I tried switching from the 13in MacBook Pro to the 12.9in iPad Pro

really wanted it to work. A couple of weeks ago I closed my MacBook on a Friday afternoon with no plans to open it for a week. I wasn’t going on holiday – rather, I was testing the theory that the iPad could actually be ‘a computer’. My set-up was as high-end as you could get: a 12.9in iPad Pro with 1TB of storage and cellular connectivity, a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil – a set-up that’s more expensive than the 13in MacBook Pro I got it in 2016. It looked great on my desk and felt every bit like the future Apple sells. When I snapped the iPad into its magnetic enclosure, I truly hoped it could replace my MacBook with a sleek, modern and versatile device.

Sadly, it didn’t work out. I spent more time fighting my iPad than loving it, and when push came to shove, it was just too difficult to get things done as quickly and efficiently as I do on my Mac. Some of it is muscle memory, of course, but there are still fundamental issues with the iPad that prevent it from being the work-first device Apple wants it to be. So I’m