It looks like the embargo for the first round if iPad Pro reviews dropped today and there are a bunch of them out there. Of the ones I’ve seen so far I particularly like Rene Ritchie’s review over at iMore:
I’m never going to forget Steve Jobs, sitting on that keynote stage, sitting in that Le Corbusier chair, going so deliberately through all the features of the just-revealed iPad, showing them off for the first time.
All that technology, all in that one glass and aluminum slab, becoming anything he wanted it to be at the tap of a link or the opening of an app.
But it wasn’t everything it could be, not yet. Not back then. It was the first attempt. The hint. The starting point that showed everyone, inside Apple and out, where it could go.
A tabula rasa. An infinity screen. Technology made transparent.
And this new iPad Pro… well, it isn’t it. Not yet. But it’s just as obviously the biggest step forward since the original. Bigger than iPad 2 and iPad Air, bigger than the original Pro.
The new hardware, coupled with the ability and willingness of companies like Adobe to finally ship completely full-featured versions of Photoshop that handle enormous files and all of the tools and brushes of the desktop version, are opening a new door on what could be possible with iPad Pro — if Apple are ready to embrace it.
> Get the 12.9”. Personally, I’ve been carrying the 10.5” since it came out. While I loved the massive screen of the previous 12.9”, it just felt too large and heavy and the 10.5” felt right. Now the new 12.9” actually feels much more like the older 10.5”, but with the massive screen I love. When holding it, it feels compact and it’s hard to believe it’s the 12.9”. It’s the best of both worlds.
I find it interesting that both Matt Gemmell and Austin Mann both initially worried they’d gotten the wrong sized iPad when they first got their 12.9 Pros.
Went to my local Apple Store today, traded in my 6S Plus when purchasing an XSmax - it’s a nice step up, but aside from the convenience of FaceID with 1Password it’s surprisingly not as huge a leap forward as I’d somehow expected, and the additional screen estate may not be enough for reading ebooks as I’d hoped.
Anyway, I checked out the new iPad Pros. I’m definitely getting one eventually but I still can’t decide on which size to get. The 11" is easily one-hand-holdable, which would be fantastic for movies and books in bed, but I can see the potential for more productive and pleasurable real work on the 12.9" (which I think is too big for easily managing for reading in bed). I have to figure out how I most expect to actually use the iPad…
Also, I didn’t fall in love with the folio keyboard. I’m betting/hoping that next year we’ll see support for pointing devices so for the time being I’ll probably use the iPad Pro with my Apple Bluetooth keyboard and a $9 Khomo smart case.
In the downstairs area where people got their purchases configured I saw just one iPad Pro being set up, but several iPhones XS models (no XRs), a couple of people upgrading their Watches, and one Macbook Air sold to a longtime iPhone user who’d never owned a Mac before and had to ask how to turn on and off the machine(!).
I checked out the new iPad Pros at my local Apple Store yesterday. I have a 9.7 Pro now, so I was on the fence about maybe moving up to the 12.9 instead of the 11 since the form factoid is so different than the prior jumbo models.
The thing that killed the 12.9 for me was the weight with the cases attached. With either the folio smart case or the Smart Keyboard, which are how I would actually use the iPad, the 12.9 was significantly heavier that the identically outfitted 11 inch. The heavier weight makes it significantly more difficult to use hand-held for me, and turned out to be a deal-breaker.
When I got home, I ordered a new 11 inch, gray 256 with LTE, with the keyboard case and folio cover. I have to wait a couple weeks for delivery, but the delay will be worth it since checking out the new form factors in person was important for me to investigate. One can look at Web sites, pictures, and read all the reviews, but there is no substitute for actually holding him playing with the actual device before you make a decision.
I thought that Marco’s video review was especially good. Apple loaned him a 12.9" and he purchased an 11", then compared them at the same time. He preferred the 11", although he was clear what his uses were for the machine, and they don’t include being a laptop replacement.
I’m leaning towards the 11" but after having just purchased the iPhone XS Max and being slightly deflated with some post-acquisition dysphoria, I’m wondering if perhaps an interim 9.7" iPad would be sufficient for use over the next year instead. Costco has the 128Gb iPad for $350 ($50 off), and I’d feel better about gifting it to a nephew if and when I had a better idea of how I’d want to use an iPad Pro. (Right now the lack of trackpad support, printing support and external file management stymies my attempts to be anywhere near as productive as I am on my Mac.)
I’m curious what you find lacking in terms of printing? I don’t do much printing on the iPad, but my impression was between AirPrint and apps like Printer Pro the printing situation was fairly well covered.
