I like iOS but even with the 10″ iPad it’s a 90+% consumption device for me. I don’t write code. I don’t work on my blog post drafts.1 I end up reading things and not replying – creating a backlog of stuff that needs to be done/written/filed/etc. When I’m out of stuff to read I feel stuck. I don’t feel I can do things on an iOS devices like I can on a laptop.
The only real exception to this is sketching wireframes on the iPad (in Notability). That I find quite satisfying.
I wonder if this is a generational thing – are 
kids today 
able to do stuff on these devices I’m not? Or does everyone still need the platform to evolve a bit in this regard?
- I may try to force this a little more, in theory I should be able to. ↩
@alexkingorg I don’t recognize you without a sweater turtleneck on: http://t.co/nUgMuwv9 😛
@williamsba I may change it more frequently now. I meant to do it on the 10 year anniversary of my blog but forgot. https://alexking.org/?p=2
@alexkingorg better idea: Take the exact same picture each year in the same sweater, just a different color haha
I find that iOS in its current state is very much a consumption device. I find it’s a really nice and unassuming way to catch up on news or watch Netflix.
I don’t think it’s a creation device. The keyboard and mouse are still the most efficient way to operate a computer. They are precision tools.
I think it CAN be a productivity device with the appropriate apps, features and mindset. There’s no reason why I couldn’t go to a meeting armed with my iPad only and be able to pull up all of my previous notes/wireframes/layouts on a specific subject. At least in my findings, there’s not a real solid app that’s been created yet that can manage these things.
For me it’s the keyboard. I can get along just fine without the mouse, but I get frustrated with how long it takes to write and edit using the on screen keyboard.
Now, gimme a Bluetooth keyboard and I’m good to write for a while.
In his [list of resolutions](http://www.slate.com[...].single.html), Farhad Manjoo states #3 is to type better on mobile devices. Perhaps training apps are worth a go? I’ve thought about this, too… practice makes perfect?
I think it very much depends on the task. I remember John Gruber over at Daring Fireball commenting on how several authors write on their iPad and sync through Dropbox. Writer really is a good app to work in, both on the iPad and on osx. Coding however feels odd to me still, and design work (beyond sketching) feels odd.
Then again perhaps it’s more a question of getting used to a new workflow than anything else …