Two innovations make the iPad viable as a laptop replacement
When I travel, I usually lug my 15-inch MacBook Pro, especially if I expect to do any writing. While I love my MacBook Pro, it’s fairly heavy (nearly 5 pounds) and difficult to use on the tray table in a coach airline seat. In a perfect world, I’d be able to leave the laptop behind and hit the road with only my svelte 9.7-inch iPad Pro. But until recently, it just wasn’t possible for me.
Luckily, things change quickly in technology, and two recent changes have made it possible for me to travel without a Mac for the first time in, well, forever. I can leave the house carrying a device other than a Mac and use it for all of my email, social media and writing needs.
The first thing that made this breakthrough possible is that the quality of word processing and text editing apps for iOS has improved dramatically since the iPad Pro arrived on the scene last year. While I prefer using a text editor such as Ulysses (reviewed here May 31) for my writing, I often have to submit finished work as a Microsoft Word file.
I’m happy to report that both Word and Ulysses for iOS are up to the task. In fact, after recent updates, I’d say Word for iOS now has most of the features in the Mac version.
But it’s the second thing that really made the iPad viable as a laptop replacement for the road, and that’s Logitech’s Create keyboard case. The big deal for me is the keyboard. The keys have mechanical scissor switches with 1.4 mm of travel, so it feels more like a “real” keyboard than any other iPad keyboard or keyboard case I’ve tried. The keys are also significantly larger than most iPad keyboards.
Two other features make the Create case a standout for me. The first is its backlit keyboard, something I haven’t seen on other iPad keyboards and appreciated, especially in darkened aircraft cabins. The second is that, unlike the Apple Smart Keyboard or any other keyboard/case I’ve seen, the Create includes a nicely integrated holder for your Apple Pencil.
I flew to Los Angeles last weekend, and although I took my laptop, I didn’t need it. The iPad Pro and Create keyboard were eminently more usable in flight than the MacBook Pro and proved sufficient for my needs on the ground, too.