🔗 The iPad Goes Full Circle - Greg Morris

Greg Morris, writing on his blog gr36.com:

I don’t need an iPad to be a working machine any longer; I need it to fill a gap of reading blog posts, my pocket feed and watching videos when I want to relax. So the iPad returns to its starting position. Nestled in among other Apple devices, and one I use to consume. Waiting its turn amongst threes Macs and an iPhone. Sure I could pick up a pencil and a keyboard to go with it – but there is little point as the iPad has gone full circle.

There’s been a lot of posts over the last 12 months either lamenting the fact that ‘you can’t get real work done on an iPad’ or about the iPad suddenly becoming the best thing since sliced bread. I’ve been guilty of this multiple times myself, often spouting off about how much I love my iPad Pro and how I don’t need a real computer. The truth is, on that point, that’s not strictly true. I still use, and have to continue using, a Windows PC laptop for my day job and that’s not going to change. So, really, my iPad is purely for personal time. In that circumstance, unless you’re doing programming or the like, which I’m not, chances are an iPad can certainly do what you need.

The issue I have, however, and have to keep reminding myself about avoiding, is that it really doesn’t matter. This constant tribalism is rampant right now, and it’s literally tearing the world apart. When discussing this you think about Pepsi vs. Coke, Apple vs. Android, Windows vs. macOS, but this basic tribalism has extended to the dreaded Brexit with Vote Leave vs. Remain and Republicans vs. Democrats in the U.S. and further afield. On issues both big and small this needs to stop, though I’m worried this is really just the start of it all.

I’m clearly feeling the effects of letting my podcast die because rambling, disconnected thoughts was the order of the day there. I’ve shared Greg’s post, and this specific quote, not to complain about Greg finding his way back to finding a niche for the iPad. Quite the opposite in fact. It was more to highlight the fact that people seem be getting too caught up in the iPad replacing X, Y and Z in their lives. If it can replace your laptop, then great. For others, however, it’s purely a device to relax with, to enjoy some browsing and reading with and nothing more. And that’s just great too. The world is decided enough as it is. There’s no room for tribalism in every little thing right now.