clutter

I get asked on a somewhat-regular basis what an iPad is GOOD for. It’s not a phone, and it’s not a laptop, so people (understandably) have a little trouble conceptualizing why they need one. (And really, the truth is, they don’t, because it’s not about NEED, but I’ll get to that.)

So I’ve come up with a metaphor that seems to make sense to people, so I’ll share it with y’all in case you’re either a. Wanting an iPad but not sure what you’d do with it or b. Having to explain to people all the time why it is that you like your iPad. If this is not you, feel free to scroll on by without the tl;dr part. :) 

My iPhone is like a Swiss Army Knife. It can do a ton of useful things and it’s good to have on me, but what it’s mostly good at is doing all those things while being small. I use my iPhone all the time because its size makes it incredibly convenient while I’m out and about and want something that fits in one hand.

My Macbook Pro is like a full Craftsman tool chest. It has pretty much everything I need to practice my profession and take on new projects. What it doesn’t have, I can add. As a person who makes websites as both a career and a hobby, it is a necessity- I need the power and the flexibility and the specialization it offers me. 

So my iPad occupies that middle space, like a Leatherman. It’s not quite as portable as my iPhone, but using it to actually accomplish something is considerably easier when I don’t need a tool that fits in one hand. It’s not as powerful or flexible as my MBP, but it’s a hell of a lot easier (and less risky) to tote around with me from place to place, and it allows me to do website-related tasks that come up while I’m out and about without having to choose between lots of zooming-and-scrolling on my phone while I’m out, or rushing right back to my MBP instead.

So I use it in the kitchen when I’m cooking from a recipe I found online- if I splash something on it, it wipes off, instead of getting into my keyboard. It’s great for looking up substitutions if I find that I’m unexpectedly out of something. I put it on my nightstand when I’m going to bed- I can check the weather in the morning and make sure no crises are awaiting me at the office without having to be awake/coordinated enough to use the smaller iPhone screen. I keep it in my purse for when I’m in a meeting and need to pull up something I’m working on or flip between 47 different sets of handouts, or out with friends and want to use the Internet to make reservations or buy movie tickets without it taking twice as long on my phone.

Do I NEED it? No, of course not. I got along just fine for the three years of just iPhone + laptop. Does it make my life better in an appreciable way? Yes. And if I were not an Internet professional, I might even be able to squeak by without the laptop; I know plenty of people for whom an iPad is more than sufficient.