Matt Birchler

Hypothetical question: if Apple released a Mac with the same form factor, display, and price as the 13” iPad Pro, how much impact do you think that would have on iPad Pro sales?

Assume they have done a good job implementing touch on the Mac.

No impact
16.4%
Mild impact
38.8%
Large impact
44.8%
Poll ended at .
Mar 8 at 5:43pmIvory for iOS
Show threadMatt BirchlerMar 8
Follow up: how much impact on iPad Pro sales would there be if the iPad Air had ProMotion? Everything else is exactly the same as it is today.
No impact
37.7%
Mild impact
37.7%
Large impact
24.6%
Poll ended at .
Show threadMatt BirchlerMar 8
Final question: if you are an iPad Pro owner (like me), what do you personally think the main driver for you to spend 2x as much as the Air?
Show threadStephen RoblesMar 8
@matt_birchler Display, Face ID
Show threadMatt BirchlerMar 8
@stephenrobles basically the same for me. I can live with Touch ID if I need to, but that display is tough compared to basically everything else Apple makes these days.
Show threadStephen RoblesMar 8
@matt_birchler the promotion makes a considerable difference for me editing podcasts. And I do Enjoy sitting outside building shortcuts so the bank texture and brightness is nice too
Show threadNathanMar 8
@matt_birchler FaceID
Show threadfatlazycatMar 8
@matt_birchler oled display for media apps
Show threadm_eimanMar 8
@matt_birchler faceid is a factor
Show threadKushal PandyaMar 8
@matt_birchler at this point, it is just that 120hz OLED.
Show threadJosh Calvetti ⛰Mar 8

@matt_birchler faceID + mLED + 13" version is what pulled me to the m1 model. The air now has a 13" model, and the pro has moved to an OLED (I'm not a fan) so I'd probably cut my losses around faceid and drop down if I needed a new one.

I find 60hz on the normal screen looks less offensive than 60hz on the 120hz screen. I don't understand why, but it's been true ever since they shipped the high refresh rate

Show threadRowan JohnsonMar 8

@matt_birchler FaceID was my main motivator for staying with the Pro line. 120hz refresh rate was a close second.

I currently have an M2 11”, which I traded a 2018 11” for 18 months ago. I could go to the Air but FaceID is really where I’d feel the downgrade.

Show threadJim KozlowskiMar 8
@matt_birchler the display. There's hoping for a WWDC that allows m4 iPad pro or newer owners boot into Mac OS.
Show threadWojtyrMar 8
@matt_birchler
- FaceID
- OLED
- 12GB RAM (not sure how much RAM the newest Air has)
- thinner
- so overpowered I can use it for a long time
Show threadAlex PardoeMar 8
@matt_birchler Hope that iPadOS windowing would finally make it more usable for me as a laptop replacement (it didn’t)… and Face ID.
Show threadWarner CrockerMar 8
@matt_birchler I'll probably move to the Air next time I upgrade. Same evolution for me as when I moved from MacBook Pro to MacBook Air. As the work I did changed along with the capability of the software I needed improved and became more efficient, I no longer needed all the MacBook Pro bells and whistles. I moved to the MacBook Air and it has more than filled the bill. /1
Show threadWarner CrockerMar 8
@matt_birchler Sure, as specs stand I'd miss the iPad Pro Display, but if that product line continues its evolution I can imagine higher prices that would make the tradeoff much the same. Bottom line is I'll probably move to an iPad Air whenever I upgrade next. /end
Show threadMichael LysonsMar 8
@matt_birchler Performance, ProMotion, FaceID.
And I’m probably lying about the performance side 😂
Show threadLucas CantorMar 8
@matt_birchler Face ID, with the tandem OLED being a distant second.
Show threadDaryl BaxterMar 8
@matt_birchler Display and FaceID.
It’s an M1 model and have no plans to upgrade.
Show threadJosh HrachMar 8
@matt_birchler Main reasons I still do Pro: weight and Face ID.
Show threadNate BarhamMar 8
@matt_birchler Nanotexture OLED, but also ProMotion, FaceID, and best CPU available
Show threadMatt BirchlerMar 8
@NateBarham Yeah the display resonates with me too. Could you do everything alrught on an M4 in the Air if you needed to?
Show threadNate BarhamMar 9
@matt_birchler Well sure, since my Pro is an M4 already. 😄
Show threadDavey CraneyMar 8
@matt_birchler Latest performance, OLED, RAM, speakers, Face ID, thunderbolt.
Show threadPaul StocktonMar 8
@matt_birchler FaceID and tandem OLED display. Thinness, ram, sheer power to last me a good few years.
Show threadGuillaume RossMar 8
@matt_birchler If Face ID was on the air maybe I’d think about it
Show threadChristopher LawleyMar 9
@matt_birchler Display and better Magic Keyboard.
Show threadTim ChatenMar 9
@matt_birchler NANO TEXTURE!!! Also super thin design and OLED is amazing
Show threadVidit BhargavaMar 9
@matt_birchler Display.
Show threadJoshMar 9
@matt_birchler 120Hz, OLED Display, Face ID and I just love how thin it is
Show threadJimmyMar 9

@matt_birchler FaceID, much nicer display, better Magic Keyboard.

I genuinely couldn’t care less about the “power” of it. My 2018 iPad Pro was still doing everything I needed when I replaced it last year with an M4.

Show threadRamón 🇨🇴Mar 9
@matt_birchler OLED, ProMotion, FaceID, and better speakers
Show threadNathan SnelgroveMar 9
@matt_birchler for my use case, Face ID. Everything else was nice to have.
Show threadCraig ReynoldsMar 9
@matt_birchler My iPad used to be where I spent most of my time. Average of 2+ hours a day. So I wanted the big, fancy one. Having gotten back to having a MacBook Pro middle of last year I’m honestly thinking of getting rid of the iPad. It does some things better than a MacBook but I hardly use it now. If a MacBook had touch and access to iPad apps I expect many wouldn’t want both.
Show threadEvan K. StoneMar 9
@matt_birchler FaceID 💯
Show threadRavi Mar 9

@matt_birchler The display was the only reason. For good and bad, it’s my main TV.

The performance of a base iPad would be totally fine to browse Safari and stream videos. FaceID is nice, but would no way justify the premium.

Show threadOwen 🇦🇺Mar 9

@matt_birchler The only compelling feature that the iPad Pro has over the Air for me is FaceID. The rest of the specs in the Pro are a waste of money as long as that device only runs iPadOS.

I still use an iPad mini from time to time, but I have no real use for an iPad given the OS limitations. I’m planning to trade in my iPad Pro 2018 for a MacBook Neo. The primary use for my iPads these days seems to be gathering dust.

In Australia, the iPad Pro 11” costs $700 more than the iPad Air.

Show threadMichael BondMar 8
@matt_birchler I feel like it would depend heavily on the app ecosystem. Yes Macs can run iPad apps, but not all app developers let that happen.
Show threadTorbMar 8
@matt_birchler That's a big and kinda ill-defined assumption (what counts as good job here?).
Show threadJamie FroggattMar 10

@matt_birchler The trouble with this sort of question is defining what exactly the differences are between the OSs after ‘touch optimisation’, and let’s say pencil too.

Install apps from anywhere? Compiler support? Of course, I’d love it!

The app ecosystem? Devs criminally underutilise the power of iPadOS, with the background tasks API and granular filesystem permissions.

I prefer iPadOS’s app lifecycle and I’d be dragged kicking and screaming back to manually quitting apps.