I have a 12.9” iPad Pro that I love. I’m all in - I have the Apple Pencil and the keyboard that magically converts to a case, protecting the screen when not in use. While I love it, it cannot replace my traditional laptop. I’m still looking for an easy way to connect remotely to my computer from my iPad while I’m out of the office. Being able to travel with just my iPad would be very freeing.
Despite my need to find a better way to connect to my laptop remotely, my iPad fulfills needs that my traditional laptop cannot achieve. I like to handwrite notes. I struggle with typing notes while carrying on a conversation. I spend much of my day in the office, taking notes during meetings and calls. Handwriting notes just works for me. Handwriting them on my iPad, using my Apple Pencil, means that I have access to my notes from anywhere, and I no longer have stacks of paper cluttering my office. I no longer have to decide when to shred notes or which documents to take out of the office with me.
My iPad also makes travel by air easier. Whether it’s watching movies or working on the go, I can keep my iPad up from boarding to landing. While larger electronics, such as my laptop, have to be stowed under the seat during take-off and landing, my iPad is usable. Bluetooth earbuds that seamlessly connect make watching movies delightful (or at least as delightful as anything can be while on an airplane). Depending on the type of work I’m doing, working from the iPad can be just as efficient as my laptop, or it can be challenging at best.
Writing that does not require much formatting, such as blog posts or bar association articles, is done just as easily from the iPad. The only thing I’m missing is my Grammarly add-in. If you do a lot of writing and don’t have an editing add-in to help, check out this post on Grammarly and WordRake. However, if I have internet access, it’s easy enough to copy and paste my content into Grammarly’s web editor. My writing isn’t going anywhere without internet access anyway.
Writing that requires more formatting finesse, such as reports, can be challenging on the iPad. I’m a firm believer in Microsoft Word styles. I don’t write anything in Microsoft Word that doesn’t use styles. To effectively use the Microsoft Word iPad app, you need to set your document up properly first. Create any new styles you may need, make any necessary modifications to existing styles, and properly set up the Styles Gallery on your PC or Mac. You will only have access to styles in the Styles Gallery (not the Styles Pane) when working on your iPad. Even if the right styles are already present in the document, the iPad does not have a format painter to apply those styles to other paragraphs. For maximum efficiency, be sure to set up which styles follow which. The penalty for being negligent there is much greater on the iPad than it is the desktop version. The iPad includes minimal formatting features beyond the Styles Gallery and the most simple formatting tools. I recommend saving any more advanced formatting for your computer.
While reading and responding to email works great from my iPad, I miss a lot of Outlook’s features. I rely heavily on quick steps that are only available in the desktop program. While I miss those, it's great to be able to respond to an email without pulling out my laptop or trying to type a lengthy response on my phone.
What about you? Are you able to travel with just a tablet? What tricks do you use to get more out of it? Please share in the comments below, connect with me on LinkedIn, or contact me directly.
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