In 1984 I purchased my first “portable” COMPAQ computer. It was heavy and it was bulky. Below you will see a picture of it in all its glory. For storage, it had both a 5.25” floppy disk drive and an optional 3.50” floppy disk drive. I have no idea why there is a mouse in the picture. Compaq’s of that era had neither mouse or trackpad. Hard disk drives were for grown up computers. My setup consisted of that computer and a very noisy and slow printer plus an even slower 300 baud modem. Everything worked in reasonable harmony. It was fun to drive and it was even more fun to fix.
If any parts of my current configuration even hiccups the procedure is to determine if it is more cost effective to repair or replace the device.
The Cornucopia of Modern Day Computing
Today, there are multiple vendors providing us with telephones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and whatever else we can imagine; almost.
As in most situations of abundance, some people choose but a single device, and that becomes the tool of choice, the ONE tool that supersedes all other available tools.
I recently read an excellent post by [Caleb Clark] in which he clearly details why he writes and runs his business only with an iPad Pro. I have read many an article why people satisfy all their computer needs on only the iPad but none as clear and well written as this.
The Silliness of Unnecessary Minimalism
When looking at all the choices available under computing power we have to finally recognize the best product for us is going to be made by whatever product strikes our fancy. We may look at memory, capacity, and design. What we pick is because some quality of the product rings one or more of our chimes. The rest of this article is heavily influenced on my opinion and my feelings.
I do not believe a serious argument can be made for frugality when choosing an iPad Pro as your only computing device. There are many tablets that are considerably cheaper and of reasonable quality. The case of using an iPad as your only device is certainly achievable but patently absurd. The new Apple chip makes this machine very fast and the battery is known for its staying power.
An eleven inch iPad Pro without external keyboard or e-pen is $800.00 American. You can get a reasonable desktop for about $200.00 more.
My Personal Configuration
I write and develop within the Apple ecosystem. I have an iMac Retina 5K, 27 inch, Late 2015 with 32GB memory and a 3.12 TB Fusion Drive. This is my desktop and it is where the majority of my writing happens. I also have an older MacBook Pro (2013). My iPad Pro was made in 2016, has a 9.7 inch screen, and 32 GB total capacity. Last in this zoo is my iPhone 11. I write on any device I have available or within easy reach. If I am at a restaurant or in a theater or with friends, and I have an idea I wish to keep, I use my iPhone which almost always rides in my back hip pocket. Almost always, the phone is the instrument of choice when I quickly want to record a thought for further development.
Why Bother with the iPad at all?
Between your phone and your laptop and your desktop, isn’t that tablet actually superfluous? Well, yes, it is. But, it does have niche value. Tablets fit well into briefcases and backpacks. If you enjoy working at Starbucks or even on a bus, they are ideal tools. Even for those wonderful spring or fall days when you simply sit under a big tree and you are really happy to be alive, a tablet is the perfect device. No network connection, use your phone as a hotspot and you are up and running.
The Connecting Thread
The purpose of all your devices is to record information and produce valuable output. It could be the result of an equation, or an article on Medium. The important connection between all your devices is software. If you and I cannot share information that information is worthless.
In the arena of writing the two most known applications are “Word” from the world of Microsoft and “Pages”, its equivalent on Apple. Neither is that useful when it comes to writing anything other than short letters or memo’s. Our point of interest here is the ability of different devices to share the same information easily and without turning into something else, entirely. The concept is Continuity. What I have written on my iPhone gets stored on the cloud. The wonder of this concept is that any device you own can read, manipulate, and save that information.
There are two applications that handle all my serious writing needs. They are Ulysses and Scrivener. Ulysses is a Mac only product. Scrivener has a version for Microsoft. I have both products on my Apple hardware. I have never used Scrivener for Windows. Hopefully it is as good as the Apple version. Scrivener works beautifully with DropBox. Ulysses just works.
I receive no compensation of any type for mentioning any product or device.
I wrote the first half of this article on my iPad in the living room sitting in my recliner. As it turned out the iPad was the perfect instrument to develop a first draft of this article. The remainder I wrote from my office the following morning on my desktop. As it should be, the device is inconsequential. The output and what you can do with it is all important. Use the device you find most comfortable and most effective to manipulate, maintain, and share your data.