Why My Next Mac Was an iPad

Remember this?

I’ve ever had only one Mac at a time since I first started using one: a PowerMac G5, a PowerBook G4, a unibody MacBook, and now a Mac mini.

Last year, when the iPad 2 was introduced, I decided to get a second Mac. And so I bought an iPad. I have used it almost every day since, until I replaced it with the latest generation unveiled this year. And this one has had the same fate as its older brother. I love it.

I bring it along when I’m on the go, obviously. It really is a marvel to use in the train¹. It really is a marvel to use on campus every day, too.

The only real downside that constantly makes me nervous is that it’s a smudge magnet. Well, what did I expect from a 10-inch slate which primary input is fingers? Even Apple cannot do miracles in this area. Glare from ceiling lights is also very disturbing, but I blame this on my school’s rooms.²

The biggest upgrade between the iPad 2 and the new iPad has been the Retina display. As I’ve said a few months ago, It’s really great because my sight has been really bad since last year. And reading text on a Retina screen strangely is much less trouble than on regular, lower density displays.

The iPad has been fantastic at fostering my creativity. Since I have one, I’ve been finger painting, making music, and playing a lot more. Granted, I’m bad at most of these things: what I paint is still amateur work by all standards, my music’s even worse, but I’ve played some great, intelligent games³. However, while my creativity has gone up overall, it has gone down in the areas that matter.

Indeed, I’ve spent fewer and fewer time actually coding or editing photos or even writing over the months. And those are the things I love and which I’m good at. Or, at which I suck the less.

Say what you want: the iPad is not great for those things. In spite of apps such as Textastic, iA Writer, and iPhoto, and now Diet Coda, these tasks are a chore to do on an tablet.

I mean, it cannot handle my publishing workflow⁴; it cannot handle the 50 MB raw files coming out from my 5D MkII and neither has it the professional tools I require like Lightroom.

If Apple really does go through with a $799 MacBook Air, I might consider selling my iPad and getting one instead. I may not have the longer battery life but I’ll be able to do actual work when I’m on the move.

Why not ditch the Mac mini and get a MacBook Pro, you ask?

It’s certainly not in the same price range, and the Mac mini does offer the best bang for the buck: its 2.7 GHz Core i7 just roars and I had it for a mere $799. I couldn’t get a MacBook Pro for this price; I’d need to loose the iPad. I’m through with plugging and unplugging my things every day.