For me, the AirPods Pro. I use them on Zoom calls (only 6-10 per week – a lot for me, not a lot for many people), on phone calls, and listening to podcasts while exercising 2 hrs./day and doing chores.
They’re comfortable, and I love the way it’s easy to switch from noise canceling to transparent mode – I can listen to podcasts and block out most exterior sound, or I can have a perfectly normal conversation with someone while I’m still wearing AirPods. In transparent mode, it’s like they’re not even there. Amazing!
My high-spec BTO 2017 iMac. Working from home, this thing just kicks it with 2TB SSD HD and 32GB memory, and handles multiple open apps with ease. Whether I’m teaching online or having video conference calls with clients, this iMac handles it all without breaking a sweat (aka, the fans turning on).
In 2022, I’m hoping to upgrade to an Apple Silicon iMac Pro
Hmm, tough choice. I really like my 2017 iMac, and I love my iPhone 12 Pro, but I think I’m going to have to go with my 2018 iPad Pro 12.9” with the Magic Keyboard. I’ve been using the iPad since the very first one and this is really the culmination of everything I’ve wanted in an iPad over that time. It’s good enough that I’m actually skeptical that Apple is going to be able to entice me to upgrade. They’re really going to have to hit it out of the park with the next iPad for it to be an improvement over the one I have now.
My iMac Pro. It’s a workhorse.
The new M1 MacBook Pro gets fairly close to it as far as CPU benchmarks go, but I think the iMac Pro will still win in overall performance (i.e. real-world stuff like data analysis that also involves lots of disk I/O.).
I used the Pencil 2 quite a bit for notetaking in GoodNotes before the pandemic. Now that I’m not going to in-person meetings I haven’t been using it nearly as much.
If Apple came out with a new iPad mini that supported the Apple Pencil 2 I would probably buy it as a dedicated notetaking device to supplement the iPad Pro (multipad lifestyle FTW!).
This is an easy one for me, it’s my iPad Pro. With few exceptions I was always able to do the bulk of my job using a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. I just needed to administer other computers and devices from whatever I happened to be using, and have some basic office tools like email and spreadsheets. Today, to some extent, I’m still doing that. And I have a wide selection of apps to make it easier and more entertaining.
Having a mini sitting at home makes things easier but it’s no longer a necessity. My iPad can do everything I need.
AirPods Pro here as well. I’ve got a noisy, 20-year-old treadmill that I’ve used almost daily to keep my sanity for the past 8 months. When my wife surprised me one day in August with these little miracles, it transformed my workouts. I can listen to music at low volume and block out the sound of the treadmill at the same time.
The 16" MBP: 8 cores and 64GB RAM in a macBook means that I can do my most demanding work absolutely anywhere. It’s hands down the best computer that I’ve ever owned.
This is a hard thing for me to answer as well. I use my AirPods Pro on a near daily basis for Zoom calls as well as listening to Podcasts. My iPad Pro was my sole computer for over a year and still gets daily use. If it is current may be a matter of detail, I would say my 2020 i5 MacBook Air is my current favorite. My computer needs have been evolving over the past 6 months and I have been learning how to do some things that would have been harder, if not currently impossible to do on an iPad. It might be a closer race if TextExpander supported external keyboards on the iPad.
My 16” MacBook Pro. When at home with an egpu, it performs like a desktop system. When working away it’s still powerful and a joy to use. I love that the cooling means even on long tasks it keeps performing, and I’ve never had that from a laptop before.
Strong tie between my Airpods Pro and my iPad Pro. I will say that I evangelize about the iPad Pro to everyone who will listen. It’s pretty much replaced my Macbook and having a cellular option is just the icing on the cake.
My iPad Pro 2018. When I got it I have a 2105 15" MBP and relied less on it because I used my iPad Pro more. I used the iPad Pro to design and build websites, keynote presentations, podcast recording/editing, video editing, and illustration. The always on factor and use anywhere with 10hrs of battery life changed the way I do things. I even used the iPad for my workshops and people loved it. After 8 months, I decided to sell my 2015 MBP. The limitation of the device made me more creative and focused.
This year, I got a 16" MBP. It only got 1TB of SSD and 32GB RAM but enough for my needs. It supplements the things that I do on my iPad such as multitasking with multiple apps open. But for the most part, it’s still the iPad Pro I used for most of the time to manage my websites and podcast.
EDIT:
I forgot to mention that I upgraded to iPad Pro 2017 to 2018 because of the Apple Pencil 2. Apple Pencil 2 was the main reason I love my iPad Pro 2018.
