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> Boggles the mind why people still fall for the iPad Pro as a serious work machine beyond writing meme. The form factor is incredible. I did this a few years

> Boggles the mind why people still fall for the iPad Pro as a serious work machine beyond writing meme. The form factor is incredible. I did this a few years ago, used iPad+vps for personal work. As a backend developer mostly, it was not hard. Then had to switch back as I got into gamedev but miss the form factor of iPad so much. For some reason, it seemed to inspire me at odd hours and places to code. Now I am back in market for a new machine. Debating hard to give up projects that cannot be done easily on iPad. So that I can get iPad and VPS again. It sounds crazy to limit your curiosity but it’s just incredible machine.

2muchcoffeeman 3y ago
Yeah, Microsoft Surface got this right. Having a touch screen on a laptop is great. I don’t do any coding on my iPad, but I got a knockoff Magic Keyboard and it’s pretty great. The real thing isn’t worth it, since it puts you into laptop price category, and you’re better off buying a low end laptop.
- recursive 3y ago
  It seems a lot easier to put a touch screen on a laptop. Mine has one, and it's a totally normal laptop.
  - amerkhalid 3y ago
    I’m not sure if it’s a touchscreen by itself make it such a great device. I think it’s combination of media consumption focus, responsiveness and super light to hold for reading or writing. When I bought it, I was going to use it just for reading and drawing. But it was with me all the time so I bought keyboard too and started ssh into my virtual machines for light work. Eventually, I was using it for programming more than drawing or reading.
    - 2muchcoffeeman 3y ago
      Right. It’s modal. Depending on the kind of task you have on hand, you need different input methods. That’s why you still need a keyboard and touchpad.
  - skydhash 3y ago
    My work laptop (Dell XPS) has one and I've never used it. It runs Ubuntu and everything is much faster with the mouse (external) than touching the screen. I'm on my MBA, and I've never felt the urge to touch the screen for anything. And even with the iPad, there is always this friction when context switching from keyboard to pencil. I either use it in tablet mode (touch and pencil) or writing mode (and I always want some pointing device then). If only I could find a graphic tablet similar to the apple trackpad!
    - 2muchcoffeeman 3y ago
      As great as the Apple trackpads are, if you are reading docs, scrolling through stuff, a touch screen is superior. More precise for text selection. Can’t lose the cursor. Better on my wrists. And complex motions are easier. I wish I could CAD with a touch screen gestures. It’s different environments too. If I am at my desk with external screens, I want a trackball. I don’t want to reach for the screen. But on the couch, or on the go, I wish I had a touch screen Mac laptop.

2muchcoffeeman 3y ago

Yeah, Microsoft Surface got this right. Having a touch screen on a laptop is great. I don’t do any coding on my iPad, but I got a knockoff Magic Keyboard and it’s pretty great. The real thing isn’t worth it, since it puts you into laptop price category, and you’re better off buying a low end laptop.

recursive 3y ago
It seems a lot easier to put a touch screen on a laptop. Mine has one, and it's a totally normal laptop.
- amerkhalid 3y ago
  I’m not sure if it’s a touchscreen by itself make it such a great device. I think it’s combination of media consumption focus, responsiveness and super light to hold for reading or writing. When I bought it, I was going to use it just for reading and drawing. But it was with me all the time so I bought keyboard too and started ssh into my virtual machines for light work. Eventually, I was using it for programming more than drawing or reading.
  - 2muchcoffeeman 3y ago
    Right. It’s modal. Depending on the kind of task you have on hand, you need different input methods. That’s why you still need a keyboard and touchpad.
- skydhash 3y ago
  My work laptop (Dell XPS) has one and I've never used it. It runs Ubuntu and everything is much faster with the mouse (external) than touching the screen. I'm on my MBA, and I've never felt the urge to touch the screen for anything. And even with the iPad, there is always this friction when context switching from keyboard to pencil. I either use it in tablet mode (touch and pencil) or writing mode (and I always want some pointing device then). If only I could find a graphic tablet similar to the apple trackpad!
  - 2muchcoffeeman 3y ago
    As great as the Apple trackpads are, if you are reading docs, scrolling through stuff, a touch screen is superior. More precise for text selection. Can’t lose the cursor. Better on my wrists. And complex motions are easier. I wish I could CAD with a touch screen gestures. It’s different environments too. If I am at my desk with external screens, I want a trackball. I don’t want to reach for the screen. But on the couch, or on the go, I wish I had a touch screen Mac laptop.