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12.9" vs 10.5" iPad Pro
I'm really torn between these two sizes. I have a 12.9" on order at the local Apple Store but am having second thoughts about the size.
I currently use an air2 for all my music production (no mac/pc) so the idea was that I would be able to have more space on the 12.9" to get stuff done. When I compared, for example AUM on the 12.9" and a 9.7, the ability to have more audio units on the screen at once was so much better than the cramped 9.7".
The problem is I mainly use Cubasis and audio units, and have no idea whether that will be optimised for the 12.9" any time soon. There seem to be very few apps optimised for the larger size except perhaps Model 15 and a few others. If Cubasis was optimised like Auria, there would be so much more space for working with the tracks.
Other factors against the 12.9" are of course portability (considering I like to make music while travelling, on planes etc) and when using for non-music activities how many apps are not optimised (I'm a graphic designer so stretched interfaces especially hurt). The fact that the physical dimensions are also unchanged in relation to the thinner bezels on the 10.5" also hurts a bit. On the flip side I will also use a pencil for drawing so that is a consideration.
I'm concerned that if more and more devs adapt to the 12.9" the 10.5" will eventually feel cramped, but am not sure how quickly the tide is turning that way. Another side factor is that it will take a while for apps to adapt to the new 10.5" resolution too.
Does anyone have long term experience with the 12.9" (and also any with the 10.5") and have any insight into music making, app resolutions, devs updating apps, portability etc? Any opinions are much appreciated!
Comments
@willhindson I've got an Air1 and a Pro 12.9" and here are some thoughts on your specific concerns:
(TL;DR the 12.9 is not That big / is incredible for drawing with Pencil.)
I've never had Any issue with how apps display on the 12.9 - To me the Air1 and the BigBoy are comparable visually resolution-wise (though I know others have expressed concerns / otherwise on this point).
Portability: it's true that my Air (and your potential 10.5) feels a little more quick-pistol in the hand / on the go but I also don't think of the 12.9 as any kind of deal breaker as it's the size of my laptop but Much thinner and Much lighter and fits in almost any bag /case I have.
Drawing / Pencil: this is The big one for me and why I got the 12.9 above all else: the extra screen size Really helps make drawing / blueprinting / vector'ing and so on a joy: for years I used the best (non Pencil) stylus I could find on my Air1 and that worked well but the Pencil is The game changer stylus-wise and having the screen size approximating an 8" x 11" piece of paper (on the 12.9") is what I consider to be a Perfect Fit.
Lastly: I could see owning a 12.9 And a 10.5 but after being exposed to the Feel of that big screen space sizing down seems like a semi-literal "glass ceiling".
Hope that helps - x
Well done @Proppa. My exact sentiments without (me) having to type a word
Bravo.
As much as I like the idea of more screen space on the 12.9, whenever I tried one it just felt too big for me. It's definitely still portable, but for whatever reason always felt like it was larger than it needed to be. I always liked my Air2's size in contrast, so the new 10.5 really hits the sweet spot between the two for me. Noticeably more screen real estate, but with the same slim feel and weight. I think it's like 1/8" longer and 1/4" wider than the Air2, but with more power and a way better screen/GPU/memory.
I should note that I don't do any drawing or use the Pencil either though, so perhaps for that the bigger is much more appropriate.
@Proppa @JohnnyGoodyear @Tarekith wow thanks for your thoughts. I'm new to the forum (but have been making ios music since ipad 1) and it seems to be a really great, helpful community!
Some good points, definitely. I already had some experience with the 12.9" after borrowing one for a short while, but good to get some thoughts from an owner. I think the pencil will be important for me too.
Plus, Beatmaker 3 just round the corner looks to be making good use of the 12.9" screen
This is my second 12.9" with a 9.7" in between and the 12.9" is next level stuff, a proper powerful workstation with the space to work. I don't tend to take it out though so beware it's not easily pocketed.
Go to an Apple Store and try both out. I chose the 12.9 as a result.
I got the 10.5 after much thought, and research. Mainly because aside from the obvious screen size there was no advantage in me getting the 12.9. Both machines have the same RAM, quality of display, speedy processor, and both can be configured to the 256gb storage I wanted.
I've never liked using iPad's in their native form, as I find the plastic way too slippy. So, with the addition of a JammyLizard case, the weight doubles. Okay for flat surface use, but wearing after long use holding in hands. So I'd imagine this issue would be ramped up with the 12.9 model. Then there's the excellent Logitech keyboard I already had for my Air 2. It's the white one, capable of controlling three devices, and with the rubberised slot for holding the iPad....a slot that also fits the 10.5, but not the 12.9 unless used in portrait mode. Even then, it would be at risk of toppling over.
So, the only real advantage from my POV for the 12.9 model is if I would use it for a lot of artwork, and while I love to dabble, any serious artwork requires the huge variety of graphics software, including many filters, that are on my PC. Yes, using two standard apps side by side would be good, but I'm unsure what currently supports this, and if IOS 11 is going to make it possible for all apps anyway?
I think it's interesting also that people see the 12.9" as "huge" - for an ipad maybe, but I'm so used to carrying around a 15" macbook pro (also not "huge" IMO) that it's pretty light in comparison.
Also, for hand-holding, I see this mainly as an issue when using it for browsing/ reading news, maybe watching videos. Wouldn't most people use it flat (or at an angle) on a desk or their lap for music making?
Given that I don't even touch the mac for music, I'm leaning towards the 12.9" as an all-in-one solution and hoping more developers get on board with the size soon (ahem Steinberg
)
I had the same decision, moving up from an iPad Air 2. My brother is also a musician and went for the big bastard, but he's thinking of selling and getting the 10.5 as the 12.9 is just that bit too big to feel like a handheld device. I went for the 10.5 and a pencil. Cubasis runs beautifully on it (I bought the pencil to get my fat fingers out if the way and it's great). Really impressed so far.
I Have an air2 and a 12.9.
both pretty much always sit on a desk, and my fave is definitely the 12.9, especially as some controls on certain apps are way too finicky on a smaller surface, and I also find I make less blunders on a bigger surface.
Much better to jam out ideas on a 12.9 too
...the air2 turns me into a stunted hunchback
I upgraded from an Air 2 to the 10.5" - Although I would love the extra screen real estate, i love the portability of the smaller device. That said, so far no apps (that I know of) have been optimised for the 10.5 so Gadget that I use as my main app, although optimised for the 12.9" just looks the same as on my Air 2, just a little larger.
I'm hoping KORG will update the app to squeeze out some more of the 10.5" screen but given that it doesn't look as crazy as when a 9.7" is zoomed up on the 12.9" I'm afraid it's not the top priority.
Another benefit of the 12.9" is you can run two 9.7" apps in portrait mode, side by side in full resolution.
It really comes down to what your use cases are - if you don't mind carrying around the larger size and are comfortable using it, I would go for the 12.9" - for me it just seem too big to be truly portable (at least as iPads go
) but that's just me.
As for the specs - they are the same and absolutely AWESOME
they both look absolutely great and have great specs. I'm leaning towards the 10.5 simply because I think I'll use it more. As much as I'd like the additional screen space for drawing and for some synth apps, the bigger form factor will make it less portable. So that makes it lose its sketchpad quality somewhat.
also, I'm a bit afraid some apps would look odd blown up from 9.7 to 12.9. Some people say it looks awful and some say it's hardly noticeable.
The 10.5 is the Goldilocks size, IMO. The 12.9 just isn't portable enough. If you're rarely going to leave the house, then sure, the 12.9 is amazing. But the 10.5 has been so brilliant in all situations for me so far.
Thinking of getting a 12.9 next too. would like a 10.5 as well but I think for studio use the 12 looks best, great for visual work too which I will use it for as well as music. I had a go in the store but have yet to see a 10.5 in the flesh yet so will have a look first to compare. But I'm not sure how people are meaning "portable". I don't have many bags the 12 won't fit so it seems very portable to me, still thinner and lighter than most laptops etc.
Having said that, I wouldn't want it as my only ipad so will keep my Air2, but will eventually upgrade the Air 2 for a 10.5 I think.
the 12.9 is definitely at least as portable as a laptop. but portable in the sense of a sketchbook that you take with you to the coffee shop etc I think the 10.5 is just the better size
Yeah there's no perfect size for every occasion, that's why I'm also hanging on to my mini2 as that's useful for other situations
I actually like your solution of just having both
if I could find a way to justify that by getting enough work done on the pro I'd like to do the same
I went with 10.5 and it really feels like perfection. Now just waiting for the AU enabled software to catch up...loving the momentum though.
I adore my 12.9 iPad Pro, and the extra size is a huge factor in why I get so much work done on it. But every time I pick up my old Air (close in size to the 10.5), I realize what a perfect balance it strikes between portability and screen real-estate. My 12.9 spends most of its time mounted in a swing-stand, so it meets my needs very well. But if I was on the go more, the 10.5 would be my choice. (My 12.9 seems absolutely ginormous in its case).
My heart says yes to this solution, my wallet says no
I sit here lamenting " No Mini Pro yet"
I want a 15" iPad
I was playing with a Cisco Spark Board at work and also looking into the Google Jamboard. It got me thinking that it's only a matter of time until Apple bring out the iBoard or something! You could set up a session with all of your running apps in a wall mounted grid
Only in my dreams...
I have always sold my old iPads when I traded up, but because of iOS 11, this time I'm not going to. There are too many old programs--not just musical ones--I don't want to lose. Assuming Apple doesn't perform an upgrade against my will, I will hang onto my iPad Air 2. And I have discovered that there are tons of situations where having two iPads has become very helpful to my workflow. For example, it is nice to be able to keep a chord app like Suggester in one iPad open while working in another.
For another thing, you can save money on your new iPad by not buying going for the maximum GB. I find I am setting up each differently.
In my case, I purchased the 10.5 which is absolutely perfect for me. I never wanted the larger Pro, but love the power and the slightly bigger screen.
I've had my 12.9 for a couple weeks now and no way could I go back to a smaller screen. I just don't see the whole less portable thing for me as I've carried an iPad everywhere I go 100% of the time going back to the iPad1. I have not noticed any difference between carrying my old iPad4 9.7 and my new 12.9 and I still feel comfortable using the 12.9 everywhere I used to use my old 9.7. My wife got the new 10.5 and it's awesome, but after using my 12.9 for a week the 10.5, and my old 9.7, both just look and feel too small.
Yes, there is a lot of 12.9 optimization work that still needs to be done by devs, but even without the optimization you still have a lot more finger space and that gives you more accurate control of small knobs and other "hard to set accurately" controls in apps. The obvious big win for the 12.9 is using the side by side multitasking, both apps feel comfortably large to work with, something I don't feel on the 10.5 or smaller.
One example is using Bias/Bias FX. I've always had trouble setting the amp controls to the exact numbers I want, i.e. 4.2 or 3.9 instead of 4.0. With the 12.9 its easy to set them to the exact numbers I want. Not really a big deal in this case, but its a good example.
I also got the 512GB model and after days of loading apps and music on it I still have nearly 400GB of available space! However I am only up to the D''s in my music lib so far but
. We will see what happens when I start recording in Auria on it. That's the real reason I got so much space. At this moment I am sure I could have done OK with the 256 but a year from now who knows?
Fist bump.
Exactly.
Thanks for a great discussion everyone!
Argh I just wrote a long reply and the editor deleted it.
TLDR; lots to think about but I can see most potential with the 12.9", portability won't be too much of an issue, and I'll just have to learn to live with blurry pixel stretched apps for a while (a bit of a gamble that Cubasis updates in the near future... I really hope so as that's what I'm in 90% of the time).
Edit: Also I went into an apple store earlier and the pencil didn't feel quite as satisfying on the 10.5", but non-music related.
All of this. It will be personal preference in the end, but after checking out a friend 12.9 for a while, I went with a new 12.9 512 Gb and I'm a very happy camper.
I carry it everywhere - it's not a hassle, the extra size is offset by the larger screen and ease of use. I do less squinting, less zooming, enjoy reading more. My air2 seems a bit small now
I'm also on 11 beta on it and it is a joy to use.