“The 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple’s newest addition to its tablet line, is almost an exact internal replica of its big brother, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro,” Lory Gil writes for iMore. “Why am I going for the smaller Pro? Size matters.”
“The primary reason I’m buying a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro is the same reason why I didn’t buy the 12.9-inch iPad Pro last year: portability,” Gil writes. “A 13-inch tablet is just too much real estate for my needs.”
“For now, if I need the benefits a 13-inch screen provides, I’ll use my MacBook Pro.,” Gil writes. “That brings me back to the portability factor. If I’m on a trip and I know I’ll be working hard on my MacBook Pro, I’m not going to want my tablet to take up too much additional space in my bag.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’re of the same mind – when on the road, we want the ultimate in portability (hence why we’re still carrying 11-inch MBAs until the next-gen 12-inch MacBook arrives) — but we want the 4GB RAM packed into the bigger iPad Pro vs. the reported 2GB in the smaller iPad Pro. Screen redraws due to a lack of RAM have been the stumbling block for us really using iPad in the field since its inception. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro finally has enough RAM.
Just picked up a barely used 12.9er, wont receive it until Thursday, no way was I paying $800 – $1400 for it either. I don’t require a pricey pencil or a keyboard… paid $645 for a 32GB Space Gray one that some guy got for Christmas but only used for about a week; still in the box and with no scuffs or scratches.
At just 2GB of RAM, and considering the fact you may not even use the keyboard or pencil, save yourself 200 bucks and get an Air 2 or a mini 4… because the 9.7 inch so called IPP is a fat stinking Tim Cook style RIPOFF!!!!!!!!!!
Well, aren’t you cute?
More like Bozo the Clown than cute.
I think they have one
I’m the complete opposite. I need the larger iPad Pro because I need more screen real estate being a designer.
But I’m going to wait until version 2 with the new paper white function.
I need it for a more immersive comic-reading experience. Ready to pull the trigger now I can store 256GB of comics!
Whenever I whip out my 12.9″ in public, panties get wet and jaws get dropped. Happens every time.
You know what they say about guys with big iPads…
Just kidding, Russ! Hold it up to your head and tell everyone it’s an iPhone 8 prototype.
I’m sure that it’s really no big deal.
Yeah, but does it get you a good dose of beautiful strange?
A solution looking for a problem.
Anything less than OS/X is a compromise.
It’s amazing how tech journalists claim they’re buying all of the latest stuff out there.
Rene Ritchie at iMore has spent about $50,000 on tech gear this year. Pretty good for a journalist.
I don’t
care what you get or anyone else gets. I am only concerned about what I get and how it serves my purposes
The 9.7 IPP was described in one review as suitable for he casual user. Hardly a Pro product then.
USB 2 speeds and stripping out 4GB ram chips and putting in 2GB is hardly the credentials of a smaller Pro machine.
“In one review”
Really? Someone should tell Apple to take the new Pro off the market then. Apparently the one and only review that matters has finally been written and has not been kind.
Apple did not “strip” out the 4GB chip and replace it with a 2GB chip. The 12.9″ Pro has 2 2GB chips. The 9.7″ has 1 2GB chip due to needing to shrink the motherboard because of the limited internal space.
The same “Pro” features it does have…
– Apple Pencil Support
– Smart Connector
– A9X SoC
– 4-Speaker system
– 256GB storage option
Plus some features the 12.9″ doesn’t have…
– 12 Megapixel iSight camera
– True Tone Flash
– Live Photos
– 5 Megapixel FaceTime camera
– Retina Flash
– 4K video recording
– “Hey Siri” Support
– True Tone Display
– Wider Color Gamet
– Better Antireflective coating
Personally I don’t like Apple’s recent naming scheme. “Air” needs to go and this one should’ve just gone back to simply “iPad”. So the lineup would be, iPad mini, iPad, iPad Pro. But you have to remember it is just a name… Never fall prey to marketing, buy the one with the features that are most important to you.
I have an iPad 1. I have been waiting for native “stylus” support in this size. I couldn’t care less what the hell it’s called.
Oh, so 2x2GB reduced to 1x2GB is completely different.
Pedantic rubbish. Who cares, its not as if the user can replace them with 4Gb versions. The fact is the RAM is reduced either as a cost issue or to give the IPP ‘upgrade potential’ for later versions.
Storage options and items not included; but needed to make use of the features soon have this up near $1000.
My iPad 1 will continue for a while longer.
It’s the same issue as with the iPhone 6s Plus: once you get used to a larger iPhone, there’s no going back. I couldn’t imagine having a smaller phone with me, and I couldn’t imagine having a smaller iPad, at least as a power tablet. The 9.7″ display seems like a toy to me. And the Pro is not that much heavier than the smaller iPad.
I’m going with the 12.9. The screen makes a difference particularly for multitasking. And it’s still exceptionally light.
I just want to know if the 9.7 will have a slower latency than the 12.9 when it comes to using the pencil. This is the main reason I am buying one is cause of the pencil and if the 9.7 is slower than I would get the 12.9
I’m seriously considering selling my two month old MBP and buying the iPad Pro. Cannot figure out what size I want though. I basically use my laptop for social media and iTunes. Use to do music a lot but now with Apple Music, no more pirating from me. What do you guys think? Hopefully I’ll get by the store this weekend. Decisions, decisions!