My travel/writing companion

As a site designed to be about travel and writing, I figured I could start writing about the devices I use mostly for travel.

To that end, I have two devices: a 2013 retina MacBook Pro and a 9.7 iPad Pro. From 2013 when I bought my beautiful and working (no comment on the new MacBook Pro, no matter how much I actually want one) MacBook Pro was my main machine. I did tons of writing on it, I even had an iMac that went neglected almost completely once I got the MBP. But really, since June of 2017, the iPad Pro has been my most productive piece of equipment I own.

I have been a tech geek since as long as I can remember. I’ve built computers, owned iPods, went through the Mac family like I had Donald Trump money, but when the iPad first came out back in 2010 I had this dream that the iMac would be my home computer and the iPad would be my travel computer.

That dream took seven years before it really was able to be a reality.

Now, the iPad is my daily driver. I take it with me every where I go because it is so light and easy to pack. But the iPad has always been easy to take with you. That was part of the entire design. The thing that has really made my productivity take off has been 3 major things: Smart Keyboard cover, iOS updates, and apps.

Smart Keyboard

One of the biggest changes to the way I used the keyboard was the Smart Keyboard cover. When it was announced, I laughed it off and said that it was too expensive, and that it ruined the tablet experience. If you have to use a keyboard on the tablet, you’ve lost.

Or so I thought.

Thanks to the continued improvement of the iPads, and the heralding of people like Jason Snell (sixcolors.com) and Myke Hurley extolling the virtues of having a keyboard, I started to get curious.
I found a cheap keyboard cover on eBay and ordered it up. Even when it came, I still wasn’t sure about it. It seemed to add bulk to such a slim device. I didn’t want to make my iPad less portable. I’d switch out my keyboard cover with my other normal Smart Cover based on when I thought I’d need it.
But then school started back up.
As a teacher, lugging around the MacBook Pro wasn’t terrible. It is definitely heavier than the iPad, and I had a desktop at work, but I still wanted something to have with me that had my software on it. I started packing my iPad every day, and the days that I had the normal Smart Cover on instead of the Smart Keyboard, I regretted it. After a couple of weeks, the keyboard stayed on. I don’t even know where the normal cover is now.
The keyboard cover makes writing easier on the iPad. I’m not one to futz about the keyboard. I’ve never really been bothered by keyboard changes. I liked the MacBook Pro keyboard more than I like the old mechanical keyboards. For years, I tried to type on the iPad screen with some success. I still do type on the screen sometimes, but when I sit down to do some serious typing, I use the keyboard. It just feels better to have the tactile feeling of the keys when you sit down to a long writing project.
Now, eventually, I plan to upgrade to the 10.5 iPad or whatever Apple comes out with next and its keyboard cover. I think the added space on the digital and the physical keyboard will make even more difference than it does now on the 9.7 inch and it will keep the portability perfect. I’ve contemplated even getting the 12 inch iPad, but I think the device is just too big for what I need.

iOS

Second, the operating system has grown so much. Now there are multiple windows, and fly-over windows, and more power than ever. A writer doesn’t really need a whole lot of power, but this device is so easy to use its crazy. With added features comes complication though. The iPad still shines through those. They are not complications for complication sake. The Files app has helped out some with organization, but really just the internet and the ability to store things in the cloud has helped out.

The system has become better and better, and it has attracted more developers to the platform.  There are more writing apps than ever before.  There has to be a reason for that.

Software

Finally, software. As the operating system evolved the apps got better, but really the apps that I used on the MacBook started to show up more prevalently. Apps like Scrivener and Final Draft (and I know there are more and different apps, trust me. I’ve agonized over what to use for hours like any writer trying to procrastinate. And don’t get me started on Scrivener syncing!). The apps that I’ve used for so long have shown up in a new form on a new device. Some of them slimmed down and focused back on the core concept.
These apps are easier to use, and easier to keep the focus on them. The narrower focus of the apps helps me stay focused on writing.
Finally,  the iPad is the device of the future. There is nothing wrong with computers, and I still find myself building and dreaming of my next MacBook. I’m currently saving for a new iMac. But I still go back to my iPad because it excites me more than those. I like seeing what’s next for the device, because evolution keeps hitting it unlike the stagnating personal computer.
So that’s why I love my iPad. I love being able to go on vacation and sneak my little travel buddy with me to hammer out a scene or a thought I want to write about later (even though that doesn’t usually happen, I’d like to dream). I love being able to load it up with movies, music, and podcast before I get on a plane and then ignore them all because I got into a writing sprint.
I haven’t even really mentioned things like the Apple Pencil which helps out artist (because I’m not that artistic) or headphones that pair with them easily, or the all day (and a half) battery I still get out of this two year old device.
It’s a great device, and currently the backbone of my writing.