Back To The iPad For Good

Back To The iPad For Good
My computers (iPads).

Took a bit of a detour to get here, but I am happy to be back for the long haul.


I go back and forth with my technology. If you have been following me on Techuisite for awhile, you know that I can be very indecisive when it comes to my gadgets. I like tech tools and having the best setup is a journey that I can get lost in sometimes.

It isn’t that I think one is necessarily better than the other, this is more about preference and sometimes I find myself getting sucked into someone else’s idea of the perfect setup. I am a victim of wanting to try every new thing out there, but sometimes that can get daunting, especially when it distracts from actually using the device.

M3 Pro MacBook Pro

To provide some brief background on how I got here, it all started when I decided to dump my beautiful MacBook Pro M3 Pro in Space Black, to go iPad-Only, again, at the beginning of 2024. I loved the M4 11-inch iPad Pro and still miss it a little.

For reasons I don’t want to get into here, I had to sell that iPad Pro and was computer-less for awhile. I did use an iPad 9th Gen for a little bit, and my old 11-inch MacBook Air, but as for a more powerful dedicated machine for me to work and write on, I decided I was going to wait.

After a few months I finally decided what I wanted and I started my Tech Check-in Series. For the Mac check-in I got the MacBook Air 13-inch with the M2, 8 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. It is a great laptop, but I also made sure to also get myself a iPad Air 11-inch since the iPad is still something I want to have in my setup.

After writing that check-in post for the Mac I realized how much I gravitated to the iPad more than the MacBook Air. Even with important things like grocery shopping, applying for Passports for my family, looking up something for my kids school, or other tasks that I would normally pull my laptop out for but instead did it on the iPad1.

M3 MacBook Air

Granted, I could also do some of these things on my iPhone, but having a larger device like a laptop or tablet is more ideal when I am not on the go but at home. It got to the point where I was hardly using my MacBook Air, and I started to realize how much more I prefer iPadOS and the iPad over a Mac.

Before I go into what I got and how I am using them, I also want to mention that I have always leaned more towards the 11-inch iPad’s since the all-in-one/minimalist setup always appealed to me. This preference has always made me not really give the larger 12.9 or 13 inch models a real chance. So I thought I would actually give it a true shot this time.

I have tried to give the larger Pro a good shake a couple of times. The true reason why I didn’t find the larger Pro useful is, I think, the same reason many don’t understand the iPad to this day. They see the iPad as a tablet first that needs to be held in your hands or used with the screen facing up like a laptop which can cause the feared gorilla arm.

Because of the 12.9-inch display it seemed obvious to me, at the time, that a computer with a screen that large should be an alternative to a laptop. Holding a tablet that big was something I always found ridiculous and to this day I still sort of agree with that sentiment.

iPad Air 12.9-inch and 11-inch

The problem with this, and what many still deal with today, is that the iPad is a tablet first to use for tablet things. But just like how you can carry around a laptop or set a phone in a stand in front of you, there are so many ways to use it. Keeping a laptop balanced on one arm as I walked around an Amazon warehouse was something I did all day long for over a year.

It sucked and made my arms hurt, but just because it is more comfortable to set a laptop down on a table, the fact that I can wedge it into my inner elbow and look something up as one of my associates was asking me something was the most ideal at the time.

This is the same thing with the iPad. When sitting on the couch or at a table, a laptop works great. Standing isn’t as comfortable to use laptop but you know what is? An iPad. Even the gigantic 13-inch one. If I had a large iPad to use while running around a warehouse would have been so much more ideal, plus I could use it at a desk or table too with just as much comfort as a laptop.

Most of the time, when I do hold the 12.9-inch iPad in my hand it is to do something specific; like scan a document, take a picture, or to share/read something briefly. The great thing about the iPad is it is modular, so if you don’t want to use the iPad that way, you don’t have too. There are plenty of stands, keyboard cases, and other accessories to create a setup that is perfect for you.

iPad Pro

So with the size out of the way let’s talk about what I got. After I sold my MacBook Air, I found a great deal on Swappa for a 13-inch 512 GB M4 iPad Pro under $800. It ended up being a scam (a really good example of something too good to be true), and decided that even though I still wanted to try out the larger iPad Pro I didn’t need the gorgeous OLED.

iPad Pro in Smart Keyboard Folio and Magic Trackpad

After going from a mini-LED MacBook Pro 14-inch, to a OLED 11-inch iPad Pro, to a Liquid Retina MacBook Air I realized all of these displays were fantastic. Needing to have the very best Apple offers was not something I needed for my main powerhouse computer. So I instead opted for last generations iPad Pro 12.9-inch with mini-LED, which is still better than the MacBook Air display I had before.

The exact model that I have is the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 6th Generation with 128 GB of storage and no cellular. It is the previous iPad Pro 12.9-inch base model and, so far, perfect for my needs. I get the great mini-LED display, Pro Motion, the Pencil Hover feature, Face ID, and the very powerful M2 chip.

My only concern with this iPad Pro is the small storage. So far, it hasn’t been an issue. I have more than enough iCloud storage to sync all my data, including my photos, and I don’t do any kind of video editing or other heavy data workflows where I need to worry right now.

iPad Pro in TomToc case (my favorite way to use the iPad)

The accessories that I got for the iPad Pro are; a slightly used Smart Folio Keyboard that I am using to write this post with now, a Space Gray Magic Trackpad that I have had for years (yes this means it has lightening), a USB-C pencil, and a TomToc case that I use most of the time. I actually like writing with the software keyboard on the iPad, but for ergonomic reasons I also like to use the Smart Folio Keyboard too.

This iPad Pro, and whatever accessories I choose to use with it that day, is my main computer. It does everything I need for all of my computer needs without issues. I am not a developer, do any creative work besides writing, but I do like to multitask while I am using my computer which the iPad does effortlessly.

iPad Pro in TomToc from the side

I will do another post in the future on how I am using this 12.9-inch Pad Pro; how and when I use specific accessories, the apps that I use, and continue my battle of showing the things you can do on the iPad that many mistakenly claim that you can’t. But for this post I wanted to touch on another iPad that I now own, making me a truly all-in iPad user.

iPad Mini

When I was using the MacBook Air and 11-inch iPad Air for a few months, there was something about the portability of the iPad Air that made it so much more approachable when wanting to get something done. Or if I wanted to read or watch something, the size of the Air was much more preferable than my iPhone 15 Pro Max.

iPad Mini

So when I decided on getting a iPad Pro 12.9-inch to replace the MacBook Air and iPad Air, I knew I also wanted to get something similar to my setup before in having a smaller device to use when I wanted to do something more casual. That is when I decided to get myself another iPad Mini.

The iPad Mini is not only the device that I prefer when I don’t want to use my larger iPad or having something bigger than my phone, it is also my e-reader and portable computer when I am out and about. I actually took the iPad Mini with a foldable wireless keyboard with me on a cruise and it worked great.

The iPad Mini that I bought was a refurbished 6th generation model off of Amazon. Luckily for me, I originally purchased a Space Gray model with only 64GB of storage and WiFi-only, but what was delivered was a Starlight model with 256 GB of storage and WiFi + Cellular. It has a few more scuffs than I was expecting but not enough to ruin my excitement of all the extra features that I got.

I got a cheap matte screen protector to put on it for reading, and a Pikata case that is really great to be able to sit the iPad Mini up in a variety of different angles. I also signed up for the tablet internet service through AT&T so I get internet connection where ever I go with this little tablet.

In that last 10 years, I think I have only gotten cellular on a iPad once. Even then I don’t know if I used it very much at all. Having cellular connection available on my iPad Mini has been a really great treat. I didn’t know how much I was going to use it and gave myself a couple months before cancelling it, but so far I think I am going to keep it on for good.

iPad Mini is a great e-reader

It is so convenient to have another device connected to the internet at all times. I use it as a hotspot for my iPad Pro sometimes or my son's iPad when we are traveling in the car. Plus, since I use this device for mostly reading, it is like having one of the old Kindle devices that used to offer cellular service so I can download books whenever I want.

Living the Dual iPad-life

Having not one but two iPads makes so much sense for my life right now. I spoke about this before in my last post, but being a parent of two young kids makes it very hard to go to a desktop or have a laptop when I want to casually use my computer at home. Having a tablet just makes much more sense.

Being able to have both a large iPad for more extensive tasks but also have a mini iPad for more casual tasks, or be used as a substitute for my bigger iPad, also makes this setup so useful. I mostly use the iPad Mini for reading and consuming content, but I have ability to turn it into a travel computer if I need too.

iPad Mini with iClever keyboard (perfect mini writing setup)

I mentioned it briefly earlier, but I bought a iClever foldable keyboard with trackpad for the iPad Mini when I want to turn it into a mini writing or workstation when I am out and about. I plan on doing another everyday carry post soon to talk more about this setup, but even though the keyboard isn’t ideal for long periods it is nice to have when I do specific tasks.

Just like many who like to have a desktop and a laptop, that is how I see my setup with the iPad Pro and iPad Mini. Though, I can still take my iPad Pro with me - it isn’t a desktop obviously - I do like the fact that I have a Mini version of the iPad with the same OS as my main computer when I want something smaller when I am traveling or leaving the house.

So I am officially back to the iPad-only life and so far it has been fantastic. I don’t feel the same regret as I had before when my MacBook Air would just sit unused for long periods, and the iPad Pro is so much more approachable when I want to do something while I am home surrounded by the chaos of a growing family.

iPadOS, I believe, is a fantastic platform for getting things done. I have always said that the iPad is perfect for any writer, and it continues to shine for me when I sit and write up a new post like this one. Will I eventually get a Mac in the future? Maybe. But for now I am happy to be back to only-iPads.

1 I go into more detail on this, and my attempt at using a 13-inch iPad Air for while, in My Problem with Writing Series post since my setup was still in flux. I do go over some of what I am going over in this post but I think the background is important in how I ended up with the setup I have now.

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Jamie Larson
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