
Experiment: To work primarily on an iPad for a week - ananddass
http://blog.inkmobility.com/post/58068032644/experiment-to-work-primarily-on-an-ipad-for-a-week
======
kunle
I tried this as well 2 weeks ago. The OP has a much more comprehensive
breakdown of why it didnt work than I do (and a much more involved workload
than i was intending).

Personally and in my conversation with folks, I find that as a productivity
device, iPad users fall into 2 buckets.

Bucket 1: Creators: developers, designers, writers and such - folks who need
to create documents and other work product. Broadly speaking, in terms of
available apps, and interconnectivity with apps (eg leaving Photoshop to go
research something in a browser and coming back, copy paste workflows etc) the
iPad is simply not there yet. For stand alone workflows, it goes some of the
way there (Eg if all you're doing is writing, you can probably get away with
it), but if your role involves using several tools, the tools simply arent
there yet.

Bucket 2: Decision makers. I know a few successful CEOs who only work on an
iPad. For them, most of their workflow is digesting data and decision making -
they arent writing code or making slide decks. They just process emails, do
product review and look at data and conclusions. For them, the iPad is perfect
because all those workflows are easily completed on an iPad.

I think the iPad will get there eventually - the type of creation that is done
will shift somewhat, and the tools will get better, but for now, even the most
dedicated folks have a hard time using an iPad exclusively.

~~~
dfxm12
_I think the iPad will get there eventually_

I don't think we'll get to a point where _professional_ or _enterprise level
creation_ happens on an iPad, outside of typing text or filling out forms (if
that even counts). Apple's direction with the iPad is purely as a device for
buying and/or consuming data, and will maintain as much control as they can.

~~~
AJ007
There are iOS mods (jailbroken) which currently enable keyboard commands and
mouse use for the iPad right now. Multitasking is a big weakness that other
tablet OS's are addressing or moving in the direction to address.

Let's hypothesize a 25" tablet, suspended from a monitor arm, with support for
keyboard commands, mouse, and multitasking. That is effectively a desktop. The
downside is processing power, which I am assuming will continue on an
exponential upward trend in addition to seeing CPU intensive processing
offloaded to remote servers (compiling, rendering 3D images, converting video,
stuff that already is often done remotely today.) The part of this vision I
find hardest to believe is a 25" tablet, so I assume it will have to wait for
an advance in display tech leading to lightweight/fold-able/roll-able/etc.

Sure, Apple is going in one direction today, but if iOS falls too far behind
the feature/usability curve their tablet dominance will fall.

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marban
After trying really hard to use an ipad as a work tool for the most mundane
tasks since the very first generation, I'm back for good on an 11" MBA and not
looking back. Now that the battery life is 7h+ there's no real reason to carry
the awkward tablet & keyboard combo and the ipad collects dust as a hi-end
ebook reader.

~~~
pseudonym
Agreed. I tried the iPad + external keyboard combo for awhile, but after
getting an 11" MBA and using my smartphone for things that I can do completely
handsfree (like Skype calls), my iPad has fallen by the wayside for the most
part and only comes out for reading comics and PDFs.

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CompelTechnic
If tablets are ever going to come into their own as productivity tools, we
need some input device innovation. As it stands now, touchscreens and styli
don't afford as much utility to the user as the mouse/ keyboard combo for the
sort of precision most productive work requires.

The big limitation is the number of unique single-step interactions that can
be performed by the user. With mouse + keyboard, you have ~100 keys, >=2 mouse
buttons, and enough screen real estate to afford at least several hundred
unique clickable areas. On a touchscreen, our fat fingers limit the number of
unique tappable/swipable areas to, depending on screen real estate, maybe 50.
There just isn't as much information that can be expressed in one interaction,
and breaking the task into multiple interactions causes cogitive overhead and
discomfort for the user.

I wish we all had really small hands so we fit an appropriately scaled
keyboard in the footprint of a smartphone, or something. But that ain't gonna
happen. So, I guess... Innovate or die! But here I have a fear that modern
keyboards have so much lock-in that when better input devices arise, people
will be afraid of switching to them.

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raganwald
I tried this with the 1st generation iPad when my workstation failed and was
in for service. I mostly SSH'd into my entertainment centre but I was able to
do original editing on the iPad using DropBox.

It was awkward, but good enough to GetShitDone.

I later bought both an Air and an iPad Mini, and the Mini is small enough to
be a substantial improvement on the Air when doing short trips to conferences.
I can edit my presentations, take notes, and do all sorts of other things on
the road or in a coffee shop.

Now my Air sits at home.

Disclosure: I started programming on punch cards. It's all amazing to me, so
when comparing an iPad Mini to a desktop computer, I can logically tell you
I'm way more productive on the desktop, but at the same time I'm emotionally
satisfied either way.

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fotcorn
Is someone using a Surface Pro full time? It seems like a good compromise
between tablet and notebook, because its only 50% heavier than an iPad and
solves the inter-app data exchange and the App Quality problems.

~~~
samps
I've tried this recently after receiving a Surface Pro as a gift. I find
myself gravitating back toward an iPad and a MacBook -- the Surface, despite
doing many things right, feels trapped in a worst-of-both-worlds situation.

\- It doesn't make a great laptop; the awkward kickstand-and-lightweight-
keyboard setup feels unbalanced and doesn't really work on your lap, for
example. The keyboard, by virtue of being a cover, is not awesome and the
attached trackpad is pretty terrible. The screen is small enough that coding
feels cramped.

\- It doesn't make a great tablet; the aspect ratio is too tall for reading
and the extra weight really does make a difference when holding it for even a
few minutes.

I really like drawing with the pressure-sensitive stylus, though.

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VeryVito
I don't understand the point of "experiments" such as these. The developers
and promoters of the iPad have never suggested nor pretended that the iPad is
a viable replacement for a laptop -- any more than it's a viable replacement
for a smart phone. It's indeed a "third device" \-- just as it was designed to
be.

If you have a laptop and smartphone, chances are you don't "need" an iPad --
but once you figure out exactly what you CAN use it best for, it quickly
becomes your "go to" device for certain tasks. I have all three within easy
reach, but when I need ebooks, Facebook, Reddit or other leisurely
entertainment, the iPad experience is far superior to that available on either
of the other two devices. Meanwhile, my wife, who couldn't care less about
Reddit or ebooks, finds it's the best platform for recipes, Pinterest, etc.

~~~
ananddass
You may want to check out what Jobs had to say about this. See quote from
7:12PDT :
[http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20006442-56.html](http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20006442-56.html)

The goal was to understand, if we are there yet with respect to the readiness
of iPad software. Bucketing iPads as a consumption and leisure device is short
selling its potential.

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MetaCosm
[http://yieldthought.com/post/31857050698/ipad-
linode-1-year-...](http://yieldthought.com/post/31857050698/ipad-
linode-1-year-later) <\- guy who tried it for a year.

~~~
bluedino
Seems very forced. I've used vim on an iPad for a bit just to try it, and it
was very inconvenient compared to a small laptop.

~~~
MetaCosm
Well -- the new Macbook Air IMHO took a lot of wind out of the sails of such
an idea. If I got an Air that I can leave the power cable at home because it
will legitimately go all day... why would I even consider such a goofball
setup?

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ctdonath
Well, considering it isn't designed as a primary content creation device, not
a surprising result (which so many of us have tried despite knowing this).

Next experiment: To consume content primarily on a non-tablet non-phone for a
week. (It will fail a comparable way.)

No matter how much you squeeze an apple, no matter how tasty the results, you
won't get orange juice.

~~~
phaus
The convergence of the PC and the tablet is inevitable. The awkward solutions
that have been presented thus far are simply prototypes. We will eventually
get it right, and when we do, the resulting experience will seem like it
should have been the obvious choice from the start.

We already see the value in responsive web design, which is also in it's
infancy. Eventually, we will have responsive operating systems, applications,
and maybe even hardware.

~~~
ctdonath
_The convergence of the PC and tablets is inevitable._

Far from it. I've been watching major companies try to converge them for 20
years, all to abject failure (tiny niches aside). The iPad succeeded precisely
because it _avoided_ "convergence".

~~~
phaus
It took over a decade to make a decent touch-screen device, because our
technological capabilities hadn't yet caught up to our aspirations. Now that
we can, m-commerce is the fastest growing segment of e-commerce, which is the
fastest growing segment of commerce in general.

Basically, the iPad succeeded because the technology behind it had finally
matured, and Apple paid close attention to all of the mistakes that were made
over those 20 years.

I may be wrong, but only time will tell for sure. Right now we are still in
the phase where companies creating hybrid devices are making a lot of
mistakes. I'm betting that someone is eventually going to get it right.

------
jjindev
The way I've interpreted Ubiquitous Computing is that you walk into a room,
and there is a computer. You pick it up and use it as casually as you would a
magazine or a pad of paper.

You've done a valid experiment, but I think it illustrates why "if I only had
one" is a wrong interpretation of Ubiquity. You don't just have one. If you
are like most tech people you have a few, and maybe a lot, of functioning and
current hardware. You probably have desktops and notebooks you can use.

And so in that environment a tablet should be good for the things you want to
do when you just grab a tablet, in a room or an environment which isn't
intended for serious work. And part of grabbing a tablet should be good
integration with the other elements of your ubiquitous computing network.

------
rickyc091
On several occasions, I've used my iPad as the primary device, mainly since I
had no other choice since I had forgotten my laptop at work, but what I
realized was that the limitation wasn't the apps, but the lack of real
multitasking.

I was watching Netflix and an iMessage comes in. Do I click on the iMessage to
reply and interrupt my flow or do I ignore it. Hey, look an mail notification
came in, looks semi-urgent, should I interrupt my movie to respond? I ended up
using my phone as a mail / chat client and my iPad as solely a movie player.
At the end of the day, I still love my iPad despite it's shortcomings.

------
lukeqsee
I also attempted this for a while. I could accomplish work (I worked primarily
through SSH), but it was always a little forced. Since then I've decided to
make the iPad primarily used for its design, i.e., entertainment and my MBP
used for its design, i.e., work.

I've found it really helpful to separate the two domains. The separation
allows my mind to know which mode to be in and thus allows me to focus when
working and relax when relaxing.

------
k-mcgrady
Not a great test. All of the editing problems stemmed from using Google Drive.
Why not test using iWork which in my experience is pretty good.

------
youngtaff
I'm working on a book, and wanted to do some editing and writing when I went
on holiday a couple of weeks ago so I took my iPad and a bluetooth keyboard
with me.

Whole experience convinced me that if I was do do it again I'd get something
like a Chromebook or Netbook.

There's no real way to drive the iPad using only a keyboard and you have to
reach for the screen too many times e.g. flicking between document being
edited and a reference PDF or presentation.

Pages on the iPad has some really weird quirks that I've not got to the bottom
of e.g. copy some text from a table cell, paste it into the document elsewhere
and it's still a table cell with no way to remove the formatting - eventually
copied it all out an stuck with markdown (but need to port it back at some
point).

~~~
wffurr
Android has a few nice keyboard shortcuts baked in, including a basic alt-tab
app switching menu.

Shame Apple can't see clear to adding some basic features like that for
keyboard users, who while admittedly are a minority would really love to have
some functionality like that.

~~~
youngtaff
I've never tried the bluetooth keyboard with my Nexus 4 or the wife's Nexus 7
so will have to give it a go.

I could just about cope with the differences between Android 2.x and iOS but
since I've moved to Android 4.x I find iOS so frustrating to use so next
tablet will probably be the new Nexus 7

------
m0nastic
I guess that the reason I've been able to migrate almost entirely to using my
iPad for everything must be the way I used to use my computer previously.

I've pretty much always ran applications "full-screen". The only time I really
ever have more than one thing on screen at a time is if I'm splitting a tmux
window.

I use my iPad how I imagine people use Chromebooks (with the addition of being
able to use more than just the web browser).

That makes me wonder if over time tablets will become used for more and more
because they increase in functionality/complexity (mimicking how people use
their PC's currently), or if they'll remain the way they are, but people will
just adopt their usage paradigms.

------
mark_l_watson
I use my iPad as much as possible. For writing, I use Leanpub so I need to be
able to edit markdown files out of Dropbox. iaWriter works great, and I
usually don't even bother to use a bluetooth keyboard.

For accessing servers, the Prompt app provides SSH and a special Linux/bash
friendly keyboard.

For research, a web browser and Evernote work fine.

So, top level comment: writing works well on an iPad, programming much less
so.

Edit: I hardly ever use the bluetooth keyboard: I use my MBA if I need a
keyboard. The advantage of the iPad is that it is comfortable to hold while
writing as-is.

~~~
mark_l_watson
Also: one of our neighbors has an Internet business that involves making a lot
of short informational videos; she hired a consultant who got her set up
filming, editing with iMovie, and publishing to youtube - all on her iPad. I
was curious enough to buy iMovie for the iPad and try it myself, and it is not
bad.

------
fragmede
Half the problem stems from the apps used, and while it _is_ about the apps, I
feel that's an unfair test of the iPad itself, and more test of Google Docs
and WebEx on the iPad.

~~~
ananddass
It is true that app quality has a lot to do with the experiment. I was
surprised by how many of the problems could be solved if the apps upped their
game. Hardware limitations were secondary only to the software experience.

------
kin
Ideally if I could have an 11" MBA where I can twist the screen and snap it in
place over the keyboard to turn it into an 11" iPad that would be ideal but
would never happen.

Sometimes I want to play/browse and iOS is perfect for that with its apps and
form factor and touch screen. Sometimes I want to work/create and OSX is
perfect for that with its keyboard and multi-tasking and desktop applications.

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VLM
By playing enough games with the job title and the "daily tasks" list, any
conclusion could be engineered. I think it interesting this was the desired
conclusion, leading to ... what? I'm curious if there's an interesting new
startup, or app, or whatever, oriented around this particular report.

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larrik
I've been using an iPhone (3 different generations) every day for 5 years, and
I still type at maybe 30% of the speed I did on my Treo before them...

So, I tend to just not type.

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cstrat
Using the Google Drive application on iPad you can edit spreadsheets.

Is the author saying that Google test documents with tables aren't displayed?
I haven't tried that.

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taude
I wish I had a job where I could pull this off. I'm not even sure sales guys
could with some relying on fancy projecting spreadsheets....

~~~
alternize
that's my first thought as well: "what's this guy's/girl's daily job?!". and i
wasn't any wiser when i read the job title ("Customer Success Manager") on the
infographic.

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donniezazen
It would be interesting if OP tried Android tablet which seems to have better
Google integration, multitasking and inter-app-communication.

------
dharma1
Why iPad? Why not a surface pro or a nexus 10 running Ubuntu?

