Thinking of getting 12.9” iPad Pro

[Mike B]

Anyone here use a 12.9” iPad Pro as a daily driver ? Was thinking of getting one to replace my 2008 model Thinkpad T61. I don’t use my laptop for anything but YouTube, Netflix, online forums, banking / bill paying etc. so nothing fancy like CAD or heavy gaming.

Wanted the 12.9 size since I love the big size and would take it with me on trips, work etc. love the quad stereo speakers too. Plus I already have an iPhone to go along with it.

All comments welcome !

[Albusdabbledore]

When I’m on planes etc I use mine. The new iPadOS is nice too


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[abelxo]

Love the iPad and iPad OS! But I’ve started to use the surface pro and it is an amazing device aswell!


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[Blansky]

I have an office computer and use it a lot but I use an iPad for everything from reading books in bed and on the beach, to movies on planes to cruising the internet, to sheet music for the piano etc.

The smaller size is for every day and the large is for sheet music.

[Wcdhtwn]

I have the smaller iPad Pro and use it for reading, watching TV on the road or when the wife is sleeping and she gets bad the big TV is on. I really like it. I have the keyboard and the pen, but haven’t found a use for the pen yet, at least for my needs.

But I don’t think I’d have one as a replacement for my laptop. I have three monitors set up to my laptop and like being able to multitask on different screens. I know the Pro models offer some split screen capability but nothing like what my laptop setup offers. But if you don’t use multi screens then the iPad Pro is a good choice.


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[cop414]

I use the pro 11 and love it especially since I came from a mini. The one thing that I did have to get used to was the weight compared to the mini but otherwise I would recommend it.
We have a MacBook, two iPhones, 3 iPads, her 5 watch and our iPod.
We drank the Apple kool aid long ago.

[Dr. Robert]

I thoroughly enjoy my iPad

[crew]

I have both sizes of the iPad Pro.
The smaller one (11”) is cellular enabled while the larger one (12.9”) is just Wifi.
I like them both a lot. I use the smaller one for when I venture out of the house and the larger one mostly inside. The larger size is especially nice for reading books, newspapers...however it’s a bit heavy for travel use, IMO.

[77T]

When I’m at the track, the original iPad Pro is the daily driver. At home it gets about 70% of lap time.

The MacBook Pro is the other 30%.

But I also run a Lenovo Media Center and a MacMini for utility work on 60” monitor for photo/video edits.

I do recommend it but you will need to stick with it to learn all the best apps to replace a normal notebook. I’d also get the Apple Pencil and the keyboard cover to fill out the capabilities.


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[lig]

I’ve gone from laptops and desktops to 90% iPad Pro - even for photo editing. For your use case you will be very happy.

[bobernet]

Originally Posted by Mike B

Anyone here use a 12.9” iPad Pro as a daily driver ? Was thinking of getting one to replace my 2008 model Thinkpad T61. I don’t use my laptop for anything but YouTube, Netflix, online forums, banking / bill paying etc. so nothing fancy like CAD or heavy gaming.

Wanted the 12.9 size since I love the big size and would take it with me on trips, work etc. love the quad stereo speakers too. Plus I already have an iPhone to go along with it.

All comments welcome !

I’ve been iPad only at work and at home for a couple years. The large pro is my work “computer” and is used at a desk 99% of the time. I also have the smaller pro that I use as both a tablet and a laptop replacement. I generally travel with just the smaller of the two.

I have the Smart Keyboard for both. No regrets, and I never miss my MacBook Pro. I use the pencil for markup, signing docs, and occasional rough sketches/diagrams.

[Mike B]

Thanks for the comments everyone !

Looks like I’ll be picking one up !

[GB-man]

I have an older iPad Air and elected to pickup a couple MacBook airs for the wife and myself. We use them for very light use as you describe. I think it’s best to have both honestly but between the pro with keyboard and the air, I preferred the air.

[Mike B]

My mom who’s retired and stays home most days LOVES her iPad Air. I think she has the iPad Air 2. She’s had it for about 3 years and is on it every single day for at least 7-8 hours per day maybe even more. It’s been flawless for her, easy to use, etc.

Part of me wants to wait until the next generation is released which supposedly is pretty soon, since Apple came out with the current iPad Pro series refresh over a year ago already.

[uscmatt99]

I love my iPad Pro 11" and I think it will be perfect for your usage. It's better than a laptop for media consumption. It's actually really good for productivity stuff as well, I use Numbers, Notes, and Adobe apps all the time. The main thing I don't like is the file management (I do photography for fun), it's just not up to snuff for that even with the new Files app and iPadOS.

If you plan on typing at all, I'd recommend getting the Apple keyboard folio as well. Just enough protection, great stand, way easier to post to TRF, and it's all magnetic so easy to remove and replace.

[mountainjogger]

I have run a pair of MBP's for many years. They usually last about 5 years of hard travel.

Sit anywhere and polish up a brief and file it electronically. Throw it in my pickup and go to the next meeting. They take a beating.

Currently running a 13 and 15. The 13 is lighter and easier to carry. It is my go to for travel.

I always carry it in a Waterfield backpack. Made specifically for the Mac. https://www.sfbags.com/

And yes. The fact that it syncs with my iPhone and iPad is a big plus.

Spend the extra for the Mac. If you rely on your laptop, you won't forget it.

[mountainjogger]

And... my spouse uses an iPad pro for client meetings and checking her email while she travels. Bought the first iPad pro that came out. It has also taken a beating.

Not held up quite as well as my Mac Book Pro's but close.

[PrecisionTimes]

Ipads are great, so easy to carry around just bring it everywhere. And the quality is just better compared to some of the other brands. The iPads last so long.

[joli160]

I have the same dilemma as the OP.
Thinking of changing my Macbook Air for an iPad Pro as well.
After the Catalina update it's very slow starting up.

Not having the track pad on the keyboard of the iPad is giving me doubts. I use that thing all the time.

[ttomczak]

I’m writing this on my 12.9 pro, the only thing I have found an issue with is sometimes safari is not as ‘friendly’ as a non-mobile browser. But this is an exception, not a rule.

Enjoy.

[breitlings]

fantastic device. I would think about it as a second or third device, but it's very good. All of them really even the first one outperforms an Air 2 by a good bit.

[replicator]

Got one for my wife with the apple keyboard and she loves it. Pretty much uses it for streaming and surfing while she’s in the kitchen.

[Johndong888]

I think that's all it's good for. Basic streaming and surfing. I much rather get a surface

[mschafer]

I love the big one. Brilliant for movies and photos and casual use with some horsepower if needed. I also enjoy the Apple news app and read a nice variety of magazines available. As well as NYT app. Couldn’t imagine doing this on a smaller device, but I do suggest taking a good look at the new earpod pro, nice companion to the pad. The size is just ok for travel and a bit heavy for books but certainly doable. I use it daily at work, which is my main objective.

[Fat_ninja]

Too big to watch those nauti....lus videos tbh. Just saying.

[Runnin' Rebel]

i have the 12.9 PRO with ZUGUICASE
It’s been a champ


I still use my 9 inch at times although not very often

[Mike B]

Ended up getting the 12.9” WiFi / cellular 64GB version. Found a KILLER deal on one on eBay. It was an open box brand new for $720 shipped. Now I’m beginning to think that the 64GB will not be enough.

I don’t really do any gaming on my phone. In fact my current phone is an older 7+ that has 32GB and I still have 4gigs of storage left. Plus I have 50GB on the cloud that I pay Apple .99 a month for. So I figure I have that too didn’t need the 256 model. Plus “normally” it would only be another $100 for the next GB model but because I got such a good deal on this one the next step up would’ve been almost $300+ more.

OR - I could just give this one to my girlfriend as a Christmas gift and wait until the 2020 iPad Pro comes out haha not sure what to do here

[uscmatt99]

64GB is pretty tight, enough room for the OS and Apps, leaving you to stream or cloud access everything else. It annoys me that they even offer this, it should start at 128GB and then go to 256GB and 1TB. Good news is that now you can use external memory much more easily than in the past on a little USB-C drive. So if you want to carry media, or files, keep it on a little Samsung T5 drive.

[77T]

You should be fine with the 64GB as far as iOS & Apps go. You’ll chew up a tad over 5GB for System Files. Then need a bit more than the same amount free to do updates.

Routine Apps and their cache could take up another 10GB. I’ve used a 12” Pro with 128GB and currently use 17.5GB. But I am a big proponent of iCloud for several reasons. For you, the primary advantage is avoidance of iPad bloat.

Your choice of storing documents, photos, video and music on the device vs iCloud will be the measure of your success inside the 64GB.

I suggest optimizing your iPad sorage in iOS 13. Here’s how:

Settings > General > iPad Storage > Offload Unused Apps.

Settings > Photos > iCloud Photos.

Settings > (iMovie, Keynote, Numbers, Pages) > Document Storage > iCloud Drive. [NOTE: you must do each one of those separately]

The other reason for iCloud is the ability to handoff work in progress amongst your Apple devices. Plus you’ll have a saved document available anytime, anywhere on any device that’s logged into your iCloud account...


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[Mike B]

Originally Posted by 77T

You should be fine with the 64GB as far as iOS & Apps go. You’ll chew up a tad over 5GB for System Files. Then need a bit more than the same amount free to do updates.

Routine Apps and their cache could take up another 10GB. I’ve used a 12” Pro with 128GB and currently use 17.5GB. But I am a big proponent of iCloud for several reasons. For you, the primary advantage is avoidance of iPad bloat.

Your choice of storing documents, photos, video and music on the device vs iCloud will be the measure of your success inside the 64GB.

I suggest optimizing your iPad sorage in iOS 13. Here’s how:

Settings > General > iPad Storage > Offload Unused Apps.

Settings > Photos > iCloud Photos.

Settings > (iMovie, Keynote, Numbers, Pages) > Document Storage > iCloud Drive. [NOTE: you must do each one of those separately]

The other reason for iCloud is the ability to handoff work in progress amongst your Apple devices. Plus you’ll have a saved document available anytime, anywhere on any device that’s logged into your iCloud account...


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Thanks for the great tips !! I will do this as soon as I get the iPad in !

Also - I did exactly what you recommended for my iPhone as well - and it turns out I already had all that going for me on the iPhone already. So that’s a good thing.