I am an Apple user, and a long-time techie. I have rarely been able to afford cutting edge technology, but I remember a time when what I have now was still futuristic: a computer on your wrist, anyone? a million songs in your pocket? world-wide connectivity on your desk? whodathunkit??
These days I can generally afford the tech that I want, so it is less about making do and more about finding what works. My constant companions are my Apple Watch Series 8, and my iPhone 16 Pro. I’ve also been using a MacBook Air M4, and an iPad Pro 11″ 3rd generation with a Smart Keyboard. Each device has its slot in my life and workflow, but recently I realized I had an occasion to downgrade and keep the productivity that I desire.
Where I have redundancy I want to reduce, and if I don’t actually need it, I generally won’t have it. Therefore I was considering the iPad Pro and the MacBook Air. The M4 Air is a 13″ screen and the iPad is an 11″ screen. Both have keyboards (courtesy of my iPad Smart Keyboard). Both are fast enough and have the processing power I need for what I do. I was using my Air for work, and my iPad at home.
Lately though, I have been looking into doing more with my photos, more with video editing, and some other creative projects that will require more than the iPad can do. I also had a mental block against using my Air at home: I am using it for my work computer. And every time I thought about using my laptop, I thought about work. Boot it up? See my work email. Open my browser? See my work bookmarks. My laptop said work, not fun. And my iPad was slightly lacking, despite all it can do, but I don’t want to give up the portability.
Sometimes, there are tasks I don’t want to do on a small screen, a la my iPhone, and don’t want to take out my laptop for: reading (for one), light browsing for another, or just playing Scrabble. So what to do? I think I found a solution, and it involves downgrading. I am going to keep the Air (after all, I do use it for work), but I am going to replace the iPad Pro with an iPad mini.
To get around the work/play conflict, I realized a feature of MacOS that I wasn’t using could help me: user accounts. I don’t know why this didn’t occur to me before, but I realized I could keep my current user account for work (to avoid having to set up again all the Microsoft products my employer insists on using) and I could add a second user account for after work life. Or, as I like to call it: life. Then I could have wacky wallpaper, advanced features, and quirky setups. For work I need things a little more straightforward and less imaginative. Having set that up, I feel like I now have two computers, work and play, in one!
But, if I am using the MacBook Air for most things at home, not only is the iPad redundant, but it is extra. I don’t need a tablet and a keyboard, though I still want something for the aforementioned activities for which a tablet is well suited. Enter mini, stage right. I found a good deal on an iPad mini, current generation, and can trade in my iPad Pro (plus probably sell my Smart Keyboard). Thus the mini has a minimal cost, and I still get the functionality I need from a small tablet. For everything else: the MacBook Air. For walking around I have my iPhone in my pocket and my Apple Watch at hand. Everything with a place and a use.
The only piece of Apple tech I would love to own would be a Vision Pro. Being able to watch movies, or baseball, or other media on that thing would be awesome. It would be absolutely killer on an airplane. But, it is way too expensive to find a home in my tech life. I either need a huge upgrade in work, or an affordable version of the Vision in Apple’s ecosystem. But that is small complaint, really. I have what I need, or will once the iPad mini shows up tomorrow. I love new tech, but even more, I love having just the right tool for the job.
a simple man 