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Comment by pdimitar | Hacker News Reader

Same here, I don't understand people trying to shove work processes on entertainment devices.

I love my iPad Pro for several purposes -- media consumption, some light gaming, reading, managing media / bookmark / book collections -- but it would never occur to me to code on it (even through shells to Linux).

I am not fully comfortable even with my MacBook Pro. I am working on building a work process that doesn't rely on a mouse or a touchpad and then I could work on the MBP full time (mostly involving memorizing shell and editor shortcuts, and making a lot of shell aliases).

Before that there's simply no point -- it's like trying to run with weights on your ankles.

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As a theoretical physicist, the iPad can handle work-related tasks that the MacBook cannot (and vice versa). The unique iPad features mostly center around the Pencil: annotating papers, and doing "pen-and-paper" math, except that the iPad is far superior to pen and paper (you can move things around and "re-edit" them). Actually, the iPad can handle most things the I generally prefer the MacBook for (programming and writing, mostly), but there's usually some hoops to jump through. But it's certainly good enough that when I travel, I usually only take the iPad.

My scientist brother tells me the same and I am inclined to believe you and him. I realize the pencil helps you guys -- he annotates a lot and regularly uses the pencil instead of his fingers. I kind of implied programmers only in my comment which wasn't accurate. Sorry about that.

Mhm, I guess its a pretty niche thing but it always kinda annoys me when people say its not a real 'Pro' device. For writing math, there's no real competition against tablets from laptops or desktops.

Not only is the editing experience amazing (which is super important as in physics I probably write more incorrect things down than I write correct things), but it makes organization painless. I never had the discipline to keep paper notes in tidy binders and put them back after I take them out.

There's no way I'd have as good access to my six year old notes if they were written on paper, especially considering that now they're all backed up to the cloud and my app has handwriting recognition (only words, not math unfortunately) so they're quite searchable.

It would be perfect for Civ6 though..

I would be very okay with that. The iPad Pros have amazingly strong hardware, it's kind of wasted on anything but games and professional photo/video editing software.

it is perfect for civ 6.

There’s a lot of people who aren’t developers. Personally I use iPad as a secondary work device when I don’t want to carry the MBP.

Agreed. I made a bad assumption, sorry.

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