Second device advice

[MichaelB212]

Hi all,

Has anyone been successful using an iPad Pro or Air as their primary personal device in conjunction with a company-issued laptop? I currently have duplicate devices for work and personal use (work-issued laptop AND a personal MacBook Air, work-issued iPad AND a personal iPad Air, work-issued iPhone AND personal iPhone 14 Pro) and I’m starting to experience device fatigue. In effort to streamline, I am contemplating selling my MBA and going all-in on iPad as my go-everywhere personal computer. Though the iPad connected to a keyboard could probably handle 99% of my personal computing needs (and run my GTD app of choice, Things 3), I am reluctant to pull the trigger.
Any experiences to share, positive or otherwise?

 

[FocusGuy]

Hi all,

Has anyone been successful using an iPad Pro or Air as their primary personal device in conjunction with a company-issued laptop? I currently have duplicate devices for work and personal use (work-issued laptop AND a personal MacBook Air, work-issued iPad AND a personal iPad Air, work-issued iPhone AND personal iPhone 14 Pro) and I’m starting to experience device fatigue. In effort to streamline, I am contemplating selling my MBA and going all-in on iPad as my go-everywhere personal computer. Though the iPad connected to a keyboard could probably handle 99% of my personal computing needs (and run my GTD app of choice, Things 3), I am reluctant to pull the trigger.
Any experiences to share, positive or otherwise?

It is funny, I just post 3 mns ago a post about minimalisme. To answer Yes I did. I notice that for managing my task and communication The iPad was great. It was also perfect for showing to my clients my buildings. I could do 80% of my needs. Anyway it was less powerful than my Mac book pro retina. I don't know why. I am now 61 and I swear to nothing but minimalisme and simplicity. Can't explain. I guess we are overwhelmed by information, tools, desire and all that stuff make dispersion instead of making us peaceful and quiet. I decided to change all that. I lesson less tv and radio. I read more, I use less tools, less software, less of less. Will see how it may change my life.

 

[MichaelB212]

It is funny, I just post 3 mns ago a post about minimalisme. To answer Yes I did. I notice that for managing my task and communication The iPad was great. It was also perfect for showing to my clients my buildings. I could do 80% of my needs. Anyway it was less powerful than my Mac book pro retina. I don't know why. I am now 61 and I swear to nothing but minimalisme and simplicity. Can't explain. I guess we are overwhelmed by information, tools, desire and all that stuff make dispersion instead of making us peaceful and quiet. I decided to change all that. I lesson less tv and radio. I read more, I use less tools, less software, less of less. Will see how it may change my life.

Thanks for the reply @FocusGuy. Somehow I have ended up with more devices than use cases for all of them (or storage space!). Personally, I would have preferred to decline all the company hardware in favor of a BYO device plan, but if leaning into essentialism is the goal, then reducing my personal devices seems to be the only option. iPad OS has come a long way in being a true desktop/laptop replacement but there are still limitations. I doubt I would run into those on a regular basis as my personal computing needs revolve mainly around GTD, email, music, light word processing, web browsing, etc. It is good to hear you have had a positive experience.

 

[Robert5911]

I use my iPad Pro 12.9 about 80% of the time. I would use it 100%, but there is one piece of software I use that the iOS app needs to be improved for my needs, as the Mac app does a lot more. If it wasn't for that I would sell my MBP.

 

[schmeggahead]

and I’m starting to experience device fatigue.

As the exact opposite of a minimalist when it comes to hardware, I can see how device fatigue can be a real issue. What drew me to respond to your post is this: when I work my GTD system, I rely on my iPad and not any of my 4 Macs. They are readily available almost everywhere and still I'm carrying around my iPad (with the Apple keyboard cover, the Magic Keyboard added way to much to the weight). I have an 11" iPad Pro M1 and it has functioned well everywhere I go. I no longer take a Mac on any trips. I had an original iPad Pro 12.9 - the screen size is nice. However, I have had more fun with the 11" and it goes more places than I was willing to lug the 12.9".

That said, having both my iPhone and iPad together is useful. (Full disclosure, I'm typing this on my M1 Mac mini.)
Clayton.

the right oppresses and the left liberates (“la derecha oprime y la izquierda libera”) - the Spanish-speaking equivalent of righty tighty lefty loosy

 

[ivanjay205]

I have a 14" macbook Pro m1 that is a business computer. Personally I have an iPad pro with magic keyboard and I also have a 32" All in one at my house.

I use the macbook pro for business and personal all the time. I can do so much on it. I use my iPad for business and personal all the time. I find that I enjoy my all in one for either work from home days (big screen) or if I want to play a game etc. I use that device. That is the only thing I only do on my personal computer, otherwise they are all interchangeable for me.

I am a business owner so I dont have IT restrictions on how I use my devices. That being said I am about to go on vacation for two weeks internationally and I am trying to convince myself to take my iPad only and leave my laptop home. I never have gone anywhere without my laptop but this is a once in a life time trip so I think I am going to take the plunge and do it. I dont work on the laptop when away, it is "just in case" but there is very little other than accounting software etc I cannot do on my iPad

 

[tyarrish]

I have a MacBook Pro for work, and then I bought an iPad Pro (with a Cellular account) to use for work related things (vs needed a work phone). With my set up I use my MacBook in my home office, and then when I have to go out I take my iPad Pro with me. It works for about 90% of what I need to do, and the remaining 10% is typically because I have to switch my browser settings to show desktop mode (or the corresponding App I need to use doesn't have all the features of the web based version).

 

[dtj]

If your work and personal devices are set up pretty similarly, using cloud services (icloud,outlook,etc), wouldn't that reduce device fatigue in that its just sorta what device is either closest or more convenient in a particular context? Depending on your tools and environment, it can be very much consistent across devices. If your work has a decent BYOD policy, you should be able to get close.