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 effectively.

Firstly of final yr, I needed a transportable machine that may enable me to be productive on the go, and whereas the ten.9-inch panel on the iPad Air was first rate 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 lots of distinction between the 2 aside from the bigger display screen; each fashions have highly effective {hardware}, the same 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 significantly better distinction, and HDR content material seems wonderful on the machine. Whereas I did not take note of this on the time, the quad audio system on the iPad Professional sound significantly better.

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

The primary cause for utilizing the iPad Professional is for productiveness, and it has been terrific in that regard. For many of the final decade, I adopted the identical schedule: stand 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 each time I discover the time — my ten-month-old dictates my schedule.

So I needed to be taught to do one thing I am not superb at: flexibility. I could not simply lock myself away in my house workplace and write for hours on finish, so I wanted one thing transportable. I’ve lots of Home windows machines, however I needed 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 performed on the iPad Professional, and I did not suppose I’d use the machine anyplace as a lot. The display screen is the perfect measurement — it is nearly the identical measurement as most 13-inch notebooks — and because it has Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, I used to be ready 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 first rate; the scissor keys have 1mm journey and are backlit, they usually’ve held up effectively after almost a yr of use. The trackpad additionally is 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 would not have anyplace near the productiveness options which might be accessible in macOS, that hasn’t been a difficulty — multitasking is not one thing I am in search of in a transportable machine. For the duties I do each day — writing, modifying pictures, and studying — the iPad Professional is a stellar possibility. The finest 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 machine. 

There have been weeks after I used the iPad Professional completely, and the one subject in doing so was the convoluted file entry inside iPadOS; aside from that, it proved to be a dependable powerhouse. The Magic Keyboard particularly unlocks the total potential of the iPad Professional, however the one quibble with it’s that the material design would not fairly match as much as its premium asking value. Fortunately, it seems 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 inventive use instances. There is no analog to Procreate on Android or Home windows, and the drawing utility is unimaginable. I dabble in music manufacturing, and iPadOS has an intensive assortment of synths and drum machines, and the bigger display screen positively makes a distinction on this regard — as does the power to attach equipment.