit the files they need on there? I don't think it'd be much of an issue for me, but the next size up is quite a large increase and I'm wondering if there's a need to futureproof it by going the next step up if people have accounts where they might have wished they had gotten the larger size.

Also, is it safe to say this iPad will be a strong machine for 3-4 years? I don't like to upgrade iPads very frequently and like to finish out the AppleCare warranty and then some just to validate the purchase.

 

[itsmilo]

I switch back and forth between my old iPad Air 2 and my iPad Pro 10.5 and honestly i barely notice the difference in screen size and truetone to me is downright annoying. It looks like a little bit more subtle nightshift to me so i turned it off.

I only really use my Apple Pen cuz the screen is such a finger print magnet and so hard to remove! Its probably the anti reflection coating, and i thought the Air 2 was bad with this ...

only really got it cuz i was on vacation in Dubai and there was no tax lol

 

[bxsonic]

As someone who has been using the 12.9" iPad Pro regularly for over a year, I do feel that Apple needs to make it thinner, smaller and lighter than it currently is. I do believe that the 10.5" is more ideal for portability.

However, if multitasking using split view is something that is important, the difference in screen size and resolution results in a bigger difference than just a bigger view of the apps. For example, in apps that support it such as Safari for example, split view on the 12.9" means that the app is showing the full iPad version (with tabs) while on the 10.5" it is basically an enlarged version of the iPhone one (without tabs. Similar to the 9.7"). Because of this, I basically use the 12.9" 95% of the time in landscape orientation, essentially having 2 apps side by side at all times. With the addition of drag and drop in iOS 11, I really think the 12.9" is superior to the 10.5" because of how much better it is in split view mode

 

[Brenster]

10.5 user here, upgraded from a 2017 non-Pro iPad last week. Advantages for me over the non-Pro iPad:

• keyboard cover. Whilst not doing serious productivity on my iPad, the productivity I do do using MS Office iOS apps is much improved with the keyboard cover. The keyboard itself is ‘good enough’ for serious use and not having the onscreen keyboard occluding half of the screen is a definite boon. Also folds back neatly for so the iPad stands at a just off vertical angle for video viewing in the kitchen.
• Speakers. As an avid YouTube watcher in the kitchen and Apple Music subscriber everywhere, the louder stereo speakers are terrific. And listening to Audible audiobooks over the roar of the kettle boiling, dishwasher running etc is great. Previous iPad was drowned out by environmental noise in the kitchen.
• HDR. Having moved to ‘digital first’ over buying physical media, getting my purchases and rentals in HDR (where available) is a bonus.
• Larger screen. Although 10.5 is only a slightly bigger number than 9.7 in absolute terms, the screen itself provides a much bigger canvas on which to work and read. Apps snapped side by side retain their legibility much better relative to the 9.7
• ProMotion and TrueTone. I thought TrueTone wasn’t making much difference until I turned it off and everything turned ‘laser blue’ and harsh. TrueTone is much easier on the eyes and I’ve grown to really appreciate it. ProMotion is equally good, so the entire OS is buttery smooth. Mostly appreciated in the Kindle app on page turns.

So far I’m finding the iPad Pro to be as ‘personal’ as my phone relative to my MBP; not surprising as its running the same apps config & settings as my phone.

There are still things that my iPP cannot do that my MBP can. However, for my own usage scenario, the gap has closed massively with iOS to the point that my iPP has replaced 95% of my MBP usage. Productivity, banking, music & movies, ereading as well as the usual web browsing, email, iMessages etc.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Hey everyone, I was contemplating the notion of getting myself an iPad Pro after the realization that I haven't upgraded my portable tech in quite some time. With the new iPhone on the way, I figured that maybe it was time to put up my beloved Mini 4 and get with the iPad Pro and what it could offer. I'm intrigued also with the big enhancements iOS 11 offers the iPad with multitasking and function, but it seems like it could be better with a larger screen and better processor of the Pro.

But that's the thing — what does it offer? I'm not an animator and I have no interest in drawing with the pencil, but yet, I'm ultimately curious for the usability of the machine of the prospects of replacing a laptop in terms of browsing and communication. As someone who uses a computer for a living, is it somewhat tangible this time and not a faux experience like you have with the iPad Air?

Thanks, I just know nothing about the Pro models of iPad and want a little crash course in the potential uses and benefits of one for someone that is a "professional" user of MacOS and have had little patience in the past with iPads and tablets that profess to "replace" laptops — does the iPad Pro finally meet that standard and what is it like traveling with it and using it for professional and casual means?

You would likely use the iPad Pro like your Mini but enjoy the Pro more. So fast and promotion is really nice to use.

If you have to find a reason, maybe your mini is still good for you.

 

[Loge]

• ProMotion and TrueTone. I thought TrueTone wasn’t making much difference until I turned it off and everything turned ‘laser blue’ and harsh. TrueTone is much easier on the eyes and I’ve grown to really appreciate it. ProMotion is equally good, so the entire OS is buttery smooth. Mostly appreciated in the Kindle app on page turns.

As you have the Kindle app on the 10.5, do you find it OK in terms of the text sharpness, given that it has not (AFAIK) been updated for this device, and is showing the 9.7 version scaled up?

 

[spooklog]

For me the compelling difference between the Pro and the non-Pro is the much superior look and feel of iOS on the iPad Pro. Much of this comes from ProMotion and TrueTone. But the Pro's RAM and much faster CPU provide a very distinct experience which is noticeably lacking on non-Pro iPads. Then again, all of this is pretty much subjective, and your mileage may vary.

 

[Brenster]

As you have the Kindle app on the 10.5, do you find it OK in terms of the text sharpness, given that it has not (AFAIK) been updated for this device, and is showing the 9.7 version scaled up?

I read for several hours on it yesterday and didn’t notice any blurriness, although as I wear glasses I’m maybe not the best judge. I also tend to read with a sepia background rather than white to ‘soften’ the impact of reading for any length of time with a harsh backlight.

I’ve no longer got my 9.7 non-Pro 2017 iPad to do a side by side comparison with.

Long story short, I didn’t find text sharpness to be an issue whilst reading yesterday. Will read another chapter over lunch and see if anything stands out knowing it may well be a slight upscale from a 9.7 screen target.

 

[Loge]

I read for several hours on it yesterday and didn’t notice any blurriness, although as I wear glasses I’m maybe not the best judge. I also tend to read with a sepia background rather than white to ‘soften’ the impact of reading for any length of time with a harsh backlight.

Thanks for the reply. My eyes are not as good anymore, so I'm guessing this won't be an issue for me.

 

[Cool Pup]

Thanks you guys for the answering of questions! Looks like Best Buy is having the 10.5 inch models on sale for 550 right now, looks like now is a great time to upgrade.

 

[SuperMiguel]

Thanks you guys for the answering of questions! Looks like Best Buy is having the 10.5 inch models on sale for 550 right now, looks like now is a great time to upgrade.

i used my student discount to buy it, where i get free beats headset... but now with this $100 off they are not that free, thinking about returning it and buying it at bestbuy

 

[ventuss]

The iPad Pro Is now my only computer. I use it for college, work, Recording and editing my videos for YouTube, some picture adjustments.. though as you can see I am not a power user.

 

[SuperMiguel]

The iPad Pro Is now my only computer. I use it for college, work, Recording and editing my videos for YouTube, some picture adjustments.. though as you can see I am not a power user.

Power user what does this even mean???? i can ssh into 100s of massive servers from my ipad.. does this mean im a power user?