Ben Brooks:

None of this is to call the 9.7″ iPad Pro a bad machine — on the contrary it is a great machine for many people. My argument against the 9.7″ model is predicated on the it being your only computer and the fact is: people who only use iPads for their computing are rare, to say the least. Which means the 9.7″ iPad Pro is perfect for everyone who doesn’t want the iPad Pro to be their main computer — in that sense it is the perfect second computer. […]

This is very much like the original 11″ and 13″ MacBook Airs, where the 11″ model just couldn’t ever get to the specs of the 13″, but it was a very compelling device for people looking at a tiny second computer. So too is the 9.7″ iPad Pro and I bet it does quite well.

While I agree that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro might be a better primary computer than other models for some users, I know that the 9.7-inch form factor is perfectly suitable for me. I know this because I’ve spent the past year using the iPad Air 2 as my main machine.

There are Macs that I own and use on occasion — a MacBook Air for the rare times when I’m working with a lot of photos or making heavy use of Transmit and a Mac Mini which houses our photo and media libraries. But I’ll often go days or even weeks without even logging in on those machines. I would definitely categorize them as secondary and tertiary computers.

I do find it funny that he compares the 9.7-inch iPad Pro to the 11-inch MacBook Air, though — I’m the guy that used an 11-inch MacBook Air as my primary computer for nearly four years. Granted, it wasn’t the original model and I’m aware that this isn’t the norm. Everyone else I know of that owns or owned that machine bought it as a secondary computer that they could pair with a more powerful iMac or Mac Pro.

I guess I value portability much higher than others do — which is why I lean towards more compact devices. I might be better off with a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but I hate the idea of carrying around a larger device. For me, the 9.7-inch iPad strikes the perfect balance between power and portability — I can get all of my work done without a hitch and the device’s size would never be considered unwieldy, regardless of the setting.

(Via Mayur Dhaka.)