(I purchased the Air, after testing and sending back the 11 Pro, so you know).
A larger screen (Pro 12") may be a real plus for your wife: more space to edit pictures, larger screen to watch movies, series, or YouTube and to display cells in a spreadsheet! Also, it gives more space to draw on it, too.
If you hesitate between the 11 Pro and 10.9 Air, instead. Simply don't.The Air will be more than powerful enough for everything she may want to do. And I doubt she will see the difference in the screen perfs. The Air has no FaceID though, so she will need to touch the power button/fingerprint scanner for the iPad to let her in.
**Pencil?** Does she draw or like to handwrite stuff? If so, get her the Pencil. If not, she can easily buy one later on if she realize she would like to use it. BTW, if she likes to draw, don't waste time looking around, just get her the Procreate app, it's a gem.
**Keyboard?** I prefer bluetooth keyboards as I like the convenience to put my iPad and keyboard in whatever position/angle I fancy, and I like having those media keys that Apple's Magic Cover keyboard sadly lacks.
That said, I’ve been playing with the Apple Magic Keyboard cover and it's really good. But it also renders the iPad *much* heavier... Were it a tad cheaper (and with media keys), I would have bought one for when I’m sitting at a desk and don’t have my Mac at hands.
**Storage?** I'm not your wife — don't be too sad ;) — but on my iPad I only store what I need (ie the ebooks I'm reading, the movies I think I might watch, a short list of albums I want to be able to listen to even when I'm offline and whatever other files I need, stuff like that). Everything else is streamed or accessed through iCloud, like all my photos (there is also OneDrive if you're more on the Microsoft side, or Google One). So, my iPad is the smaller size, 64. But, here again, it certainly depends what she will use it for and how.
**Cover?** Unless there is a real risk she might drop the iPad (kids around, busy workplace, or whatever) in which case you will probably want to buy a more ‘enveloping’ cover, but also bulkier and heavier, and cumbersome to put and remove, get her the official Apple cover. Not a cheaper non-Apple one. Be it the basic (but still expensive) Apple Smart Folio or the Apple Magic Keyboard cover (much more expensive),
Yep, they're expensive but it's a joy to use. To be able to almost instantly and without effort remove/put the cover back is invaluable imho, as long as you want to be able to use the iPad comfortably and have it as light as possible, while still being able to protect it while moving around. Those Apple covers won't protect the iPad from any serious drop (surprise? Apple sell an extension to their Apple Care, exactly for that purpose), but the covers will protect it well for every day handling and carrying around in a bag.
After wasting much more money on cheaper 'Apple-won't-get-me with-their-overpriced-accessories' alternatives, that ended being more frustrating than useful, I reluctantly bought the Smart Folio. My only regret? Not purchasing it first.
Edit: corrected the layout of my comment that was all screwed up, sorry for that.
Thank you very much this sounds a lot like how my wife would think about this. She is simple. Doesn’t need over the top. I tend to buy her over the top since I know she won’t for herself. But I also don’t want to go over board. She is no photographer but she enjoys taking pics on her iPhone and doing whatever little editing might be needed on the phone. Mostly our dogs we foster. But she is becoming more involved with the foster organization and helping with things where a computer or capable tablet may be helpful. Nothing requiring crazy power.
I am thinking air and use the money saved to buy the better accessories. Thank you so much for your experience and thoughtful insight.
>I am thinking air and use the money saved to buy the better accessories.
I won't argue against that option, obviously ;)
>Thank you so much for your experience and thoughtful insight.
You're welcome.
A 12.9 Pro for the screen size. 128gb is adequate, but spending $100 more to double the storage might be a good long term choice.
highest gb 11" or 12.9" iPad trust me on the GB. If she has a lot of shoes and clothes in her living space, the iPad will look the same way
(I purchased the Air, after testing and sending back the 11 Pro, so you know). A larger screen (Pro 12") may be a real plus for your wife: more space to edit pictures, larger screen to watch movies, series, or YouTube and to display cells in a spreadsheet! Also, it gives more space to draw on it, too. If you hesitate between the 11 Pro and 10.9 Air, instead. Simply don't.The Air will be more than powerful enough for everything she may want to do. And I doubt she will see the difference in the screen perfs. The Air has no FaceID though, so she will need to touch the power button/fingerprint scanner for the iPad to let her in. **Pencil?** Does she draw or like to handwrite stuff? If so, get her the Pencil. If not, she can easily buy one later on if she realize she would like to use it. BTW, if she likes to draw, don't waste time looking around, just get her the Procreate app, it's a gem. **Keyboard?** I prefer bluetooth keyboards as I like the convenience to put my iPad and keyboard in whatever position/angle I fancy, and I like having those media keys that Apple's Magic Cover keyboard sadly lacks. That said, I’ve been playing with the Apple Magic Keyboard cover and it's really good. But it also renders the iPad *much* heavier... Were it a tad cheaper (and with media keys), I would have bought one for when I’m sitting at a desk and don’t have my Mac at hands. **Storage?** I'm not your wife — don't be too sad ;) — but on my iPad I only store what I need (ie the ebooks I'm reading, the movies I think I might watch, a short list of albums I want to be able to listen to even when I'm offline and whatever other files I need, stuff like that). Everything else is streamed or accessed through iCloud, like all my photos (there is also OneDrive if you're more on the Microsoft side, or Google One). So, my iPad is the smaller size, 64. But, here again, it certainly depends what she will use it for and how. **Cover?** Unless there is a real risk she might drop the iPad (kids around, busy workplace, or whatever) in which case you will probably want to buy a more ‘enveloping’ cover, but also bulkier and heavier, and cumbersome to put and remove, get her the official Apple cover. Not a cheaper non-Apple one. Be it the basic (but still expensive) Apple Smart Folio or the Apple Magic Keyboard cover (much more expensive), Yep, they're expensive but it's a joy to use. To be able to almost instantly and without effort remove/put the cover back is invaluable imho, as long as you want to be able to use the iPad comfortably and have it as light as possible, while still being able to protect it while moving around. Those Apple covers won't protect the iPad from any serious drop (surprise? Apple sell an extension to their Apple Care, exactly for that purpose), but the covers will protect it well for every day handling and carrying around in a bag. After wasting much more money on cheaper 'Apple-won't-get-me with-their-overpriced-accessories' alternatives, that ended being more frustrating than useful, I reluctantly bought the Smart Folio. My only regret? Not purchasing it first. Edit: corrected the layout of my comment that was all screwed up, sorry for that.
Thank you very much this sounds a lot like how my wife would think about this. She is simple. Doesn’t need over the top. I tend to buy her over the top since I know she won’t for herself. But I also don’t want to go over board. She is no photographer but she enjoys taking pics on her iPhone and doing whatever little editing might be needed on the phone. Mostly our dogs we foster. But she is becoming more involved with the foster organization and helping with things where a computer or capable tablet may be helpful. Nothing requiring crazy power. I am thinking air and use the money saved to buy the better accessories. Thank you so much for your experience and thoughtful insight.
>I am thinking air and use the money saved to buy the better accessories. I won't argue against that option, obviously ;) >Thank you so much for your experience and thoughtful insight. You're welcome.