Ditching the iPad-first setup

I’ve reverted back to laptop first for most things.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPad Air. What I don’t love is the hand/wrist cramps I got while trying to use the “Magic” Keyboard or the eye strain from working on a long piece while the iPad sat on a stand on the table…seemingly 1/2 mile away to give me room for an external keyboard. Then there was remembering to bring said keyboard if I even thought I might write something (a scenario that all too often ended in sorrow and missed opportunities).

So here’s the device breakdown that seems ideal, as of today:

• MacBook Air
  • Long-form writing and research that requires multiple tabs AND Ulysses (most of what I use a computer for)
• iPad Air
  • Quick look-ups, email checks, and general everyday stuff
• reMarkable Tablet
  • Novel drafting
    

For some reason, I have better luck working on the novel when I use my reMarkable than either Apple device. I think it helps me get in the mindset of my main character (think me, but even more analog).

So yeah, the iPad is in daily use and I do love how accurate Scribble is for jotting down quick thoughts in Craft or Notes. But for actual lap-top use, the 11” Magic keyboard just isn’t big enough, or tactile enough, for me. Also, it kept flipping over backward off my lap. The last time I was sitting in a camp chair next to a river, so that could have ended badly. And frankly, now that I need glasses for computer work, the extra 2” of screen real estate offered by my MacBook Air is heavenly when I’m an hour into a 3-hour jam session—I can jack up the font size and keep cranking out words.

Will I replace the iPad when its time comes? Well, that’s several years in the future, so I can’t say yet. What I can say is that for my aging eyes, bear paws, and general writing workflow, I’m a laptop guy.

Oh yeah, none of this impacts my paper/pen use in the slightest. But that’s a rabbit hole of a topic for another day.