Going Smaller With a New 9.7-inch iPad Pro

When the original iPad Pro was released I bought one right away and I loved it. It was so big and fast that I thought it might replace my laptop for meetings and quick outings.

That didn’t happen. In fact, it fell out of regular use because it was so big. I recently started using the new 13” MacBook Pro, and here they are side-by-side.

It felt like I was using two laptops. Why grab the iPad when the MBP is the same size and way more capable?

Long story short, today I bought the smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro and I already think it makes much more sense. It augments the MBP instead of competing with it. It’s easier to use with the Pencil because it’s possible to hold in one hand while writing with the other. The big iPad needed a dedicated work surface.

I might even be able to watch movies in bed with it. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro was awesome for watching movies, but it was difficult to hold for extended periods, so I rarely used it for that.

I guess if I really wanted to go all-in with iOS I’d stick with the big iPad, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon, so I’m better off with the MBP for “real” work, and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro for tangential tasks like reading, watching movies, games, drawing, and so on.

My recent switch from an iPhone 6 to a 5 SE suggested that smaller can be better. Going to a smaller iPad Pro confirms it.