iPad air, mini or pro?

[lucadj]

I use an old iPad2 with a Logitech keyboard. Scrivener is fast and perfect
Also without the fisical keyboard, thanks to the typewriter mode, writing is very simple

[brett]

I used an iPad mini 2 retina whilst beta testing iOScrivener, and found it surprisingly usable. Nevertheless, as soon as realized how great the new app was, I traded the mini and took advantage of a sale and coupon to score a new iPad Pro 9.7 at considerable discount, which is what Im' using now with my old Apple BT keyboard and incase origami case/stand.

So far I haven't felt the need for a larger screen when using Scrivener or anything else, though I have no doubt using the big iPad Pro would be even better. What no one has mentioned yet is the value of the true tone , less reflective screen, which I find much easier on the eyes, especially when typing outside (as I love to do when conditions permit) than any other device I've ever used. And this set up is just so portable.

The consensus of the reviews I've read seems to be that if you want to use your iPad as your only computer (laptop replacement), go with the mega Pro, while if you're using it as an adjunct to a Mac, or with a large external display, the baby Pro offers greater portability. Since I'll still be using my external display and, for awhile at least, MacBook Pro, I chose the latter course.

[lunk]

One advantage with the 12" Pro is that it is splendid as an extra display together with my Macbook Pro, running Duet. At work I have a Thunderbolt display, but at home in the kitchen I can have Scrivener main window on the iPad and composition mode on the MBP while I write.

[yosimiti]

lunk,

how reliable is the duet app? How is their customer support? I thought about using Scrivener this way too. with the main scrivener app running on my laptop, and additional windows on an iPad. But I just didn't want to invest in an iPad only to find an unreliable app.

[brett]

lunk,

how reliable is the duet app? How is their customer support? I thought about using Scrivener this way too. with the main scrivener app running on my laptop, and additional windows on an iPad. But I just didn't want to invest in an iPad only to find an unreliable app.

I've used it occasionally, sometimes to stream video while I'm working, I confess, and never had any problems with Duet. There's a similar app that's supposed to be not so reliable but I can't recall the name.

[lunk]

Duet works very well, probably because it uses cable and not bluetooth or WiFi. I've even used it with an iPad 4 without problems. To prevent the iPad from trying to do other stuff while I use it as an extra display I turn of its WiFi and cellular connection.

[narrsd]

Just to bring up the caboose after fine and interesting comments, I am using an old iPad 2, and Scrivener works just fine with it.

Only assure that you've upgraded to latest iOS 9.3.3

I was overjoyed to find that Keith had provided fine side-by-side texts (or pics, or pdfs, etc.) even without the latest hardware, which work very well indeed.

If you don't know how yet, the Tutorial is your friend

Whatever you get, think you'll be happy with it. That said, as Katherine, I have a truely experienced ex-NZ journalist friend who is extremely happy with his mini. Write on it he does -- and sans Scrivener so far, if I think he'll see the way to be converted, once shown now.

C.

[Silverdragon]

Duet works very well, probably because it uses cable and not bluetooth or WiFi. I've even used it with an iPad 4 without problems. To prevent the iPad from trying to do other stuff while I use it as an extra display I turn of its WiFi and cellular connection.

I second these remarks; I've used it on an iPad 3. You can fine-tune it for performance -- every time it's seemed laggy, I either needed to a) stop it from doing other tasks, as lunk suggests, or b) adjust at the parameters I've set in the Mac side preferences. One thing that's not obvious -- if you have your iPad automatically backing up to iTunes, best to wait until the backup is complete or turn off backup while you're using Duet on a slower iPad.

[charlie.stross]

Being a glutton for gadgets, I've got one of everything. No, really. And the unpalatable fact is, no one size fits all needs.

Aside from email and web, I've got four key tasks for an iPad that occupy about 80% of my use time: reading ebooks, reading comics (in ComiXology), writing in Scrivener, and marking up page proof PDFs (currently using GoodReader, looking for a better app).

The iPad Mini (specifically the new mini 4, which has a much better colour gamut than earlier retina minis) is best for portability, and definitely wins as a device for reading ebooks on. It's less good for creative work because it's relatively cramped, and even the best keyboard cases are a bit of a lost cause: you really need an external stand and larger keyboard, which defeats the object of having a small device. (It's also less than ideal for reading comics in ComiXology, by the way.)

The iPad Maxi (ok, the 12.9" Pro) is bulky and cumbersome; with the Apple smart keyboard cover and back shell it weighs more than a 13" Macbook Air, and all the display elements look huge on screen. If I was going to tote such a huge machine around to run Scrivener, I'd shrug and go for a full-power laptop. What the iPad Maxi is indispensible for is checking over PDF page proofs for errors and using Pencil to doodle red ink and marginalia all over them -- a stage in production that is still normal in publishing (your managing editor emails you a vast PDF showing the final typeset image of your book, and you then go through it looking for typos and formatting errors and marking them on the pages: you then email the annotated PDF back to them). As I've got at least six books to do this for in three years, the Maxi iPad is earning its keep. Oh, and when it's not working for a living, it's a great comics reader.

The in-between size, the 9.7" iPad Pro, might be the perfect fit. It's much more portable than the maxi, the keyboard cover gives just enough inter-key spacing to make touch-typing possible (with a bit of learning), the screen (with truecolor) is gorgeous, and the on-screen layout of Scrivener is just fine. It's not quite as good as the larger iPad at doing the "big" screen stuff (work: displaying a full page image in PDF for markup; recreation: displaying comics) but is no worse than the iPad Mini at doing the "small" screen stuff (reading ebooks, running Scrivener).

So to summarize: If you have to get just one iPad, get the 9.7" Pro. (If on a budget, get the iPad Air 2; it's nearly as good, and fits the same form factor.) If you don't consume comics/visual media and don't need to check page proofs but move around a lot, get the iPad Mini 4. If you're a lawyer or have a job that requires you to work with lots of A4 or American Letter documents in PDF format, or if you're really serious about feeding your comics habit, get the 12.9" iPad Pro.

[Jordi Mora]

One advantage with the 12" Pro is that it is splendid as an extra display together with my Macbook Pro, running Duet. At work I have a Thunderbolt display, but at home in the kitchen I can have Scrivener main window on the iPad and composition mode on the MBP while I write.

Duet is wonderful. I use it with an MBA 13 and the big iPad Pro. Invaluable for Scrivener and TBX6
Customer support is superb - I got replies to a couple of queries by return.

Bonus: if you still have an older version of Tinderbox (5) you can use the Duet display as a touch screen for it. Watching nested containers opening up with a tap can keep you amused for hours.

[yosimiti]

If you're a lawyer or have a job that requires you to work with lots of A4 or American Letter documents in PDF format, or if you're really serious about feeding your comics habit, get the 12.9" iPad Pro.

Probably the best thing made for lawyers: http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/show-digitalpaper/resource.solutions.bbsccms-assets-show-digitalpaper-digitalpaper.shtml


Now if only Scrivener worked on one of them....haha...don't mean to give you a heart attack Keith

[GrahamGrün]

Can some of the "maxi" owners say something about the onscreen writing experience? Actually I don't find it too bad on the 9,7" iPad. I really don't want to carry an external keyboard - I can take a laptop then. I use the iPad air without a keyboard right now. But I think about switching to the 12" pro if writing on-screen is well and if it's not too heavy. There should be a significant difference in weight and thickness to a MacBook air if not carrying an extra keyboard, shouldn't it? Or is it that bulky? I'd love the large screen, but it wouldn't make sense to me if I don't notice the difference in my bag.

[lunk]

The 12" iPad weighs roughly as a 12" Macbook if you get the cover to the iPad. My main reason for getting the 12" iPad is because it is much better for reading and annotating scientific articles. I can have the whole page with reasonable text size. But for writing I prefer the laptops.

[ealvarez]

I'm using it with an iPad 2 and iOS 9: works great! Sync "just works".

Congrats for this great work!

[sophielandon]

I'm considering getting an iPad Pro because of Pencil. I like the additional real estate on the 12", but am wondering if there is a corresponding horizontal stretch to the Scrivener keyboard there, same way as the standard iOS keyboard. (I have small hands, so something too large/wide can get actively painful.) Anybody out there with data?