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Which iPad are you buying? M4 iPad Pro or 13 AIR?
To all prospective buyers… Are you going for the new OLED iPad Pro or the new Air?
Comments
I don't have the cash for either, so I'm keeping my Pro 11 2020 A12Z, even though it's showing its age when I overload it with plugins.
But I definitely wouldn't want to pay a premium for an OLED screen that makes zero difference for sound production yet may lead to longevity issues.
13” 1TB iPad Pro definitely, been wanting OLED for awhile for my photo editing.
I'd be willing to get a discontinued current model if it's a better value than the new ones, but the 11 inch Air with 512GB sounds like it hits most of my needs.
The impossible criteria:
Fast (enough)
Lots of storage (within reason)
Futureproof (ish)
and crucially
as cheap as possible.
Never interested in using the iPad for anything but music (or to watch a movie on a plane).
Probably don't need a new Pro.
My 2017 iPad Pro has 512GB of storage, and I'm not near filling it, though its chip will not run Logic, which I wouldn't mind being able to do. (For the record, Apple suggested I could trade in this mint-condition device for $40!)
Suggestions?
Unfortunately, I'm holding onto my old iPad Pro until it literally explodes in flames. No money for a new one, but I will definitely check the new ones in the local Apple Store.
Similar to you, but 13” 128GB. More storage would be nice but on a budget, and currently scraping by on an Air 4 64GB. The attraction for me is a bigger screen and faster processor for a non-pro price. Only negative is my Pencil 2 isn’t supported. Still, was expecting the 13” to be more pricey than it is.
That's for Hardware section perhaps?
Obviously everyone's needs vary, and some may be in greater need to upgrade than others...
But honestly...
I finally upgraded from my 2017 10.5in iPad Pro to an 11in iPad Pro m2 about a year or so ago. I was excited to have a usb-c port for external drives, the m2 speed, etc. Got a new Apple pencil too. Bought a new, portable 17in 2.5k display with usb-c/HDMI and a new keyboard with trackpad builtin. Had to buy new cables to support the video and had to get a 65watt power brick and hub that would support more wattage, HDMI, etc.
Had it all set up. Got nice foldable stands for the iPad and display too.
I used it like this on and off for maybe 2 months.
Eventually, I found that I didn't actually prefer to use the new iPad Pro all that much. It's kinda heavy. It's ok on a stand, but I started to ask myself why I didn't just buy a new Macbook Pro instead.
Don't get me wrong... I love that I've got usb-c now, and plenty of storage and speed... but honestly... other than machine learning and AI type stuff processing faster... I haven't noticed a radical difference in what I could do before with my old iPad 10.5pro.
I don't really care about faster screen refresh. Most apps aren't really developed to take advantage of the newer processors yet anyway. Most developers try to make sure their apps work suitably for legacy electronics, so that they can hopefully sell more apps.
If I had to do it again, I might upgrade to get usb-c and have the option for a separate dedicated display... but I wouldn't have gone the full pro route. I would've saved a little cash and maybe put it towards a new macbook pro or air instead.
And... what ipad do I use most of the time now? Like, 70% of the time? I actually prefer the size and weight of my little iPad mini 5. It runs every app I have, it's light, and it's big enough to not have to squint. I do have fairly good near vision though... so there's that.
If Apple had released a new mini with usb-c and at least an M1 chip inside... I'd be tempted to sell my pro and downgrade to the smaller device.
Kinda thinking about getting a new keyboard cover for my 9th gen since the Apple Smart Keyboard or whatever totally shit the bed for no reason. Very annoying. Intermittently works, Google hasn’t yielded any good info about longevity and what not (only had it 2 years).
I think if I was getting a new one it’d be the Air. The pro is just too rich for my blood, man…
Yes, I think that's a good option. Looking at UK prices the equivalent M4 Pro model is £300 more expensive, so the Air seems like a good deal in comparison.
The M2 is going to be a huge step up from your 2017 model (I went from the 2017 10.5 Pro to an M1 Pro and the difference was significant). Plus you will be able to run Logic, which has multicore support, so you will be able to run bigger projects with more plugins etc...
Won’t be too long till Amazon have good discounts on the base Air M2. That might be the best-priced Apple product ever. 128gb is enough to squeak by I’d say.
I am kind of thinking it's maybe better to keep the iPad I already have and one day get a new Macbook for Ableton for on the road,
I‘m still happy with my M1/2 pros so i‘m not looking to buy a new one but theres one thing about the oled. that makes me really sceptical: great for consuming media or working on graphics (i guess) but can working for hours in a daw lead to screen burn in? This factor might be reduced in current oled technology but afaik it‘s (currently) not possible to completely eliminate this problem.
And i guess i would always go pro for the 120hz screen alone
I could not bite the apple to throw so much money at Apple. The m1 iPad Pro with much more space for under 1k seems to be my way.
The single core performance seems better for sure. But we still don’t have too much programs that make profit of it- so the „showstopper“ is the single core orientation. Something like an automatic distributor (to different cores) would be great (that could be apples task) but I don‘t know if this is possible.
I bought an 11 inch 512GB M4 Pro.
I'm waiting to see what happens at WWDC wrt iPadOS 18. If it doesn't add anything new to the iPad I'll stick with my 2018 iPad.
For those considering the M2 Air, the M2 Pros can still be had as refurb models, and you get better speakers, Pro Motion and Face ID.
For our uses, the M1 Pro is still probably better than the M2 Air.
Apple has a BIG problem with the new SoC. The IPC is laughable vs the previous generation.
Yeah I personally don't think there is any real need for a high end iPad like M4 at all, it really doesn't do anything much better than the lower models and there is no software which makes use of it really. They just exist for those people who must buy the newest and fastest. It's all just extra icing but no more cake
I'm still quite happy with my 2017 pro and I think the pinnacle of the ipad where chip speed met the touch screen use case was around that era. I will eventually upgrade but probably to something like a 2020 model when I get a good deal. I will stick with 12.9 inch though.
Most likely…none of them.
I find the best > @Carnbot said:
I totally agree.
Most people will never use the fastest and newest stuff to their full extent, but I do admit there is a huge ”nicetohave”- factor.
I won’t be getting a new 2024 model but there will be a price drop for sure on the 2022 line. On the lookout for an iPad Air 5 M1 256GB and 8GB RAM, which is more than enough for my needs when it comes to music production. The apps I use are not yet multi-core but an Air 5 will comfortably get me on the M-train if need be. My current Air 4 256GB with its A14 single-core chipset holds up still, but the internal 4GB RAM is a limiting factor when stacking synths up…
/DMfan🇸🇪
Seeing this M4 benchmark on Geekbench, I may actually drop the money for the M4 iPad. The single core speed is 3767, which is a pretty large jump from the last generation Pro at a 2540. A ton higher than my 4th gen air at 2070. That's many many more plugins
I agree there's a lot of tech in there I don't need and don't want to use, but I get the feeling that Apple isn't going to put the most powerful chips in the Air again.
I'm still waiting a bit more to see more Geekbench stats roll in and maybe to read a few more reviews.
I think in my case… at this point I have more apps for the iPad than desktop. I’ve got a great collection on the desktop/laptop too, but I’ve got rid of most of the older stuff that wasn’t updated or no longer runs on silicon w/latest OS.
Since the apps on iPad are generally less expensive for sound, video, photo, and graphics… I thought I’d go the direction that Apple has suggested for years, of using the iPad as a laptop.
The problem is that once you use an external display, add a hub with bus-power for an external drive, etc… you’re now starting to get tangled in cables and needing extra battery power. An external 2.5k display drains a lot of your iPad battery. And you have to keep up with charging peripherals like a keyboard with trackpad, etc.
I mean it IS very cool to have a completely portable, near desktop setup that can be used for a good while with a good high watt power brick… AND all fit in a generic day pack. Not to mention ALSO being able to be simply lifted off the stand after disconnecting one cable, to be used as a browsing tablet.
But at the end of the day, it requires a lot of bits and pieces to keep track of, and makes troubleshooting more complicated. Is it one of the cables? The hub? Glitch in the external display? The power brick not delivering enough power? etc.
It makes me miss the simplicity of having everything contained in a laptop with just a power cord.
My perfect system would probably be a lightweight MacBook with enough ports for external drive and external display if needed… so that I didn’t need a hub… and be able to detach the main screen to use as a tablet that ran all the same software and could also use a nice Apple Pencil stylus.
Sounds like what I’m describing, already exists…. only, on the PC side
Thanks, Richard. I'm still stuck on whether a 13-inch screen will be revelatory compared with an 11-inch screen. I think I'd rather pay for storage, but the days of wandering my mansion, idly making beats in the solarium, the ballroom, the wine grotto, the other solarium seem to be a thing of the past. The iPad tends to stay plugged into the interface, so maybe I'd appreciate the extra screen real estate.
Best option is probably to just try it in person at a store.
I tried a 13" inch a while back, and didn't find it that helpful. It also felt weird to hold. Even though my iPad mostly sits on my desk as well I think I'll stick to the 11".
@qqq That's exactly what I suspect.
You have managed to save me $200 in three sentences. Which I will increase to add more storage. Thank you!
👍
I went for the 12.9 and wouldn't really want to go back, it is pretty nice.
I have an OLED screen in my phone (12 Pro Max). No sign of burn-in after three and a half years of daily use.
Yeah, I’ll be doing the same.
A good rule of thumb is to get the best processor and as much storage as you can afford when you buy, because these will affect your productivity more than anything over time. You’ll have to delete or offload files if you have too little storage.
I'm going to go with the 256GB, I don't use many samples in my productions and really only will use this iPad for music.