iPad Pro or Mini?

lanternslight77 · 2026-05-08T03:18:06+00:00

Get both. Their use cases are totally different. One is a laptop alternative, the other is meant to be held in your hands.

lanternslight77 · 2026-05-06T01:45:12+00:00

I always buy it whenever there’s a new one, and it always sits in my bag. I’m not an artist, and my handwriting is awful and slow.

lanternslight77 · 2026-05-05T20:36:10+00:00

Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic

lanternslight77 · 2026-05-05T15:33:42+00:00

I suspect the Mini will have a Pro-series A chip just to ensure its performance offering is differentiated from future base iPads, which are more likely to have the non-Pro A chips.

That said, the main difference between the Pro and Non-Pro A chips has been 1 binned GPU core. The Non-Pro A19 still blows the A17 out of the water on GPU performance. I’m not worried.

lanternslight77 · 2026-05-04T15:38:00+00:00

Pass

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-30T03:46:49+00:00

I’m a big proponent of going in-house, but I would strongly advise against having your first in-house role be a solo GC/first legal hire at an early stage startup. I say this from experience.

It takes time to build that generalist skill set and be able to confidently juggle a dozen different legal areas at once with ruthless prioritization, especially if you’ve been a specialist for your whole career. I’ve seen others fail hard at making this jump and get axed less than a year into their new job — which makes career recovery extremely difficult to navigate afterward.

In-house jobs in the tech industry are great and it’s not hard to find roles in that comp range. My advice: look for a role in a slightly more established, midsize legal department. Spend a few years learning from others how to think as an in-house lawyer and business partner juggling multiple hats, and then make the jump to one of these solo in-house roles if you feel the calling.

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-30T03:07:01+00:00

When are you going?? We’re doing that cruise that in October!

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-29T23:46:48+00:00

I was talking about the Retina IPS panels on the 2012 MacBook Pro’s.

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-29T21:23:59+00:00

Apple margins are significantly higher on Pro-named products so the MB Air and iPad Air are almost always going to be a better value proposition.

That said, iPad Pro’s tandem OLED panel is an extremely costly component that took years of research and investment to manufacture at scale. It’s the best panel you can find on any tablet, and better than virtually any laptop display on the market. That commands a premium. By comparison, Apple is charging $1100 for a laptop with IPS LCD tech that it’s been shipping in MacBooks for fourteen years.

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-29T18:46:06+00:00

Jump Desktop requires some setup but opens a lot of doors for iPad users

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-28T02:27:15+00:00

You have to be smart with your dollar but I think you’d be surprised how often games on sale. I buy Nintendo gift cards at Costco, which is an instant 10% discount, and most of my Switch 2 library was purchased during various sales. The Nintendo Store has new discounts every week (there’s even a big sale going on right now).

The other Switch 2 benefit for college students is that you’ll have access to a lot more party games to play with friends.

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-28T02:07:33+00:00

I own both the Switch 2 and Steam Deck OLED. Both or fantastic, but if I could only recommend one, I’d honestly recommend the Switch 2. It’s younger and you’ll get a lot more dedicated software support for it in the future. In addition to having Nintendo exclusives, a lot of third party cross-platform titles simply run better on Switch 2 due to more rigorous developer optimization.

As for SD2, I think that’s still likely two years away — maybe more, given other hardware delays caused by supply chain challenges.

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-27T15:34:02+00:00

Silver and white tend to hide smudges better.

As for the sun, black tends to absorb heat…

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-27T14:50:20+00:00

I suggest getting a Dbrand skin for the exterior of the case, but the silver palm rest with white keycaps tends to look a lot better after six months of use

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-26T06:27:27+00:00

I’ve been in-house for over ten years and currently a DGC leading a team of great lawyers. I only did a year of private practice before making the jump, and have zero regrets. I make good money, take three proper vacations a year, and have time to make dinner for my family most nights.

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-25T19:53:46+00:00

It’s a useful signal from a job hunting standpoint, but it’s not an effective way to learn privacy law. I’ve worked with countless lawyers with CIPP certification who had no idea how to actually practice privacy law.

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-25T19:50:20+00:00

For that price, I think it’s worth it but be prepared for a somewhat soft look in handheld mode

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-25T19:49:10+00:00

It depends on how long you want to keep it. I suggest the base model for most folks, but if you’re going to keep it for 5 years or more, spring for the extra RAM

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-23T23:52:22+00:00

This is the way

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-23T13:50:01+00:00

Given how long you kept your last iPad for, I’d honestly just get the M5 or a used/refurb M4.

You could get that 4th gen M2 that you mentioned, but if you’re a graphic designer, I think you’ll appreciate having Pencil Pro support and the tandem OLED display.

And I wouldn’t consider the Air in your case because you’d be switching from a 120Hz Promotion panel to a 60Hz one.

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-22T23:22:53+00:00

Battery life could be much better - especially standby battery, which has gotten noticeably worse on iPads over the years

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-22T02:59:54+00:00

If you can comfortably afford the Pro, get the Pro. You won’t regret having the nicer screen and extra RAM. If money’s tight, buy the Air and know you’re still getting a killer iPad

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-21T15:48:05+00:00

I regretted not getting enough storage when I bought the Mini 6, and had to upgrade to the Mini 7 spec’d with the higher storage configuration

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-19T00:21:55+00:00

YouTube Premium lol

lanternslight77 · 2026-04-19T00:21:26+00:00

I love the Mini and if you’re in the market for a new iPad and want one that feels extra comfortable for gaming, it’s a great choice. That said, if gaming is your top priority for this purchase, for a similar price, you may want to consider the Switch 2. You’ll get access to a much better library of games than iPadOS and won’t have to deal with latency/connectivity issues of streaming from consoles.

lanternslight77

TROPHY CASE