Hello, World. It's me on the iPad, computing like it's 2099 and embracing the fact that there's a lot more room for tablets now than ever before. About a week ago, I was set in my "real" laptop ways. One thing led to another...and now I've switched from MacBook Air to iPad Air.
I've been using the iPad Air 5th gen. with M1 chip for only days now. But it's not like I'm a sudden convert to tablet-computing life; this is my third sincere switch to living iPad-first or even iPad-only. And as the saying goes, I truly think this third time is indeed the charm.
While I have a ton of specific thoughts about my latest computing setup, I'll save those for other posts and focus on why I've switched again. First let's get the obvious out of the way: I can become discontent with what I have and distracted by the shiny grass that's more glittery on the other side. But this time, I can sort of justify or explain this change for the better.
We need more computer
My wife and I homeschool our five kids; the three oldest teens just started dual-credit courses from the local community college, most of which are online. So we need several computers, and they now require more functionality than the low-cost Chromebooks we've been using. For example, one class my son takes is basically, "How to use Microsoft Office." Google Docs won't cut it.
With many kids, classes, and weekly assignments, we needed another "real" computer, affordable yet without compromise; we had only a good Windows laptop for them to share. Thanks to some friendly folks online, I realized how capable an iPad truly is and decided to re-embrace it as my main computer, giving my MacBook to the kids for school sharing. So I didn't need to buy a true "full" computer; a tablet is enough for me. Yet don't be fooled — the iPad is about as real a computer as any.
Why iPad
For about the same sale price of the iPad Air 5, I could have bought a refurbished Mac Mini for either myself of the kids. But they needed a laptop to take to school sometimes, and I didn't want to be chained to desktop computing. So realizing the iPad — with the right accessories — can be a laptop replacement, it was the obvious solution for me.
So the hardware works. But what about the software? Yep, that works too.
The last time I was iPad-only, I ditched it for reasons that weren't really necessary. It was capable for my needs at the time. My computing tasks are relatively simple, being mostly text-based. Good keyboard and cursor support are vital, and the iPad handles that well. Multi-tasking and windowing are also important; iPad does that now better than ever.
The iPad way
There's also the "One more thing." The iPad way of computing, after all these years, is fundamentally just as simple and elegant as at its debut. Yet it's as modern, even futuristic, as ever. In other words, using iPad doesn't just work, it's super nice, fun, and easy. True, like anything, iPad has some peccadilloes (as I discovered in drafting this, Apple Notes on iPad can't convert text into URL links like it can on the Mac). But there are fewer of them and they're less egregious. Apple has refined iPadOS features and added more capabilities over time, making iPad overall a joy to use.
My M1 MacBook Air is great for a traditional laptop computer. My M1 iPad Air is great as a tablet AND as a laptop replacement (technically, my iPad's M1 chip outperforms my MacBook's with an extra GPU core). Moreover, it's also a very good desktop replacement now, thanks to Stage Manager. iPad a fantastic hybrid computer: modular and versatile — and I haven't even adopted use of the Apple Pencil for hand-written notes yet.
A mind's bicycle
I'm thankful to have the "best tool for the job" and that there are so many good computing options these days (including, for example, Samsung Galaxy tablets like the S7+ with its 3-pane tiling view). Admittedly, I might find a new friction point, some task that iPad either does poorly or can't do at all — nothing's perfect. But for me, iPad is able-enough.
As Steve Jobs said at its unveiling, iPad is far better at certain things than either a smartphone or a laptop. Now it's arguably better at even more, having evolved to handle tasks beyond its original scope. And chances are very high that Apple will continue to expand the iPad vision, balancing simple and elegant computing with an ever-more capable feature set.