After more than a decade of owning 9.7” followed by 11” iPads, I recently bought a 5th Gen 12.9 pro for my mother. When it arrived, I played around with it a bit and simply fell in love with it. So much so that I went and bought myself one as well.

The extra screen real estate with that MiniLED display is gorgeous (despite the blooming issues we all know about), and it is so much easier to look at and type upon using the on-screen keyboard.

My fears were that it would be too big, however it turns out those fears were completely unfounded. I am of larger build and have no problems holding it with one hand to use with the pencil. I also bought the MK and I’m now wondering if my M1 MBA has become redundant, although i‘l likely keep it in the short term at least.

I had the MK with my 11“ 2020 Pro, but the size of the 12.9 one is so much easier to type on. While size preference will always be a personal choice, I will never go back to the 11” model again.

Yeah, love mine and won’t ever get a smaller one again (other than the companion 5G Mini 6).

sparksd said:

Yeah, love mine and won’t ever get a smaller one again (other than the companion 5G Mini 6).

I was thinking about that actually, mainly for using in bed and on the lounge. I’m still in two minds about it and I’m not really having any difficulty using the 12.9 in either of those scenarios, so i might just sit off it…for now anyway..

Honey moon period? After 3 years of 12.9” I’m considering iPad Mini (like after 8 plus and XS I’m now enjoy my 12 mini) to have something more portable and light.

ozapple said:

After more than a decade of owning 9.7” followed by 11” iPads, I recently bought a 5th Gen 12.9 pro for my mother. When it arrived, I played around with it a bit and simply fell in love with it. So much so that I went and bought…

Ah man, I was sure this was going to be: that I went and bought her flowers and kept the 5th Gen 12.9 pro. I had a big smile on my face reading it.

I have the 5th Gen 12.9 too and love it. There’s still time to return the second iPad and to show your mother the lovely flowers you got her.

My mom loves her 12.9” iPad. A lot of people are hesitant because they think it’ll be too heavy, but most of the time its resting on her lap, or resting upright on a countertop (with the case/kickstand)

stanza.richi said:

Honey moon period?

I thought that may be the case, but honestly, It’s now been a week and I’m enjoying it more and more. If anything my resolve is strengthening in regards to making the right choice.

Username-already-in-use said:

I have the 5th Gen 12.9 too and love it. There’s still time to return the second iPad and to show your mother the lovely flowers you got her.

I think she would throw the flowers at me! She had a 10.9 Air 4, and at 71 years of age, the bigger screen has made all the difference to her

Diablo360 said:

My mom loves her 12.9” iPad. A lot of people are hesitant because they think it’ll be too heavy, but most of the time its resting on her lap, or resting upright on a countertop (with the case/kickstand)

Mine is the same. She basically uses it solely on the couch and never one handed. She has one of these cases which she really likes:

Have had my M1 12.9” since release day, was a spur of the moment decision when I saw my local retailer had one in stock that day, so was no returning it once opened. Had a 11” for 2 years before.
No going back gets more use than my iPhone 13 max. I have a 24” iMac in my home office so the 3 work great together.
I only use the folio case and have a stand in my office for it. When i take it for work goes on a STM shoulder bag.

This is a great stand if anyone is looking. Fits good with the apple folio on.

stanza.richi said:

Honey moon period? After 3 years of 12.9” I’m considering iPad Mini (like after 8 plus and XS I’m now enjoy my 12 mini) to have something more portable and light.

This is what happened to me. Loved the 12.9 2018, got the 2020, but in January gifted both to family and am using a mini 6 with a MacBook Air.

ozapple said:

I was thinking about that actually, mainly for using in bed and on the lounge. I’m still in two minds about it and I’m not really having any difficulty using the 12.9 in either of those scenarios, so i might just sit off it…for now anyway..

I have both, the 12.9 and the mini... love the combination.. the 12.9 is almost always on the keyboard and for answering email etc at my desk.. in front of the tv on a table.. the mini is for reading stuff in bed mostly.

stanza.richi said:

Honey moon period? After 3 years of 12.9” I’m considering iPad Mini (like after 8 plus and XS I’m now enjoy my 12 mini) to have something more portable and light.

why not have BOTH a 12.9 AND Mini? for me there are two different use cases. I dont have to chose one or compromise. I have both.

I'm glad they make different sizes, but the 11 is still the sweet spot for me.

G5isAlive said:

why not have BOTH a 12.9 AND Mini? for me there are two different use cases. I dont have to chose one or compromise. I have both.

$$$. The Mini looks great but it's a min of $500 for a secondary consumption device (for which use case it's comically over powered). I kind of wish they made a mini version of the Air or even the entry level iPad - one that's got decent capabilities but isn't effectively a Mini Pro.

I’m on my third 12.9”, no regrets… and the latest iPad Pro is so good; I debate what it would take to make me upgrade.

clevins said:

$$$. The Mini looks great but it's a min of $500 for a secondary consumption device (for which use case it's comically over powered). I kind of wish they made a mini version of the Air or even the entry level iPad - one that's got decent capabilities but isn't effectively a Mini Pro.

I get what you're saying, but doesn't have the screen, speakers, or Face ID to be considered a Mini Pro.

I bought the original 12.9 and then the most recent version last year. It’s a very nice device and is my go to iPad. The only thing I don’t like it face ID. It just doesnt work reliably unless you have the iPad held up by your face. Have it on your lap or flat and forget it.

ive got the latest mini and really like the Touch ID implementation so if I wanted another mid size device I’d go for the Air over the 11 inch pro.

Although the 12.9" size looked comically large as a tablet, imo for a laptop replacement, 12.9" is probably the minimum for comfortable use. 11"/9.7" are okay for tablet use, but it feels cramped when used as a laptop replacement.

I bought the 12.9 version because it was a work device, I don't think I would have got it that large otherwise. BUT... I love it now. I'd never go smaller. Plus, it just does everything I want and more.

My wife has the iPad Mini 6 and it is a great device and fits her requirements perfectly - it wouldn't work for me as I do a lot more on my IPP.

ozapple said:

After more than a decade of owning 9.7” followed by 11” iPads, I recently bought a 5th Gen 12.9 pro for my mother. When it arrived, I played around with it a bit and simply fell in love with it. So much so that I went and bought myself one as well.

The extra screen real estate with that MiniLED display is gorgeous (despite the blooming issues we all know about), and it is so much easier to look at and type upon using the on-screen keyboard.

My fears were that it would be too big, however it turns out those fears were completely unfounded. I am of larger build and have no problems holding it with one hand to use with the pencil. I also bought the MK and I’m now wondering if my M1 MBA has become redundant, although i‘l likely keep it in the short term at least.

I had the MK with my 11“ 2020 Pro, but the size of the 12.9 one is so much easier to type on. While size preference will always be a personal choice, I will never go back to the 11” model again.

Click to expand...

Nice! Congratulations on your new device - it’s nice when you find “the one”

Mcckoe said:

I debate what it would take to make me upgrade.

Well that’s the thing. There is nothing else I can think of that would tempt me to upgrade. Will have to wait and see what’s in the offing however.

One thing which is clear to me however is that until there is a native landscape camera on the iPad it really can’t replace my MBA in that sense. I can live with iPadOS, but not the portrait camera alone.

Mark Stone said:

Nice! Congratulations on your new device - it’s nice when you find “the one”

Thanks Mark, I’m certainly enjoying it very much

I also love the 12.9" and don't think I'll ever go back to the smaller form factor. I also don't think I'd want anything bigger. What I love about this one is it's about the size of a standard sheet of paper, so it's perfect for notes and sketching.

If there's one thing I'd like to see improve, it's the weight. I'm not sure there's anything to be done about it, except maybe some future battery tech that's less dense. There isn't much wasted space on this and I'm not willing to sacrifice screen size for less weight. I'm also not willing to take on more weight to get a bigger screen size. It feels like this is about the right size/weight combination that it's not perfect, but there's no direction to move that's better.

ozapple said:

I also bought the MK and I’m now wondering if my M1 MBA has become redundant, although i‘l likely keep it in the short term at least.

Depends on what you use it for, obviously but as far a raw horsepower, the iPP has it matched.

I also have a 16" MBP, which is different enough to be worth having both. I appreciate the larger size and extra battery life in the MBP (plus the extra performance of the M1Max). The downside is that it's not airplane friendly-- so I'll usually use the iPP on a tray table or if I need something to carry to a waiting room before an appointment or something. Then when I have table space, I can use the MBP with the iPP as a second display with Sidecar which is another reason I wouldn't want a smaller iPad any more.

stanza.richi said:

Honey moon period? After 3 years of 12.9” I’m considering iPad Mini (like after 8 plus and XS I’m now enjoy my 12 mini) to have something more portable and light.

I'm three years of 12.9 and while the iPad mini would be awesome, I'd only have one as an accessory to the 12.9. which seems excessive, so I'm going to stick with just my 12.9. but I'd never consider an iPad size that isn't the mini or max.

ozapple said:

My fears were that it would be too big, however it turns out those fears were completely unfounded. I am of larger build and have no problems holding it with one hand to use with the pencil. I also bought the MK and I’m now wondering if my M1 MBA has become redundant, although i‘l likely keep it in the short term at least.

Do you have a use case for a second monitor, and also don't have an external monitor? If that is the case, you may want to consider keeping both and make the 12.9" iPad Pro the M1 MBA's second monitor via Sidecar:

MacPeasant123 said:

Do you have a use case for a second monitor, and also don't have an external monitor? If that is the case, you may want to consider keeping both and make the 12.9" iPad Pro the M1 MBA's second monitor via Sidecar:

Actually I do have a use for a second monitor. I’ve tested out universal control and like it very much.

Along with keeping the MBA for its landscape camera, a second monitor is another good reason

kevcube said:

I'm three years of 12.9 and while the iPad mini would be awesome, I'd only have one as an accessory to the 12.9. which seems excessive, so I'm going to stick with just my 12.9. but I'd never consider an iPad size that isn't the mini or max.

I feel that is now my take on the matter as well. Either the 12.9 alone or alongside the mini.