Becoming an iPad guy

I was watching Byte Review’s recent video on getting the most out of your iPad, which got me to dig out my 2020 iPad Pro 12.9”. It’s been awhile since I’ve used this device, and honestly I never did much more with it than turning it into a second monitor for my MacBook.

The first thing I did was get used to the “new” multi-tasking features. The way iPad OS does multi-tasking is honestly pretty good. You can have multiple windows, split views, full screen views and even a slide-out, access anywhere window (great for Music, Reminders or Gemini). The added touch ability makes moving around and resizing windows easy.

I started using Apple’s Freeform application for work. I occasionally have to do design and UX research in my role (I wear MANY hats haha), and Freeform is perfect for sketching and idea mapping. The fact that I can simply open the app on my work MacBook to share with colleagues on a call is even better.

In addition to Freeform, I’ve been leveraging Apple Notes and Reminders more. Both are incredibly powerful, and Apple Notes is excellent on the iPad with pencil support.

An app I wish I could try is Pixelmator Pro, I’d love to try editing the RAW files from my Sony directly on the iPad. Unfortunately my pre-M chip iPad isn’t compatible with a number of apps, Pixelmator included.

Back when I bought this iPad, my goal was to replace my laptop. I picked up the iPad and a Mac Mini thinking I could SSH in and do dev work. It was naive, and failed spectacularly. While it was technically possible, and I did try it a few times (port forwarding a remove dev environment and all), but it was so dang clunky back then.

These days, I don’t code much. My computer usage revolves more around emails, writing, photo editing, reading and light content consumption. In other words, I’ve become the target audience for the iPad. This has enabled me to replace my personal computer I typically carry to work with the iPad. Thanks to sidecar I can use my work computer’s mouse/keyboard to check personal emails and sites on my iPad without physically switching devices. It’s perfect, and takes up a lot less desk space than my personal laptop.

There are downsides though, primarily around the age of my device. Since iOS 26, my iPad Pro is SLOW. It locks up and animations lag. OS support is ending after iOS 27 (I think), and a number of apps are already incompatible.

To make matters worse, Apple has ensured I can’t reuse any of my accessories with the new iPads. Both my Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil are incompatible with any M-series iPad.

This leaves me in a pickle. I have a trip to China upcoming, and I want to minimize the electronics I take. Ideally, it would be an iPad, my iPhone and my Sony camera. To that end, I’m thinking about pulling the trigger on a iPad Air. I know the screen and speakers will be a downgrade, but the performance gain would be well worth it.