Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

cmcbhi

Contributor
Nov 3, 2014
411
449
The people who mentioned speakers talked about home use, not public, and speaker quality is important to them.
And that’s fine. Their money, their choice. Personally, while at home, I use speakers that are much larger and sonically better than any speakers that can be put into an iPad and I don’t listen in public to any device speakers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: arkitect

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,344
4,102
And that’s fine. Their money, their choice. Personally, while at home, I use speakers that are much larger and sonically better than any speakers that can be put into an iPad and I don’t listen in public to any device speakers.
I live in a condo, I wouldn't be able to use speakers much louder than my M1 12.9in iPad pro and not having my neighbours complaining. Actually during the day I use my devices at max volumes (iPad pro, Tab S8 ultra) but at night I lower the volume a bit or use airpods. When outside (party, picnic etc) I have JBL Boombox 3, very powerful.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,344
4,102
What I’ve learned from this is people really care about iPad speakers . I dunno what the use case is that I would ever listen to audio on an iPad….

I mean I might occasionally watch a short unimportant tv show on my iPad in my kitchen but I don’t feel any different about my m1 iPad Pro versus my old air 2 in regards to audio. If I’m watching video i care about I’ll go watch it on my home theater or at least pop AirPods in
That's precisely the point, I don't want a home theater even if they pay me, I don't want a TV. I watch everything on my tablets or laptops. I never watch stuff while doing nothing else, unless I am with other people (I have a projector for when I am with other people). I have breakfast, lunch, dinner, cook, shave, wash the dishes, etc etc. while watching videos. So I want to be able to move anywhere around the house while watching and still hear well even if there are other noises.
Some people like to just watch and do nothing else. That's not me.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,344
4,102
I think the pros are not meant for people who do basic tasks like streaming and web browsing. People like me.

I guess it’s for people who want to do more intensive tasks like photo and video editing or have a special use case for the pencil.

Having said all of that I still own a pro, mostly because of the quad speakers. At the time I bought it there were other advantages such the new design, larger display, ability to use the Magic Keyboard. However, these can all be had on the air now.
I don't think that the case anymore. Now that the M1 is in the air, power makes no difference. Main reason for me is quad speakers too, mainly for videos/streaming. Also for the larger display (but I also like to have a 11in pro)
 

cmcbhi

Contributor
Nov 3, 2014
411
449
Buy an AirPod Max.
Much better audio and you don’t inflict yourself on your neighbors.
FWIW, I lived in a condo and was on call in-house for 24-48 hours at a stretch. I’d get home ~ 7:30 AM and go to bed. The last thing I would want was some dork blasting out audio full volume next door.
Boomboxes are sound pollution writ large for the inconsiderate.
‘See above about AirPod Max.
Jus’ Sayin’
 

MisterSavage

macrumors 601
Nov 10, 2018
4,653
5,495
Coming from a 9.7" Pro the bigger screen with a much smaller bezel and FaceID were enough to get me to get one.

The only difference imo that you will see is besides the Face ID and nicer Retina display is if you decide to play some 3D games on it like a First Person Shooter.
Yes! Besides serious applications there have been some game updates that were only for the pro models.
 

Ctrlos

macrumors 6502a
Sep 19, 2022
877
1,911
The iPad is a million different things to a million different people. One user might use it for light entertainment, another writing, another for industrial applications and (if you're like me) for myriad tasks around a science laboratory.

The reason I need an iPad Pro is primarily the camera system and yes, the processor. I record a lot of experiments and being able to zoom out to the wide angle lens to fit more apparatus into view is crucial. I also make extensive use of the LiDAR scanner for site plans, technical drawing, scale references, topographical mapping and photogrammetry.

If I used a Macbook for all this I would also need to buy an extra $20k worth of kit and then faff around transferring data; with the iPad Pro I can record, edit, send, process and transform all the data on-device in a fraction of the time.
 

Student of Life

macrumors 6502a
Oct 13, 2020
689
738
Buy an AirPod Max.
Much better audio and you don’t inflict yourself on your neighbors.
FWIW, I lived in a condo and was on call in-house for 24-48 hours at a stretch. I’d get home ~ 7:30 AM and go to bed. The last thing I would want was some dork blasting out audio full volume next door.
Boomboxes are sound pollution writ large for the inconsiderate.
‘See above about AirPod Max.
Jus’ Sayin’
Yeah if one is in a condo noise canceling headphones are a must. They dont have to be AirPods Max (if you can get them on sale sure), the Beats Pro are not bad at half the price ( when on sale). Either way just get some good headphones, if anything it will help you immerse yourself into whatever media consumption you are doing vs just sticking to the speakers on the iPad Pro.
 
  • Like
Reactions: arkitect

Elusi

macrumors regular
Oct 26, 2023
170
355
Great to read some people actually find pro scenarios for the pro. I bought my M1 one because I think ipads are cool and it was the nicest one :p That's how they get me with these things. They're just cool! Gah!

And that’s fine. Their money, their choice. Personally, while at home, I use speakers that are much larger and sonically better than any speakers that can be put into an iPad and I don’t listen in public to any device speakers.
I tend to bring my ipad around my home meaning differing distances from different speakers all the time. It's great that the built-in ones on my 12.9" IPP are pretty good so I don't have to worry about it. It makes the everyday experience much nicer for me.
 

jm31828

macrumors 65816
Sep 28, 2015
1,395
895
Bothell, Washington
I think the pros are not meant for people who do basic tasks like streaming and web browsing. People like me.

I guess it’s for people who want to do more intensive tasks like photo and video editing or have a special use case for the pencil.

Having said all of that I still own a pro, mostly because of the quad speakers. At the time I bought it there were other advantages such the new design, larger display, ability to use the Magic Keyboard. However, these can all be had on the air now.
Interestingly, though, we don't need a Pro for photo or video editing, either. The M1 chip in the Air will slice through all of that with just as much ease as the M2 chip in the current Pro.... and even the A13 chip in the 9th gen iPad (with only 3GB RAM) in my testing handles photo and video editing (in iMovie or LumaFusion) almost as easily as the M1 or M2 chips do in the Air or the Pro. The only difference at all with video editing I have seen is that the export of the final product takes maybe jut 30 seconds or so longer on the 9th gen than on the Air or Pro (when exporting a 6 minute movie at 1080p).

The Pro is a really nice device, though- and I think it's really for those who want more base storage, want the quad speaker setup, the slightly nicer screen, really just having the top of the line device all around. It's certainly intriguing to me and would be nice to have, even if the 9th gen really does everything (even the photo and video editing) that I would be doing, at a fraction of the cost.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shanghaichica

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,344
4,102
Buy an AirPod Max.
Much better audio and you don’t inflict yourself on your neighbors.
FWIW, I lived in a condo and was on call in-house for 24-48 hours at a stretch. I’d get home ~ 7:30 AM and go to bed. The last thing I would want was some dork blasting out audio full volume next door.
Boomboxes are sound pollution writ large for the inconsiderate.
‘See above about AirPod Max.
Jus’ Sayin’
I wouldn't want AirPods Max even for free (unless I can resell them). I hate over ear headphones (except to play my digital piano, but those are wired ones). Love my airpods pro 2 though.
As I said in the evening I tend to lower the volume of my devices from the max level or use airpods in other not to bother neighbours.
My Boombox 3 is an amazing device but is only used in summer when I give my dance classes outside or when we do some parties or picnics etc. in a park etc. (but not at night)
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,344
4,102
Yeah if one is in a condo noise canceling headphones are a must. They dont have to be AirPods Max (if you can get them on sale sure), the Beats Pro are not bad at half the price ( when on sale). Either way just get some good headphones, if anything it will help you immerse yourself into whatever media consumption you are doing vs just sticking to the speakers on the iPad Pro.
I like to have the freedom to choose, wouldn't want airpods all day long, they hurt my ears after a while, having good speakers built-in is great
 
  • Like
Reactions: rui no onna

Allen_Wentz

macrumors 68030
Dec 3, 2016
2,738
3,009
USA
The primary differences between the Air and the current Pro (11") are really as follows:

Promotion 120Hz display (which side by side is barely noticeable to me)
Quad speakers vs. the dual speakers on the Air (The Air speakers are fantastic, but the ones on the Pro do indeed sound a bit better)
M2 chip vs the M1 chip in the Air (slight speed bump, but makes no difference in real world use)
Base model has 128GB storage, vs. 64GB base on the Air

That's really it- so it's up to the buyer to determine if it's worth the $200 bump to get the Pro over the Air. However functionally, with the M1 chip and 8GB RAM, the Air will do literally everything that the Pro can do as far as power apps and heavy multitasking.

As others have said, even the other iPad versions are not far behind in performance. I am testing a 9th gen (with the A13 chip and 3GB RAM) side by side with an Air 5th gen currently (with plans to return which ever one I don't want to keep), and opening common apps and websites that I would use, and performing common tasks in those apps is either identical in speed between the two or there is a millisecond difference in how long it takes on some of them on the 9th gen. It's really amazing how over-powered the M1 and M2 chips are for what can really be done software-wise on iPads.
I tested out the latest iPad Pro (I have an antiquated iPad Air) and found myself invariably going to the M2 Max Macbook Pro for real work, so I returned the iPad Pro. Apple Pencil 2 just did not add enough for me (yet). The slow old Air suffices for the mundane usages I use it for.
 

FeliApple

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2015
3,546
1,993
I tested out the latest iPad Pro (I have an antiquated iPad Air) and found myself invariably going to the M2 Max Macbook Pro for real work, so I returned the iPad Pro. Apple Pencil 2 just did not add enough for me (yet). The slow old Air suffices for the mundane usages I use it for.
Which Air do you have?
 

spiderman0616

Suspended
Aug 1, 2010
5,670
7,493
And that’s fine. Their money, their choice. Personally, while at home, I use speakers that are much larger and sonically better than any speakers that can be put into an iPad and I don’t listen in public to any device speakers.
But surely you are aware that most mobile devices ship with speakers and that most people end up using them at some point and that a subsection of those people might actually care what they sound like. You're cognizant of that, correct? So surely you understand that Apple knows that too and is going to bother putting good speakers in iPads and subsequently people are going to bother comparing them to each other. Right?

I guess that's a long winded way of saying if you think speakers on devices are pointless, then no need to even comment here.
 

AlmightyKang

macrumors 6502
Nov 20, 2023
483
1,478
Reneging on my earlier gushing comment about my iPad Pro. Just realised I haven't used it for a week and the battery is flat. And I only went to get it because I want to watch Slow Horses in bed because it's Sunday and I'm being lazy.

Think it'll go into the void that is eBay in the near future and I'll spend the money on booze, blackjack and floozies instead.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: orbital~debris

Alameda

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 22, 2012
962
570
To paraphrase, “If you need to ask, you probably don’t need one.”
I see. So Apple makes complex products which only special people can use. They aren’t computers “for the rest of us” any longer.
 

spiderman0616

Suspended
Aug 1, 2010
5,670
7,493
I see. So Apple makes complex products which only special people can use. They aren’t computers “for the rest of us” any longer.
That would only be true if iPad Pro were the only iPad available. Troll somewhere else.
 

Alameda

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 22, 2012
962
570
That would only be true if iPad Pro were the only iPad available. Troll somewhere else.
Don’t be ridiculous.
”What is the purpose of this product” is a very simple question. If you don’t know the answer, you don’t have to say anything. But this smug “oh, you have to have a genius IQ and be very special to use this product” is ridiculous. Apple makes consumer products and their entire DNA is all about making products which are approachable and accessible.

That said, Apple’s high end offerings have traditionally targeted graphics, photographic and video professionals. I’m a very advanced photographer, and I think it’s perfectly reasonable to ask whether the iPad Pro targets professional and advanced amateur photographers for photo editing.
 

thecautioners

macrumors 6502a
Dec 5, 2022
534
1,240
I wanted a 12.9 M2 Pro because I wanted the shiny toy. I got 1TB so I could have a longer lasting device with 16GB ram. My use is decidedly not pro. Media consumption, internetting and social media, light photo editing, some gaming, Procreate, and I want to start journaling. Very basic, but I wanted the toy. I liked the speakers, screen, and increased ram. I simply love using this device even though I’m not a “pro,” it’s a huge quality of life upgrade and I am very happy with it.
 

Isamilis

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2012
2,072
968
For most I think it is a matter of media consumption (video) without the use of external audio devices (headphones or external speakers) as opposed to listening to just audio alone using the iPad speakers. Not saying that some people don't. I infer from your comment that you most likely don't do extensive video watching on iPad with just the iPad speakers.
It seems, the “Pro” stands for better multimedia experience.
 

muzzy996

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2018
1,066
1,001
It seems, the “Pro” stands for better multimedia experience.

If that's what you feel is the main difference then sure. For others there might be differences that are more notable to them, whether it be having additional storage capacities or more RAM, WiFi 6E, pro motion display etc.

I think rather than getting hung up on the definition of the moniker simply approaching things as incremental steps up in features and/or performance is a better way of looking at it.

I don't frequent Mac related sections of these forums much, are there similar polarizing debates going on regarding Macs with the Pro moniker?
 
Last edited:

geta

macrumors 68000
May 18, 2010
1,517
1,243
The Moon
No purpose except charging extra money for more RAM and storage.

Its funny that people paying more for the Pro because its having “better” speaker… all the iPads having good sound for what they are, and you want better sound, use quality headphones, not AirPods, or external speakers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Isamilis
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.