Macsparky: Laptop-less

@MacSparky’s recent post Laptop-less is one that really strikes a chord with me. Like David, I rely mostly on desktop Macs (I’ve got an iMac on my desk at home and a mini at work). As the iPad has gotten incrementally better it has taken over more and more of my mobile and travel computing needs. A 12.9" iPad running iOS 11 does the vast majority of what I need.

I am currently nursing along a 2012 Retina MacBook Pro for the few instances where I need a Mac when I’m somewhere other than my desk, but that’s happening less and less often. I don’t know if I’ll be buying a replacement when my 2012 finally kicks the bucket.

Anyone else rolling with macOS on the desktop and iOS everywhere else?

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I’m nearly there, but with iMac and iPhone. Until retirement about 3 years ago I used my personal MacBookPro (2011 model) for teaching in the evenings and taking notes at work during the day. As I always multicam recorded my lectures I edited them in Final Cut Pro and uploaded them to the website solely using the MacBookPro. I also used it on vacations to select and touch up photos.

But now I do none of that, even waiting until I return home for photo processing. The MacBook Pro is rarely used and I’m not sure I’d replace it since I hate the keyboards on the newer MacBook Pros. Frankly, everything I do while not at my iMac can be done just fine on my iPhone! I’m not even a potential customer for an iPad, and, of course, I hate the iPad keyboard as well.

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What about giving presentations? That’s my primary use case for my laptop these days.

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That’s one of the reasons I’ve been keeping my old MacBook around. I’ve got all the dongles to present from the iPad, but I haven’t been able to find a presentation remote that I like for it. The other obstacle is the lack of USB flash drive support in case I need to pull my presentation off of my own device and put it on a different computer to present from. Hopefully someday Apple will add better USB support for flash drives and presentation remotes.

My 2011 MacBook Pro bit the dust last year. Replaced it with IPad Pro. 100% IOS now with IPad and soon to be replaced IPhone 6+. The only thing that I miss is being able to back up all my files to a local drive, rather than just cloud storage, (I believe in having several back up’s).

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I had an iMac until a few weeks ago (it died on me) and have a macbook pro and a mini. the macbook pro is mostly for my wife, I use my iPad pro mainly,. And if I have to use a mac I dial into my mac mini to get it done. So for me it’s iPad first and mac mini for support!

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I’ve just received an older iMac at work, and I’m heavily considering selling my 2016 MacBook Pro to purchase a new iPad Pro. I’ve spent the last several weeks refining my workflows to be iPad only, and I’m almost to the point of listing it.

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Install Keynote on an iPhone and use that as a remote for the iPad. I very nifty feature that works really well.

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I could make the change to do that, I would just need a second iMac, but I find that I am too often called to a place to demo a thing and my laptop is still way better at doing that.

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I’ve used the iPhone Keynote remote functionality before. I prefer a remote with physical buttons.

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I sold my MBP 2 years ago. I use a 2012 Mac Mini for an iTunes/Plex server. Also, as a general file server, local back-up for iCloud photos and and a back-up for 10+ years of Mac files. But in actual day-to-day use, not much. I actively use it for work only when I have client projects that require InDesign. 95% of my work has been done off of an iPad for the past 2.5 years. First via the Air 2 then via a 12.9” Pro. I use it for graphic design, page layout, website design, website maintenance of 10 or so clients. Most of the work is coding html/css by hand with just a little WordPress stuff for the occasional client that prefers that. Affinity apps for the graphic design, Pages for most of my document layout.

I’ll always have a Mac for the file server aspect but that’s it. The form factor of the iPad and Smart Keyboard is my favorite of any computer I’ve ever owned. I keep the Smart Keyboard within arms length and can pop the iPad in it for typing or watching video or whatever when I don’t want to hold it. Otherwise I love being able to have such a powerful computer in such a lightweight tablet form factor. Oh, and the Pencil is a fantastic tool when used with the Affinity or similar apps. So much fun and so useful.

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Interestingly, I go the other way. I use top-of-the-line 2015 13" Macbook Pro for everything. It powerful enough for the “big jobs” I do with it like video editing. I have an iPhone 6s that use for checking messages/email on the go and reading books. So I have no plans to get an iMac or iPad.

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Previously I’ve been reluctant to even consider the possibility of going all-in on iOS devices.
Actually, I’m still pretty divided about it. It’s just a different thing to work on my MacBook Air than on an iPad for instance.

But now I’m seriously considering that now might be the time, and iOS 12 the OS, that’s gonna’ make me give up my MacBook, and get an iPad - maybe an iPad Pro (I’m really not into the different models available, anymore), maybe an Apple Pen, and of course my iPhone.

I’m really only using my Macbook for a bit of Photoshop and/or Pixelmator Pro photo editing, seldom some video editing, and production, in Final Cut Pro. Mostly it’s just Bear Notes for note taking, personal as well as professionally. Drafts on iPhone for all thoughts I need to save as they come to me, and iA Writer for writing pieces for blogging, as well as other light text editing.
And of course I manage my tasks in Reminders, as well as 8 different calendars management in Fantastical 2 (which I switched to recently).

So, yeah… I’m still considering to make a move from macOS to iOS and knowing myself, I probably will be for a considerable time yet🤔

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I’ve got a strong feeling I won’t be buying another laptop, but I still ‘need’ mine now and hopefully it will stay with me for 5 years or so.

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As far as remote access on iOS goes, I just want to add my 2 cents. I have a bluetooth mouse that works with my remote access software of choice. The Swiftpoint GT mouse and Citrix X1 mouse both work via bluetooth and can give you full mouse access while connected into your computer remotely while using specific remote access programs. I use mine quite often when I don’t have a laptop on hand as it’s much more functional than finger taps to navigate file systems and do server work. The downside is that you’re limited to the remote access programs that are supported by either mouse. I’ve never heard any mention of a mouse for iOS on MPU, so figured I’d share for those interested. With David Sparks going laptop-less, this seemed like a good time to point it out for anyone else looking to do the same but not able to overcome this hurdle.

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I’m a consultant who can work anywhere. I have a Mac on my desk at home and a Mac on my desk at my client’s office - I’m working there a lot at the moment so worth leaving my MacBook Air 11” there connected to a screen. But for out and about, and meetings, I use my iPad Pro 12.9” or my older iPad Pro 9.7” (if it’s a day when I want to be even more mobile). It’s completely workable now with the quality and capability of iPad apps combined with remotely connecting to one of my Macs; using Parallels Access or Jump over Fluid. I particularly like that Jump can use a Bluetooth mouse connected to my iPad to control the remote Mac (albeit only specific models of Bluetooth mouse). The light weight and mobility of an iPad + 12.9” screen + mobile/cellular data + all day battery has been liberating.

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I have run my presentations from my iPhone for several years: Apple Watch + Keynote or PowerPoint do a wonderful job, and no need for a remote.

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Yup, run a 2017 iMac and a 10.5 iPad Pro. Yesterday I went to a local sandwich shop and wrote on my iPad for a few hours then went back to the office to finish.

It’s a great combo.

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Chris, I recently went on a vacation and in preparation for that I looked into flash drives that I could connect to an iOS device as I was worried about running out of space on my devices. I didn’t want to miss out on any photo opportunities because my device was full. SanDisk 200GB Connect Wireless worked flawlessly after I got it setup. When researching this I found a lot of lightning on one end and USB-A ports on the other flash drives.

As for a remote, is it possible to use your iphone as a remote to your ipad or does that just work with as the remote for a MacOS device.

I’m also looking into going to an iOS device as my mobile device. I’m currently using a iPad Pro 10.5. And not having my MBP 2015 15" with me hasn’t been a problem yet.

Paul

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I’m with Mr MacSparky himself. My iMac is getting less and less use. It’s almost there to run Hazel these days. It’s also better for multi editing in Omnifocus.

My iPad Pro handles the vast majority of my day. When I move to OF 3 and if ever Hazel were possible on ios the. That’d be the end of the road for my iMac.