Ten days iPad only

Hardware
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I recently got back from a ten-day iPad-only trip. This is probably the longest I’ve been without a Mac in at least a decade.

The trip was a mix of business and personal. During the business part of the trip, I was able to keep up with all the work I needed to do without any issues. A few years ago this would have been a lot more difficult, but things like iOS 11 multitasking, drag and drop, the files app, Word for iPad, and solid calendar and email apps have really raised the bar.

While I’m nowhere near ready to give up my desktop Macs, it’s becoming increasingly clear that an iPad can meet my travel computing needs.

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The iPad is handy on trips. I was gone for a week. I took my work issued Toshiba CF-33 laptop/tablet Toughbook along. The Toshiba has Windows 10. I am getting used to running that.

The only thing I used the Toshiba for was checking work email.

I took my iPad with me on the second day of the conference. However, I took notes the old fashioned way. With pen and paper. It is amazing what a person can do with an iPad. The other guy I work with is a big apple guy. Of course he has the bigger, better, toys. iPhone 10 and iPad Pro.

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This is basically my setup now: iMac and iPad. I use the iMac maybe once every couple of weeks and iPad constantly around the house. I, too, cannot give up the Mac as the basis for my setup. It does too much for me (backing up, larger tasks, etc), but for most of my daily use the iPad is great!

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Went IPhone and IPad Pro over a year ago when my 2011 MacBook Pro crossed the rainbow bridge. I will admit. There are times, very few times, that I miss the added functions of the OS, That said, I have been able to work around those missed features in IOS. As far as being able to run my business from a IOS only environment, I am all in, it works for me. :+1:t2:

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I just got back from an 11-day road trip, which was a family vacation (but I occasionally had to check on my work Facebook Pages and emails). On the first half of the trip I used my iPhone only. On the second half I got out my MacBook Pro because I wanted to download photos from my camera and do some editing. And I used the iPad to do some journaling in Day One.

I probably could have got away with just the iPad and iPhone if I didn’t have the camera photos to deal with. Although, if something had gone wrong with work, I would want my MBP.

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I’m within days of listing my 2016 MBP 13” and going iOS only.

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Daring! Let us know how it goes.

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Out of curiosity does the iPad not work for your photo work flow?

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I don’t have a camera connection kit and thus no way to get the photos onto my Ipad from my camera’s SD card.

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I’ve specifically tried to only create workflows that work equally well on macOS and iOS. My goal is to be able to use whatever form factor works best for each situation or task, knowing that I will be able to get everything done no matter what. There are only a handful of things that I still need a specific device for (Mac for external backups, iPad for handwriting, etc…). At home I switch back and forth between the Mac and iPad and when traveling I often only take the iPad and Smart Keyboard.

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Chris - what kind of keyboard did you use on your trip? did you go for 11 days on the Apple Smart Keyboard Case?

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Yep. Apple Smart Keyboard.

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What’s the worst that’s going to happen. Darn, I must buy a new computer. Could be considered long range planning. :roll_eyes:

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I have a 2011 MBP that is still going strong, but earlier in the year I decided to take the plunge and get an iPad Pro 10.5 when I saw the 4K editing capabilities within Lumafusion. My MBP would almost explode anytime I added 4K video (typically just shot off my phone). The iPad Pro handles it like a champ. Not even a hiccup. Debating on getting the smart keyboard. I’ve been using a multi-device Logitech keyboard. It works great, but I’d like to lighten the travel load a bit if I can.

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Excellent! I started using my ipad for travel some time back. These days, I only use my mac when I need Xcode, but other than that I only use my ipad(s). I edit photos, create videos and do the general stuff without any issues. It works for me.

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I did a ten day iPad only trip in 2012 & a SD card reader was the only accessory I had (for iPad - lots of glass and filters for the camera). Always nice to know photos are backed up nightly, even if it’s only local.

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I just took notes on my iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil for a webinar I listened to. I found it just as convenient as pen and paper.

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I would love to get to that stage, Admittedly I have yet to experience the Apple Pencil I am rocking an iPad Mini at the moment and seriously considering a iPad Pro. What app did you use for your notes? @pmconaway

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I was iPad Only from the iPad 4 to the iPad 12.9 (2015). I finally got an iMac when my job changed and I was doing more graphic design and video work.

The iPad Only life might not be for EVERYBODY but it doesn’t mean it’s not for ANYBODY.

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@keithheavey I used Noteshelf 2. It’s the one I’ve settled on at the moment. I was able to import a pdf worksheet provided by the webinar host to take notes on. It followed the topics covered. I’m sure I could have done something similar by creating a pdf of slides from a presentation.

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