I am traveling out of state to visit family on the other side of the country. It's a relaxing trip, but I also needed to do some work. I contemplated on bringing my MacBook Pro with me, but ultimately decided on bringing my iPad.
iPad vs Macbook
The main reason I decided to leave my MacBook at home was because I had read about how other people were enjoying using their iPad as a lightweight,portable work device. Here are some pros and cons of using my iPad instead of my Macbook Pro.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Ultra-Portable
- Awesome battery life
Cons
- limitations on file structure
- Virtual Keyboard is often hard to use
- Offsite storage (flash drives, external hard drives, etc)
Saving Files
Saving files on the iPad is limited, but fortunately most of my work consists of word documents. Using the "Pages" app on the iPad solves this problem, and it automatically syncs to my other devices.
Virtual Keyboard
The main problem I'm having is typing on the virtual keyboard. While the keyboard is ok for brief notes and email, it begins to get tiresome when writing anything longer than a few paragraphs. I think this problem could be solved by purchasing a keyboard case like the Kensington Keyfolio Pro. This is one area where I would not want to go cheap on. There are several I am interested in and will write a review on the one a choose in a future post.
Until then my hands are getting tired typing...