Company
Date Published
Author
Joe Previte
Word count
1146
Language
English
Hacker News points
12

Summary

I used an iPad as my primary device for two weeks, replacing my MacBook Pro. The setup consisted of a Dell UltraSharp 49 Inch Curved Monitor, Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB Keyboard, and Logitech MX Vertical Mouse connected via USB to the monitor and then the monitor to the iPad. I found that the iPad mirrors the display to the external monitor but lacks screen real estate. However, I was able to use VS Code on the iPad, which felt magical due to its PWA installation, allowing me to access keyboard shortcuts without conflicts. The battery life surprised me, with fast performance and minimal lag. I also utilized the Magic Keyboard, which made taking screenshots and screen recording easy. Unfortunately, the Apple Pencil didn't find much use in my workflow as a developer. Mobile browsers were inconsistent, particularly Firefox, but Chrome was more stable. Utilizing a PWA helped to regain keyboard shortcut control, and Inspect Browser filled the gap for accessing developer tools on the iPad. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and hope to translate my findings into product improvements for Coder and code-server users.