There are people living the multiple iPad lifestyle. They have both sizes of the iPad Pro and perhaps even a mini. Before the iPad, it wasn’t unheard of for a person to have more than one laptop. It is not my intention to judge how people spend their money. But what about having an iPad Pro fully decked out with a Magic keyboard and a MacBook Pro? Is there a use case for owning more than one modern mobile device? Let’s explore:

Unique features

If you are contemplating the multi-mobile lifestyle, take inventory of the unique features each platform has on offer. It used to be that a unique feature of the laptop was a built-in trackpad and pointer support. Now, you can have that on the iPad as well. Trackpad and pointer support are no longer unique features.

The Mac does offer true windowed computing. That is a big deal to a lot of people. The Mac also has a real desktop browser as opposed to a mobile browser with a limited desktop mode. If you depend on getting the full internet experience, a laptop is the only way to go. Apps are another area of differentiation. Some of the most common professional apps such as Logic and Final Cut only exist on the Mac. If you use apps that only work the you need them to on one platform, your decision is already made.

The iPad is not without its unique features. If you love using a touchscreen computer, there are no touchscreen Mac laptops. The iPad is the device for you. It also has the advantage of being a stand-alone tablet for when you don’t need a hardware keyboard. Additionally, the iPad has stylus support. That is a big win for a lot of people. Finally, there is the app situation. While most pro apps have not made the trip to the iPad, there are more unique apps for the iPad than any other full-computing platform. You will very likely find what you need to get the job done.

Neither platform has the advantage when it comes to unique features. It is a matter of comparing the features to see which suits your needs. If you really need two unique features from each platform, that might be good enough reason to carry both.

Multi-device management

It seems like a great idea to have lots of devices until it comes time to manage them. It is hard to keep up with the needs of lots of devices. I have an iPhone, an iPad Pro, a Mac mini, a MacBook Pro, an Apple TV, and a trio of HomePods. My wife also has all the same devices except we share the Apple TV and the HomePods.

When Apple releases updates, it is usually for everything. We have a lot of devices to update. They don’t always get updated at the same time. There is always a device or two lagging behind what is current.

Updates are not the only challenge. There is also the daily maintenance of keeping everything charged up and ready to go. We need a lot of outlets to charge everything at once. We also need a lot of table space on which all the devices can rest.

Let’s not forget about cost. All those devices have to be kept up to date and protected and accessorized. If you want to use your iPad as an occasional laptop, you want Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad. It is $300 for the small one and $350 for the big one. Don’t forget the cost of the Apple Pencil for your occasional sketching and inking needs. You will probably want an extra charging brick and cable for the laptop. So be sure to budget another $130.

Any device you have but don’t need is just dead weight you have to maintain and feed. Think long and hard before taking on that responsibility. It is more of a headache than you think.

A specific job for every device

One of the more challenging aspects of going multi is giving each device a specific job to do. If you have two similar devices with overlapping functions, you will tend to use one and neglect the other. You also run into the daily decision of which device to take with you. Do you really need to pack them both? If one, which one?

This becomes less of an issue if you have assigned each device specific tasks. You only play games on the iPad. Great! If you are going somewhere an you know you are going to have a lot of downtime for playing games, you know you need your iPad. You only do long form writing on you laptop. Great! Bring your laptop if you are going to do a lot of writing while you’re out.

Things get a little more tricky if you do all the tasks on all the devices. There is a matter of making sure both are charged and ready to go. You have to also make sure both are synced with one another so that if you started an article in an app on one device, it is also up to date on the other device you will be taking with you.

This is less of a problem if you only use the laptop for work writing and your iPad for personal writing. If they don’t have to stay in sync, you have one less issue to manage.

Conclusion: Does it really take two

At the end of the day, it comes down to what you enjoy. However, if you are trying to make a more rational assessment, you should ask yourself if the things you do while on the go really require two mobile devices. For most people, the answer is a quick and emphatic, no.

That said, if you are one of those people who likes to work on two screens at once while you are at the library or coffee shop, go for it. If you like to do the heavy lifting on one device and use the iPad as a scratchpad and stylus, you should have them both.

But if you find that you are just duplicating your efforts and causing device management issues that are driving you up the wall. Consider falling in love with one and letting the other go. If you know you need the laptop but you just like having an iPad around for whatever comes up, consider getting a mini.

David Johnson