While making coffee and preparing for our Sunday this morning and absent-mindedly tap/swiping my way through my email inbox on my iPad, I realized that my regular routines these days are almost diametrically-opposed to how they were just a year ago. In a nutshell, I haven’t ‘sat down at a keyboard’ in almost 6 months now, at least at home. I have three laptops – only one of which sees any action and it’s when I fire it up – like a desktop machine – each day at work, and then put it to sleep when I leave. Only rarely is it undocked for meetings in favor of the aforementioned iPad, and even those moments are further apart and fewer than ever before.
What’s changed? Unconscious simplification. I never intended an iPad to be my main computing device, but by nature of it’s rather innocuous and carry-friendly footprint it’s weaseled its way into my life quite definitively. Although there’s still professional recording, video editing and a handful of tasks that still need the extra beef of a full-blown computer, even those tasks – up to a certain point – have become manageable on a tablet today, and what was hopeful curiosity a year ago has become convenient reliability in recent weeks.
My old arguments against a tablet-based life usually revolved around power (the processors and display weren’t beefy enough for real work) and a mix of ergonomics and efficiency (virtual keyboards, to be frank, just never work as well or allow you to work as fast as real keys on a real alphabetic or musical keyboard, not to mention all the reasonably-good audio interfaces aren’t generally compatible with iOS devices).
What made the difference?
Apogee Jam audio interface: Finally, an affordable iOS audio interface that brings in quality tracks for a quality-minded guitarist/bassist. I tried all the cheesy microphone adapter interfaces but nothing works as well as the direct iPod connection on the Jam, and tracks – well, sound absolutely lovely. An Ensemble it ain’t, but now demos on an iPad can actually sound respectable without requiring an assload of retakes and drum remapping over in Logic (to be fair, I still remap the drum tracks to Superior Drummer 2 in Logic for the awesome sound, but it’s as easy as choosing a new virtual instrument at that point once the MIDI tracks are tight).
Apple Bluetooth Keyboard: Typing is now comfortable and FAST. It’s small enough to tuck into a small messenger bag with either my full-sized retina iPad or my iPad mini and still not look like I’m packing major equipment. Coding and extended editorial work – now a non-issue. Nothing made my tablet scream ‘Foreign! Uncomfortable!’ than trying to write anything more than a Twitter/Facebook status update on those damn ‘virtual keyboards’. If you get just one peripheral for your iPad, make this THE ONE.
Pogo Connect stylus: Not just a passive writing tool, the Pogo Connect may set you back $75 but it’s extremely efficient low-power Bluetooth connection lets your iPad clearly know what’s the stylus and what’s not – like your hand, et al – so you can really dig into your artwork like the real thing. And the best part? Pressure-sensitivity and a stylus button that works like the big Wacom counterparts, which I generally map to ‘undo’ so I don’t have to keep switching tools back/forth or reaching up to hit the undo button between failed strokes. If you’re an artist, this is a serious tool to consider – optional for general use but indispensible for creative work IMO. Only downer- it’s a bit bulky, so doesn’t tuck into my cases like the Wacom Bamboo. But a small price to pay for the control and feel it provides your creative work.
And finally, a good case that allows for upright viewing. I use the Twelve South Book Book cover (as does my wife), a perfect mix of elegance, aesthetics, and utility. Looks gorgeous (and discreet!) when propped up on the bookshelf (and let’s face it- your average thief doesn’t really hit bookshelves, let alone read), and it’s 3-position capability (raised ‘keyboard mode’, upright ‘viewing/monitor’ mode, and standard tablet) makes it hella flexible as either a handheld tablet or a ‘mini-monitor’ on your desk. Which is how I’m using it now:
The results? I honestly don’t miss a laptop – or desktop – much these days. Most of my early design and conceptual work is all on the iPad now, and the few times I actually finish a project it’s a snap to simply move my work to the ‘big machine’ (i.e. laptop or Mini) and spend a bit of time finalizing everything, maybe doing some really heavy motion graphics, recording or compositing work to clean up any rough sketches or tracks, and we’re done. My last print job literally was a PDF sent to the service bureau directly from the iPad and didn’t touch a traditional computer until, I’d imagine, they set up my print run remotely. If this is the future of creative work, sign me the hell up!
All said, there’s still reasons to have a ‘big machine’ on hand – for the above-mentioned ‘finishing’ work, and all server/backup/archive/storage needs like our shared home iTunes media library and Aperture/iPhoto streams, but those are diminishing by the days. I, for one, welcome our new mobile overlords. Are you finding your mobile devices inserting themselves into your professional lives as well? Do tell.