Mobile interfaces have always intrigued me. The first experience I had with it was an old hand-me-down XP Tablet Edition device, which felt so touch-foreign (as opposed to touch native). The vendor, Asus, I believe, had tacked on apps that worked, but at its core it was a mobile windows PC with an input method that never should’ve been. But I loved the device, and used it until the motherboard died (at which point it was given a very unceremonious autopsy before it lay to rest.)

I’ve watched iPadOS keenly as an onlooker for the last few years, but I never thought I could make the move. I was working in a field where I needed full-blown apps such as Logic, Final Cut, QLab and all manner of niche MacOS apps. But that changed when I moved into IT, and suddenly thanks to my work device I no longer asked so much of my MacBook. This also aligns with my university degree coming to an end, with no need to use data analytics apps.

I started with a very slow move to iPad a while ago - I had an iPad for years but only used it for reading, note taking at uni, and remote mixing at my audio gig.

That changed the day that I went into class without my MacBook. It was accidental, but I knew we were only working on Excel, and I was prepared to be a good little lab rat and see how I’d fare using Excel for iOS. I was VERY pleasantly surprised. I’m a touchscreen native, so not having a hardware keyboard didn’t feel out of the usual here. Excel had everything I needed to do implemented in native functionality, sometimes actually better than the macOS apps. I flew through the lesson and went back to my MacBook.

With that class over, I didn’t much think about my iPad. It went back into hibernation, except for the occasional book.

When I started at my new job, I had the unique liberty of choosing which device I wanted. I chose the Surface Pro 11, as I wanted to try out windows on arm and see how things had changed. What really tipped me off was how portable the device was. I hadn’t had a surface for years and found myself really missing the experience of using windows on a tablet. I know I’m in the outliers here, but it genuinely feels so compact and portable while still allowing me to do everything I would on a windows PC. Being able to undock my surface pro, pick it up, and take it with me to continue what I was doing is amazing.

Ultimately, the thin, light, portable form factor was so appealing it seeped into my personal life. I wanted to stop carting around my bulky MacBook, so I unearthed my iPad. Driven by an urge to see if I could do it, I started putting my MacBook in a drawer and using my iPad wherever possible. This proved difficult with the Smart Cover - as I administer systems at home (nerd) and use a terminal much more than would be comfortable on a touch screen. That’s my limit. Whatsmore, the 2019 model Air was showing its age. Frequent chugging, especially when I was looking for a place online and the map wouldn’t load - after I’d decided to ONLY bring my iPad to my partners’ for the weekend, was kind of the final straw.

I knew what I wanted, and I was ready to give it a go. After some searching, I went out and purchased an M3 iPad Air 11 at a very good price. So good that I actually got a cellular model, which I promptly added an eSIM to.

The new M-series chip really changed the game. No more slowdowns, dropped frames, or freezing. And the eSIM proved to be actually a nice quality of life improvement - not having to tether from my phone really made me want to use it more.

I still had only one problem - terminals on touchscreens.

I knew I wouldn’t settle for anything less than the Apple Magic Keyboard - its native, wired interface, beautiful keys, and easy detachment to use the iPad for reading was perfect for my use case. I bit the bullet and purchased it. I did have some regrets about the smaller size when I first used it on the keyboard, but that quickly faded.

Having used it for a bit, I love iPad OS as a laptop. I have a sense of focus when choosing to use it full screen - nothing can grab my attention or distract me while I’m working on something. It’s so quick to multitask, command tab being available as well as spotlight are lifesavers for my muscle memory. The keyboard feels solid, and I love the experience of browsing the web, writing, and managing servers on a device that used to be little more than a reading device.

I’m sure I’m going to run into edge cases in my time using iPad, but I’m ready to sell both my old iPad and MacBook to cement this as my only device. I'm in the unique position to be able to work around what would arise, such as setting up and remoting into a VM if i need windows for something, so I don’t think I will have to buy a new laptop. Hell, if this goes well enough I might justify a tandem OLED or larger upgrade down the line. Point is, iPad OS has come a long way from its’ inception, and while I preached to others looking to buy a new laptop that hey, maybe you don’t need a MacBook, I actually find myself surprised that I’m able to go down that route myself.

It's worked well so far. I wrote this article in Notes, remoted into a server to setup the VM, configured blog builder, web server, and DNS, all from my iPad.