iPad iPad Pro gets a face lift and new size.

Again, this is just me, but I have arthritis pretty bad and do occasionally drop things. So I have to get the Otterbox Defender cases for everything. As thin as the newer iPads and iPhones are, it actually helps me hold them better too, besides just Jack booboo proofing them! Funny how when you get old you start having to repeat your childhood. When I was first in public school in 1964 we children had to use those big fat pencils to write with on our Big Chief paper tablets because it was easier for children to grasp and manipulate them. Well now I am returning to that by having to have thicker devices and fat pencils and pens in my old age.

[pwalker8]

I always use protective cases on my various iDevices. My preference is to get a battery case, a la the mophie for the iPhone and the Kudo for the iPad mini. I haven't found a battery case for the iPad Pro yet. For the iPad pro, I have two different cases, depending on where I'm going to be using it. I keep a case with keyboard in my work backpack since I tend to type information in at work. At home, or on the road, I have a leather folding case that provides protection in case I drop it. The Apple cover doesn't seem to provide any protection as far as I can tell.

I'm pretty much an outer in this respect. Others seem to be more interested in keeping things as slim as possible. I get the distinct impression that Kudo case is either out of business or is about to go out of business.

I also prefer to get max memory and not get cellular. I have a wifi hotspot, or can simply use my iPhone to tether when I need to hit the web and don't have wifi.

As for keyboard I have a Logitech K810 BT keyboard that works well with my iThingies. It is made for use with a Windows PC, but it works well with my iPad and iPhone too. Since it can be used with up to three devices at one time it comes in handy. And it is small enough to take with me if I go somewhere.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by jswinden

For me personally, the cellular radio is not worth the extra cost because I would have to pay for another line on my T-Mobile account. So more money for the device plus an additional monthly cost. No more than I use my iPads with cellular, I can easily use my iPhone as a hotspot for no additional cost per month as I have unlimited data. But YMMV of course.

One of the nice things you get with the Cell phone version is a GPS, even if you don't use the cell phone. I use a Bluetooth GPS to bridge that gap.

Dale

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

The Apple cover doesn't seem to provide any protection as far as I can tell.

It's not intended to provide protection against dropping the iPad, certainly. Its purpose is to protect the screen against scratches, and so on, which it does an excellent job of. My iPad Air 2 is two years old, gets carried around with me practically every day, and there's not a mark on the screen. I'm not sure there's as much need for an impact-absorbing case as there is on an eInk device: the iPad is a lot tougher than an eInk reader with its thin glass screen substrate.

I'm pretty much an outer in this respect. Others seem to be more interested in keeping things as slim as possible.

Not so much slim in my case, as light. I want a cover that's permanently on my iPad, and I want it to be as lightweight as possible. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bought a keyboard cover for my iPad Pro, but returned it because I found that it made the iPad too heavy to comfortably hold while reading.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's not intended to provide protection against dropping the iPad, certainly. Its purpose is to protect the screen against scratches, and so on, which it does an excellent job of. My iPad Air 2 is two years old, gets carried around with me practically every day, and there's not a mark on the screen. I'm not sure there's as much need for an impact-absorbing case as there is on an eInk device: the iPad is a lot tougher than an eInk reader with its thin glass screen substrate.



Not so much slim in my case, as light. I want a cover that's permanently on my iPad, and I want it to be as lightweight as possible. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bought a keyboard cover for my iPad Pro, but returned it because I found that it made the iPad too heavy to comfortably hold while reading.

Given that I've had to replace the screen on my niece and nephew's iPhones 3 times in the last year and a half because they dropped the phone and cracked the screen, I think that impact-absorbing cases are a good thing for iDevices.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Given that I've had to replace the screen on my niece and nephew's iPhones 3 times in the last year and a half because they dropped the phone and cracked the screen, I think that impact-absorbing cases are a good thing for iDevices.

If they treat them that roughly, then yes, I completely agree! In more years of owning Smartphones, tablets, readers, etc, than I care to remember, I've never personally broken one. Would it not perhaps be prudent to take out an Applecare extended warranty, given your niece and nephew's track record?

Well kids can screw up an iron anvil with a banana peel! I've seen my grandnephews and grandnieces swinging their iPhones around in circles via the charging cable! Not too bright. But kids don't have the years we have had to learn better than to do some of things they do. Nor did they have to work hard to earn the money to buy their devices, so they rarely appreciate the value of same. Although I've seen a lot of adults do stupid things too. It is not that uncommon to see guys put their smartphones in their pants back pocket then wind up with it shattered as it gets butt slammed at some point. Personally I err on the side of caution and get the most protective case I can. Accidents happen. Pets happen too!

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by HarryT

If they treat them that roughly, then yes, I completely agree! In more years of owning Smartphones, tablets, readers, etc, than I care to remember, I've never personally broken one. Would it not perhaps be prudent to take out an Applecare extended warranty, given your niece and nephew's track record?

Definitely on the next phones they get (probably this fall). I made the huge mistake of getting the carrier's warranty instead. I canceled it when it turned out they expected me to ship them the damaged phone and they would fix it and return it in a couple of weeks. Yea, you would have heard the scream over in England if I had told my niece that she was going to be without her iPhone for two weeks.

[HarryT]

My new iPad's just arrived .

I restored it from the iCloud backup of my iPad Pro (painless) and it's now downloading all the apps I had installed on the Pro, which will probably take a couple of hours.

First impressions are very nice! It's only a little larger physically than my 9.7" iPad Air 2, but the screen is significantly larger, mainly due to a smaller top bezel. I think I will sell my 12.9" iPad Pro - this new 10.5" device is nicely intermediate in size between the old 9.7" and the 12.9".

Very pleased with it! Happy to answer any questions anyone might have.

[David Munch]

They say that the 120hz the screen is now capable of, is almost as much of an improvement as when the screen greatly increased their resolution. I wonder if it will help people who don't like reading on the iPad - If the 120hz are actually active when reading of course.. It is apparently quite dynamic with the update frequency.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by David Munch

They say that the 120hz the screen is now capable of, is almost as much of an improvement as when the screen greatly increased their resolution. I wonder if it will help people who don't like reading on the iPad - If the 120hz are actually active when reading of course.. It is apparently quite dynamic with the update frequency.

I don't think it would have any impact when reading. LCD screens don't flicker - they maintain a stable image as long as power is applied to the display - so the update frequency only has an impact on moving images, like video.

[HarryT]

All set up! It hammered the WiFi for about 7h - I suspect it may have been downloading my (very large) photo collection from iCloud? Anyway, whatever it was doing, it's finished doing it .

Much snappier than my iPad Air 2; I have hundreds of PDF documents stored in GoodReader, and folders with lots of files in could be a bit slow to navigate on the Air, but they're instant on this. The extra couple of cm of screen "real estate" makes a noticeable difference - very useful.

Much lighter weight than the Air - really noticeable when you're holding it - although most of that's probably down to the fact that the front-only leather Smart Cover I've got on it is a lot lighter than the front-and-back leather cover I had on the Air.

Nice device. I've now listed my other two iPads on eBay, so I hope they'll fetch what I'm hoping for - I'll let you know in a few days .

If not, then Plan B--second mortgage on the house.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

All set up! It hammered the WiFi for about 7h - I suspect it may have been downloading my (very large) photo collection from iCloud? Anyway, whatever it was doing, it's finished doing it .

Much snappier than my iPad Air 2; I have hundreds of PDF documents stored in GoodReader, and folders with lots of files in could be a bit slow to navigate on the Air, but they're instant on this. The extra couple of cm of screen "real estate" makes a noticeable difference - very useful.

Much lighter weight than the Air - really noticeable when you're holding it - although most of that's probably down to the fact that the front-only leather Smart Cover I've got on it is a lot lighter than the front-and-back leather cover I had on the Air.

Nice device. I've now listed my other two iPads on eBay, so I hope they'll fetch what I'm hoping for - I'll let you know in a few days .

It is the same weight as the air but heavier than the air 2 by 43 gr. (1.5 oz). Must be the different case.