The Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch vs. Standard iPad with Apple Pencil

The Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch vs. Standard iPad with Apple Pencil

by | Mar 24, 2021 | Reviews

You want it, sure, but do you need it? You want it, sure, but do you need it? Are you looking to purchase a new iPad and comparing the iPad Pro to other versions of the iPad? Me too. One of the first comparisons I made when I purchased my iPad Pro last year was the iPad Pro* vs. Standard iPad. Especially when it came to the uses with the Apple Pencil. I was looking to replace my 2009 Macbook Pro for on-the-go type adventures. My Macbook Pro takes up over half the allowable weight for most checked luggage and therefore wasn’t going to work for any work travel-related goodness. I wanted a light, easy to manage and packed with features alternative, and the iPad was where I set my sights.

 

Part of me thinks that I should have got the new Macbook, but that is a different post.

 

I knew that I wanted to use the Apple Pencil, for that I blame numerous artist YouTube channels I watch. Despite not having any drawing talent and the worse handwriting known to humankind, I wanted to write. It felt old school, and I thought my love of lists would convert better to digital if I wrote them down. More on that later. So, my search started with iPads that could pair with the Apple Pencil. Easy, using it with the pencil narrowed down my choices to the regular iPad* and the Pro. (You can now access the pencil with the iPad Mini* too, more choices! I’m glad it’s not me). 

 

The Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch vs. Standard iPad - Suger Coat It Review

The Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch vs. Standard iPad - Suger Coat It Review

 

From there, I dove into the rabbit hole of YouTube reviews, comparisons and unboxings. And that is when I believe the crazy kicked in. Not only did I see the reviews that said that the IOS still lacked in the whole use it as a computer thing, but I was unswayed. I learned the price of setting the whole thing up, and I made up my mind anyway. I was doing it. I got the iPad Pro* in the 12.9-inch screen size (From A$1,329) because go big or go home, I guess. Plus a keyboard case and the Apple pencil, of course. I was looking to replace a computer here.

 

And close to $3,000 later, the iPad pro was mine. Ouch.

 

As someone who spent the better part of four years working up to affording and justifying the iMac, that’s why I say that I feel like my senses left me. Did I need the 12.9-inch screen? No. Had I had an iPad before and found the lack of access to some websites I use for work limiting. Yup! But there I was going all-in when now I know that something a little more modest would have been fine. Better than fine, actually. This is usually my suggestion to anyone trying to decide between the two.

Even now, as I do more of my planning and note-taking on my iPad, a regular iPad (from A$499) would have been preferable, especially something a little smaller. The iPad Pro with the 12.9-inch screen is a two-hand job most of the time, so if you’re not so great at balancing or perching an item while you write, read or browse, go with a smaller option. While the larger screen is great when it’s attached to the keyboard case and masquerading as a laptop, I find it really hard to handle in that case to use the pencil. So, I have two cases, and when I’m doing pencil based tasks, I use the slimline flip case, and when I need the keyboard, I switch to the Logitec Keyboard.

 

Which yes, is just another expense and inconvenience.

 

But it’s not all bad news, not at all. There are soooo many functions of the iPad Pro that I don’t use. The impressive camera and the visually stunning display. There are new keyboards and trackpads available, and the software is being updated all the time. For me, it’s certainly an investment into what it can do rather than what I use it for now. At the moment, I’m ashamed to say it’s nothing more than a glorified planner. Would I repurchase it? No. But should you? Probably also no, unless you have bigger uses for it.

Yes, it’s easy to get caught up with the biggest and shiniest. But let’s get real, there is a huge price difference here. I’m not your Mum; I’m not going to tell you what to do with your money. But step away from the internet for a moment and really think about how and when you’ll use it. Think of the situation (including the fact the Pro will almost always need a surface) and what you need. Trust me, the comparables between the Pro and the standard version are pretty similar. Seriously, get what you can afford and don’t look back. There’s no wrong answer here.

 

That’s about it from me. I’m going to throw the iPad on charge and see what else I could be using it for. What do you think? Do you own an iPad or similar? Which version did you go with and why?  

 

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ipad pro 12.9 inch vs. standard ipad - Suger Coat It

ipad pro 12.9 inch vs. standard ipad - Suger Coat It

The Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch vs. Standard iPad - Suger Coat It Review

Working Harder vs. Working Smarter

Working Harder vs. Working Smarter

by | Aug 19, 2015 | Lifestyle

Let’s talk working harder vs. working smarter and the way I had a tendency to work hard but not smart. Long hours, lots of running around like a headless chook and a massive failure to delegate. You see by sharing my experience as the headless chook poster girl for working hard, I’m hoping I’ll share with you what I’ve since learnt about working smart. So let’s get a wriggle on.

The year was 2005 and I was property manager extraordinaire. My shoes were bad and my attitude was if you ask those closest to me even worse. Long hours at a 6 day a week job had me close to the edge. Worse than close to the edge, I was dangling over the edge. Emotional, exhausted and in desperate need of relief I had a conversation that would change my life. A conversation about who I was being.

And the sad truth of the matter was that I was being a jerk and at the same time a big sooky-la-lah. When offered alternatives to the way I was working I felt that I was being personally attacked. I would cry and find it difficult to adopt any manner of change because, let’s face it, working hard is hard work and it wears a person OUT. The person in the conversation I was in suggested something had to give. It was time to make a change.

Even I knew something had to change. OR my head was going to explode. So I took their advice, their coaching, and I started to make small changes that would soon add up to a massive shift. I’ve outlined them below because that my friend is the point of this… To work smarter rather than harder and ultimately changed my whole way of being, I did the following;

I stopped taking everything so personally. I would train myself to pretend that people were talking about someone else when they were talking about me. It made having those ‘we need to talk’ style work conversations easier for everyone involved. It wasn’t personal anymore, it was just what was being said.

When the time came to work in teams I allowed myself to be myself. Instead of trying to hide my issues with Math or cover up my goofy personality and be ‘professional and polished’ I gave myself permission to be myself. Perhaps you’re pretending to be someone you aren’t to hide something you see as a shortfall in you. Stop doing that, it takes too much effort.

Plan first, then actually follow the plan. That 15 minutes you take at the start of the day to review what you did yesterday, make a plan for what to tackle today and your impending deadlines will mean there is less last-minute ‘what the hell, I forgot all about that’ panic and you can move from task to task without dramatics. Such a win.

Take the simplest route to the end results. I’ve seen it time and time again, people will run themselves ragged fetching and scraping and sourcing something that a simple Google (or document) search would’ve turned up in a second. As questions, research before you run and you’ll find the shortcut every time.

Take your breaks. It’s a bit of a thing among business, professional type people that it’s a badge of honour to rack up millions of hours of overtime, holiday leave and to never take a sick day. But if you are working smarter, then you need to let your body and mind recharge. Working through lunch will make you slower in the afternoon. Working non-stop for a month does nothing good for you. Rest and recharge and you’ll be more effective in your role while you’re doing it. Guaranteed.

how to work smarter vs. working harder - suger coat it

And that my friends are the steps I took, when your powers combine, that meant (MOST) of the time I’m working smarter, not harder. I know my limits now. It certainly takes something monumental to make my cry. And I enjoy my time at work, keep a clearer head and can just DEAL with things better.

Strung out isn’t a good look for anybody. Take my advice. And yes, you can apply this outside the workplace too. Just shuffle the words around a little and you’ll see big changes in your life. Smarter, not harder team, that’s the aim. Now go get some rest, you’ve got some work ahead of you!