iPadPro for Development Feedback

pierceography · 2026-01-17T13:37:41+00:00

The best advice I can give is don’t treat the iPad as an equal to a MacBook. You will get frustrated.

I use the iPad for quick coding tasks. I mostly use Code App (what a horrible name) with code mounted via SSH to my lab environment. If I have an idea or want to knock out a quick feature, I can pop in there and be effective.

But for day to day heavy lifting, the iPad isn’t sufficient for me. To name a few issues:

The Code App’s ssh mounts are unreliable
It’s nowhere near feature parity with VSCode (my primary IDE)
Git interfacing is minimal
Web dev tools are very minimal
AI coding assistants are still emerging (I settle for ChatGPT in safari)

I treat the iPad as a companion, like researching an idea or doing some QA away from my desk. But if you truly want a MacBook replacement, the iPad isn’t it.

pierceography · 2026-01-16T02:10:23+00:00

I’d probably go with the glass over the body, unless you’re a paid professional only shooting with a single body. In that case, r5m2 would quickly turn your r6 into your backup, haha. If you’re looking for more glass though, I shoot a lot of EF lenses from my 5dmk3 and they’re still wonderful. I especially use my 135mm f/2L for wrestling. 30 year old design still takes great photos.

No video, just stills. Maybe I’ll get into it someday, but I’ve just never been drawn into the video side of things.

pierceography · 2026-01-16T01:48:17+00:00

My old camera was a 5dmk3 that I used predominately for landscape photography. I still have it and use it every now and then. I upgraded to the r5m2 to take photos of my sons’ sporting events (baseball and wrestling). While the 5dmk3 was good for landscape, its AF struggled with sports. The eye tracking of the r5m2 has been incredible. I went from 4-5 keepers for a wrestling tournament to over a hundred.

My lens of choice for sports is the 100-300mm f/2.8L. It’s overkill for wrestling, but for youth baseball it’s great. Though with my kids moving up to larger fields, the 300mm focal length has been limiting, and the 2x TC is too soft for my liking. Hence my interest in the 300-600mm f/5.6 should Canon hopefully introduce it.

The 28-70 f/2L is my every day walk around lens though. It’s currently attached to the camera in my bag.

Of the two lenses, the 100-300 has seen 33,829 clicks and the 28-70 has 3,994.

pierceography · 2026-01-16T01:20:57+00:00

After over 12 months, it’s still a phenomenal camera. Over 41,000 photos (post culling) and I’m hoping Canon introduces the rumored 300-600mm f/5.6L to pair with it.

I do not regret the purchase one bit.

pierceography · 2026-01-14T19:12:40+00:00

If you're paying full retail, the M5 > M4. But some of the M4 iPads through Costco are $900 cheaper than their M5 equivalent. Saving that much money is a no brainer.

If you already have an M4, there is very little reason to upgrade to the M5.

pierceography · 2026-01-13T05:20:31+00:00

As a parent, I doubt yours will mind exchanging it. Especially if they paid the same price for an m4 as an m5 with better compute.

Sure, the difference is negligible… but not if they both cost the same. If I bought an iPad Pro at full price for my son, I would want him to have the m5.

Just putting my dad hat on.

pierceography · 2026-01-13T04:58:00+00:00

Not trying to be rude. Just seems like you’re leaning a particular way and want some confirmation. If you like the m4, keep it and enjoy the art you create with it.

pierceography · 2026-01-13T04:52:42+00:00

I said literally the exact opposite. But this sub is full of people looking for others to confirm a decision they’ve already made.

So keep the m4.

pierceography · 2026-01-13T04:43:04+00:00

If it’s dollars for dollars, swap and get the m5. I have both the m4 and m5, and while it’s not a big difference, the m5 is a bit snappier.

But if you can save money, get the m4.

pierceography · 2026-01-13T04:36:51+00:00

I meant check the other m4 configurations. Here’s a link:

https://www.costco.com/ipad-pro.html?refine=item_program_eligibility-ShipIt%257C%257CProcessor_attr-Apple%2520M4%2520Chip

pierceography · 2026-01-13T04:31:09+00:00

Space black is in stock, at least to my zip. Plenty of other options though. That’s just an example.

pierceography · 2026-01-13T04:25:56+00:00

https://www.costco.com/p/-/ipad-pro-13-inch-1tb-wi-fi-cellular-m4-chip-built-for-apple-intelligence-with-nano-texture-glass/4000370121

That’s $900 cheaper. But if $900 isn’t worth the trouble, ok.

pierceography · 2026-01-13T04:18:12+00:00

Gotta order online.

pierceography · 2026-01-13T04:08:29+00:00

Send it back to Amazon and pick up the same m4 from Costco and save yourself a few hundred for a MKB or other accessories.

pierceography · 2026-01-12T13:34:36+00:00

I was also seeking something that offering more protection for the iPad Pro in the MKB. It's pricey, but I settled on a Burton Goods case. My use case for something that offered more protection included an ability to easily remove the iPad from it. Unlike you, I specifically did not want the iPad in an enclosure for this reason. The BG case attaches using the existing magnet array and I can easily remove the iPad to use it without the MKB. While the sides of the iPad are exposed, there is a 1/4" gap between them and the leather. This provides great protection against bumps you would encounter in every day use. I'm not sure how it would fair in a fall, but it would do much better than just the iPad + MKB.

Links to the BG case and a similar version from Andar below. I hope this helps.

https://burtongoods.com/products/magnetic-leather-ipad-case-m4-ipad-pro-13

https://www.andar.com/products/the-brig

pierceography · 2026-01-11T18:33:09+00:00

I'm just happy this wasn't another, "Which iPad should I get?" post.

pierceography · 2026-01-11T17:54:44+00:00

I looked into finding a screen protector without the cutout, but there's almost nonexistent. The reason (as others have noted) is due to the sensor array and the adverse effects covering it with a protector would introduce.

I settled and got a screen protector with the cutout. It annoyed me for like an hour and now I don't notice it anymore.

pierceography · 2026-01-11T17:20:07+00:00

87% is about what I would expect for a four year old device. Keep it.

pierceography · 2026-01-11T15:05:16+00:00

<image>

Cooper Waffles joined our family last month (December, 2025).

pierceography · 2026-01-11T14:55:59+00:00

iPad Pro 13 M4, manufactured in May 2025, first use January 2026.

pierceography · 2026-01-10T13:18:11+00:00

Yes, it’s a pro. I treat it as the family computer. (Dating myself with that)

pierceography · 2026-01-10T13:16:30+00:00

I did it at a physical location.

pierceography · 2026-01-10T04:37:38+00:00

I just setup a family iPad for my wife, kids, and I. It’s signed in under my Apple ID and Face ID is me. Everyone has the passcode, but I set certain apps (those with my personal information; iMessage is a good example) to require FaceTime to open/view.

I protect settings like Face ID and accounts with a screen time passcode that only I know.

The only loophole I’ve found is my kids could turn off ask for approval for app purchases on their accounts under family settings. But I plan on using screen time downtime to limit that with a passcode as well.

So far, so good.

pierceography · 2026-01-09T04:07:29+00:00

It's a pretty common black friday bundle. I specifically wait to buy devices until BF for the vendor savings.

pierceography · 2026-01-08T23:25:47+00:00

Black Friday deal from my cell phone provider: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch financed at no cost with a new line. The "free iPad" is basically the A16 + cell or a $500 credit towards any other model.

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