Hi. I’m Stepa Mitaki. Morning Walk is a personal weekly newsletter where I share some musings on tech, working on startups, productivity and some nerdy stuff.
This issue was sent out to 84 subscribers (+3 from the previous week). Last week’s issue received 954 views (most viewed issue so far).
📝 Using iPad as my primary computing device for a month
The human mind and the whole body have multiple helpful defense mechanisms. One of them is that it can't function under stress all the time. It needs to take care of itself and take a break once in a while.
When I sat this week to write a new issue of Morning Walk, wondering what I could say about current world events, my mind just blocked. It wanted to talk about a more nerdy, relaxed, and familiar topic. At least for a bit. So I just decided to let it.
I've spent more than a month away from home. This whole month my primary computing device was my iPad Pro. It was an unplanned experiment, but I decided I wanted to look back to reevaluate how I'm feeling about working from an iPad only.
My usual setup back home involves two devices. iMac as my primary computer and iPad Pro as my secondary computer.
Why iPad but not a MacBook?
Lighter in weight (I'm religious about traveling light).
iPadOS is superior in some aspects to macOS, and I find it's better to use both. And it helps my mind to switch OSes from time to time.
The current lineup of MacBooks just doesn't excite me like they used to. They are clunky and not sexy (unlike iPads). M1 battery life on MacBooks is phenomenal, but that's mostly it.
You get to use Apple Pencil for note-taking, and it's a fantastic experience.
Multimodality of an iPad. You can use the iPad as a tablet, laptop, or desktop workstation at any time.
I used to go on short vacations with an iPad and work from it substantially, but that was for 7 to 10 days tops. An entire month was something entirely new.
So, how did it go? In short: you can go by with an iPad only quite easily. But at the end of the month, I was craving to get to my big iMac. And still, I don't want to buy a MacBook.
I'm not going to talk about the obvious advantages of an iPad, like its multimodality, the Apple Pencil, and how great it is for note-taking and content consumption. I want to share something new that I learned after using it for a month.
I love taking Zoom calls on the iPad while walking around the apartment. You get to walk, and you can open two apps side by side and take notes on the go.
You can't record video from both cameras simultaneously. If you're a fan of Loom as I am, you know what I'm talking about.
I couldn't quickly find a way to make gorgeous screenshots of windows the same way macOS does.
I use a 2nd generation 11'' model with an A12Z chip, and everything except Figma worked flawlessly. Figma crashes quite often for me, which was a major problem (I need to review the work of designers). I assume that's not the issue with the new M1 models.
Battery life is not that great if you're constantly on video calls. Two hour-long video calls in the morning, and you need to recharge after lunch.
Software limitations made by developers are incredibly annoying. After using an iPad, you start appreciating native apps and hate web-based ones. For instance, you cannot use Notion and Miro the same way you do on a desktop. Some features are literally not available (but why wouldn't they!? these are web-based apps!). Most developers simply don't care for the iPad audience (that makes sense considering its market share). After that, you get to appreciate better those who provide excellent iPad support.
And last but the most essential thing in my view:
I can't work on brainstorming on an iPad. I've tried so hard so many times, but there is something sensory to it. It feels like limiting my creativity somehow. For instance, working on my huge Miro board.
Imagine yourself in front of a small napkin and needing to draw a chart that explains some complicated matter. It kind of puts you in the box. But what if you could bring a big sheet of paper? Now we are talking! Plenty of room to expand.
It's difficult to explain, but when I can just throw a bunch of stuff around my huge iMac screen, I feel like getting into that creative flow. Still, with the iPad, I couldn't replicate that feeling. It's great for some creative work, especially writing but not for deep creative brainstorming sessions. At least for me.
Overall, I'm going to keep using the iPad. But now I know for sure it should be only a secondary computing device, and I can't live for long without a bigger Mac.
👓 Things I've been reading/watching/enjoying
Consume Information That Encourages You To Do More (5 min video)
This video is one of the reasons I'm trying to limit the amount of war news I've been consuming lately. It's been an endless combination of depression and guilt I've been having because of this, and it's not very helpful in creating value. And the latter is something I want to bring all of my energy to.
The Sanction-Fueled Destruction of the Russian Aviation Industry (22 min video)
One of my favorite YouTube channels, Wendover Productions, produced a great video on the future of Russian aviation (hint: it's terrible). Interesting to see all of the moving parts but also a curious prediction of how Alaska may become a significant airline hub because of this.
The world’s first crypto war — The role of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology for Ukraine and Russia (10 min read)
This war is nothing the world has ever seen before because it's happening in the XXI century during a New Media Age. Another interesting angle to look at is what role cryptocurrencies and blockchain play in the Ukraine war.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading.
Please share it with your friends.