The iPad Professional 12.9 has reworked how I work

I’ve at all times been a fan of the iPad, and within the final 4 years, I used a number of iterations of the iPad Air extensively. My use case facilities round studying, taking notes, and streaming movies often, and the iPad Air M1 manages to do this stuff extremely properly.

Initially of final yr, I wished a conveyable gadget that might enable me to be productive on the go, and whereas the ten.9-inch panel on the iPad Air was respectable sufficient, I wanted one thing bigger, so I switched to the 12.9-inch iPad Professional. On the outset, I did not suppose there can be loads of distinction between the 2 apart from the bigger display screen; each fashions have highly effective {hardware}, an analogous design, and the identical software program.

However I used to be mistaken. The iPad Professional 12.9 is noticeably higher than the iPad Air; the mini-LED panel will get brighter and has a lot better distinction, and HDR content material appears to be like superb on the gadget. Whereas I did not take note of this on the time, the quad audio system on the iPad Professional sound a lot better.

The largest distinction is the display screen refresh, with the iPad Professional getting ProMotion tech that enables it to go as much as 120Hz. The iPad Air is restricted to 60Hz, and it’s instantly evident when utilizing each units subsequent to one another. And due to the bigger dimension, there is a greater battery that lasts noticeably longer.

The principle cause for utilizing the iPad Professional is for productiveness, and it has been terrific in that regard. For a lot of the final decade, I adopted the identical schedule: rise up at 6am, end the day’s writing duties, after which get began with my day. That is not the case now; my spouse and I had a child final yr, and I write at any time when I discover the time — my ten-month-old dictates my schedule.

So I needed to study to do one thing I am not excellent at: flexibility. I could not simply lock myself away in my dwelling workplace and write for hours on finish, so I wanted one thing moveable. I’ve loads of Home windows machines, however I wished one thing that had a touchscreen and a modular design with loads of equipment, and that led me to the iPad Professional.  

Within the final 10 months, a full 40% of my writing was executed on the iPad Professional, and I did not suppose I’d use the gadget wherever as a lot. The display screen is the perfect dimension — it is nearly the identical dimension as most 13-inch notebooks — and because it has Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, I used to be in a position so as to add a docking station and join my mechanical keyboard with none trouble.

However a giant a part of why I used the iPad Professional to the extent I did was the Magic Keyboard; the $349 keyboard accent prices greater than most mechanical keyboards, however it’s terrific. It attaches securely, has good adjustability, and the keyboard itself is respectable; the scissor keys have 1mm journey and are backlit, they usually’ve held up properly after almost a yr of use. The trackpad additionally turns out to be useful, and it is simply simpler to make use of.

Principally, the iPad Professional 12.9 is ideally fitted to my use case. Whereas iPadOS does not have wherever near the productiveness options which might be out there in macOS, that hasn’t been a difficulty — multitasking is not one thing I am in search of in a conveyable machine. For the duties I do each day — writing, modifying photographs, and studying — the iPad Professional is a stellar possibility. The most effective Android tablets have related {hardware}, however most of those choices are restricted to Samsung, and whereas I tolerate One UI on telephones, I haven’t got any intention of utilizing it on a bigger gadget. 

There have been weeks after I used the iPad Professional completely, and the one concern in doing so was the convoluted file entry inside iPadOS; apart from that, it proved to be a dependable powerhouse. The Magic Keyboard particularly unlocks the complete potential of the iPad Professional, however the one quibble with it’s that the material design does not fairly match as much as its premium asking worth. Fortunately, it appears to be like like that is going to vary with the 2024 iteration of the iPad Professional.

Whereas this can be a secondary consideration, the iPad Professional is nice for artistic use circumstances. There isn’t any analog to Procreate on Android or Home windows, and the drawing utility is unimaginable. I dabble in music manufacturing, and iPadOS has an in depth assortment of synths and drum machines, and the bigger display screen undoubtedly makes a distinction on this regard — as does the flexibility to attach equipment.

With new iPads inbound, I am excited to see what’s in retailer this yr. The swap to OLED panels and higher software program options ought to give the upcoming iPad Professional a definite benefit over the MacBook, and I am unable to wait to see how the sequence evolves.