Speaking of the iPad...

...I've been using an iPad Pro (12 inch) as my computer now for some months. I absolutely love this thing. I take my iPad with me most anywhere. I do my daily radio show from it. I speak from it. I write on it. I even usually lead chapel from it (I know, I know...but it sits unnoticed on the Ambo; no carrying it around).

Two things tethered me to the laptop occasionally until recently: the need to run Parallels in order to access Lutheran Service Builder (which is a remarkable program I've written about before, but is showing its age) and the need to access all of Worship's files on the Synod's servers. 

But no more!

IT provided me with a virtual machine through the Horizon app. This thing is amazing. It works faster than Parallels did on the MacBook by far. Any file I might ever need is readily accessible (though I'm still figuring out the file structure of the underlying Windows machine), and the app even prints at work to any of the networked printers. IT is happy because work files are secure and I'm using their virtual machine; I'm happy because I'm doing so on my iPad. 

So that was the nail in the coffin of the laptop. It sits all lonely, neglected, and dusty in the corner. The only thing it does anymore is allow my iPad to connect through it to the small printer in my own office. I have an iPhone and an iPad and that's the story of my digital life.

Additionally, the iPad actually allows you to be productive because it shuts out the distractions: you can only have two apps running at a time at most (and most of the time I only have one). I've also shut off all notifications (yeah!) and email arrives only when I tell it to.

Tim Cook was right: it's worth asking, do I really need a laptop or desktop anymore? Not everyone will have the same answer, of course, but in my case, this has surely made life simpler and more elegant for content creation as well as consumption.