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I love typing on my iPad

By Unknown
Ok, before you think I've gone crazy and suddenly believe I like smacking away at a non-responsive touch-screen, let me clarify that title... "I love typing on my bluetooth keyboard on my iPad." Like many people, I took the plunge and got a wireless keyboard for my iPad, because for any serious typing work, you really can't beat the smooth responsiveness of the Apple Wireless keyboard.

But, just to clarify things further, it's not the bluetooth keyboard that is the reason I love typing on my iPad. Let's correct that title one more time... "I love writing on my bluetooth keyboard on my iPad." There we go, that's better, and it gets to the heart of what I wanted to share in this post. I'm going to make a bold statement, which I'm sure tons of people will find issue with, but here is it. The iPad is a perfect writing tool. Ya, that's right. I just said that a small 10 inch device that you need to purchase an additional keyboard for to type well on, is a perfect writing tool. I know... it doesn't even have a mouse!!

So why have I lost touch with reality? Frankly, it has little to do with all the great features that an iPad has, or it's awesome iOS app store. It comes down to something more simple. In fact, that's the key right there... it's 'simple'. The reason I love writing on my iPad (or frankly any decent sized tablet for that matter), is that I don't have a mouse. I also don't have an instant messaging client up all the time, or twitter feed just off to the corner of my vision, or notifications that stick around the dock long past their toaster pop-up, nagging me, begging me... "Check me!".... "I have something to say to you!" What I do have on the iPad, is limited distraction. And that is why I love writing on it.

Too often in our ultra connected world we fill our lives with as much information as possible. On my desktop computer, I have every possible way to connect to the internet available and running at my fingertips. Sure, I could shut everything down, turn off all notifications, and find a writing app that can go full-screen as a way to completely detatch from all the insecure applications begging for my attention. But... I'm still sitting in my office, still surrounded by bills that need to get paid, still surrounded by papers that need to get sorted, and on and on.

Now, the iPad can certainly be filled with all kinds of things to distract me, but for the most part it's minimal, and can be managed pretty easily without radically changing everything I have running. I don't run an IM program by default, but I do get an occasional notification about other things. But on the iPad, the notification is a small rectangle at the top of the screen that goes away quickly. Since all apps on the iPad are full-screen apps, I have to physcially move my hands from the keyboard and touch the home button to see anything else on the device. The other apps can't come and find me after their initial 'cry for attention'. For some that my be a 'failing', but for me, it's a blessing. And to top it all off, the iPad is insanely portable, making it easy to travel and use anywhere I want.

In the past couple of days since I've started this blog, I've written more than I ever have in this short amount of time. I have articles queued up over a week in advance, and I'm continuing to create more. The key for me was finding a place to write, using a tool that made it comfortable and pleasent to write. For me, a nice distraction free iPad with a wireless keyboard at my kitchen table is just the spot.





Comments

  1. Michael TangenJuly 11, 2012 at 10:13 AM

    A fantastic writing app: WriteRoom... for the Mac and iOS of course.
    http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom/

    Distraction-free writing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 11, 2012 at 10:16 AM

      Cool. Used it before, didn't realize they had released an iOS version now.

      Delete

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