With the new iPad Air, might we see the end of the 11” Pro and a new larger Pro?

Looking at all the reviews on the new iPad Air 4 it would seem that Apple now has a new incentive, perhaps, to discontinue the 11” Pro and instead bump up the Pro line-up to a 12.9” and a 15”. That would differentiate the Pro line-up better now that the Air has moved so close to the smaller current Pro.

Thoughts?

A 15" Pro would be sick for Digital Content Creators.

I agree the 11" feels like the 3rd wheel here.

What Apple just did with the phones (small Pro/big non-Pro being the same size) gives me hope that the 11" iPad Pro will remain. For me, at least, the 11" Pro is the perfect size for a Pro-line tablet.

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My guess is Apple will differentiate by adding features to the 11" Pro (A14X, mini-LED screen, etc.).

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From what I’ve read, most 12.9 iPads rarely leave home. I would imagine that would be even more true of a 15 inch or larger model.

And while I can see the appeal of larger iPads, as quasi-desktops, I find the 11 inch Pro at the upper limit of a constant carry tablet. And the Air is missing most of the features that make the iPad Pro a “Pro”.

I’m somewhat surprised that Apple hasn’t released an iMac similar to the Microsoft Surface Studio. Perhaps they have plans for a 24 in IPad instead.

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My 12.9 iPad Pro frequently travels with me. I prefer to take it over my laptop as long as I don’t have to do any development work, which the iPad still can’t do. I consider it to be the best portable TV I’ve ever had, in addition to everything else it can do.

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Back when I actually left home, my 12.9" went with me pretty much everywhere.

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My theory that the user’s size has something to do with how portable they consider the 12.9” iPad. On average, a taller person with larger hands will be more willing to carry it around, just as they’d be more likely to consider a 15” laptop to be portable.

(I’m tall, and took the iPad everywhere.)

Line up should be: mini air and 11" air (identical processor and features, just different sizes); 11" pro and 12.9" pro (identical processor and features, just different sizes). If they do a 15" iPad Pro, it should be a hybrid (a la MS Surface). Also, maybe a very low end model iPad. All iPads should use USB-C; face recognition; same Apple Pencil.

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LMAO— I feel seen. :wink:

A while back, I had a 10.5” Pro and a Mini 2. Used the Mini 2 grudgingly for taking and referring to notes during meetings, facilitation sessions and presentations, to reduce the size of the device between me and the people I was working with, but I could do everything on a 10.5”— carried it everywhere and could just about wield it one-handed. I balked at the 11” when it first came out; tried it in-store and it felt just a shade bigger. Got one in the end, but I also upgraded my Mini to a (much more capable) 5. The Pro’s a fantastic device, but I use the Mini a lot more these days, and with joy. The 11” is indeed a hair above the comfortable upper limit for an all-in-one mobile device, relative to my dimensions. There are very few countries in the world in which I could be classified as “tall”!

I wouldn’t begrudge anyone a 15” iPad Pro, but I’m leaning in the other direction: saw a few mockups of a Pro Mini earlier in the year, and hoping that becomes a thing.

I would love a 15" iPad. The 11" Pad Pro, as it now, does not make much sense. Perhaps they will just “improve it” to differentiate from iPad Air.

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I have an original 12.9" Pro. It’s still going strong and - when we could travel - it went everywhere with me. Even on a day trip into London I’d take it and not my MacBook Pro.

I’m waiting for the next iPad Pro shoe to drop. If it were a 15" that is what I’d go for. The real estate is so much better used these days.

I do not think that Apple will drop the 11’’ Pro.

Why? Because the Air might be faster as current Pros, but even the two year old Pros win in almost every other category. The Air is a more powerful iPad in comparison to the “normal” iPad, but it is still not in the Pro range. Gruber has a more thoughtful review online in comparison to others out there:

I am looking forward to the next Pro refresh. I am quite sure that it will blow the Air out of the water again. :slight_smile:

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That’s my hope - and expectation. Why would they forego a premium tier in the iPad family?

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Good article, IMO Gruber nailed it. But I don’t share his love of FaceID.

It’s great when my iPad Pro is on an eye level stand, and I’m using a Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. But I hold my iPad in portrait orientation so the camera is always blocked. And FaceID doesn’t work when my iPhone is mounted in the car.

Personally I’d pay extra to have TouchID.

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It may sound silly, but I would like to have both. Usually I prefer Face ID, but there are moments when Touch ID works better than Face ID.

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The only time I block the FaceID sensor is when I’m double tapping the button to authorize a purchase. Then, TouchID in the button would be useful (or they could just cop to the fact that the iPad Pro is a landscape-first device and move the FaceID sensor to one of the long edges).

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Personally, I was hoping for a mini pro. While my 11" pro is fine, a mini pro would be better. I use the ipad mostly for taking notes and reading, for serious work I use the desktop.

My old mini used to fit in a winter coat pocket. If it were to be the case that a winter coat mattered :frowning: and there were a Mini Pro I’d probably get one (in addition to a 15” Pro).