Typing on the 13-inch iPad Brings Me Joy.

(TRIGGER WARNING: This article is centered around an unpopular opinion that could result in an unpleasant feeling. If you experience symptoms including but not limited to Ouchy Tummy Syndrome, Anger, Boredom, or Severe Disapproval - please refrain from continuing to read the content.)

After switching my hosting and website over to Squarespace, I knew I wanted to take time to focus on writing. I’ve never been one to consistently sit down and write for any impressive amount of time. I’m easily distracted and rarely produce something coherent enough to consider sharing. I’ve experienced spurts of inspiration drawing myself into the realm of writing numerous times, but I’ve never considered myself particularly good or dedicated to the craft.

I’m building this site as a sort of open space for me to practice writing, learn, and express myself in any area I’m feeling inspired by. I want it to be more than just a blog, I want it to be an extension of myself. My interests are all over the place, my hobbies are endless. I’m a little bit of this, a little bit of that. There’s a lot of things I don’t understand in this universe, there are plenty of things in this universe I’ve contemplated for years. This is where I want to explore the inner workings of myself, society, humans, technology, nature, the cosmos, reality, everything. Does it need to be on the internet? No, definitely not. It could easily just be a personal project just for myself. I feel like having it here instead instills some incentive in me to do my best with it, both in quality of work and consistency in output. Also in the off chance something I produce inspires somebody, or benefits with world in any way, I’d say that’s wonderful. Whether a snippet of code helps somebody with something they’re struggling with, or an idea opens someone’s world of opportunities, I’ll be happy to be of assistance.

What inspired me down this path was the app Medium. It appears to me as a social information literature platform where you can write about anything really. It is filled with seemingly ordinary (though I think you all are extraordinary for pursuing your passion) people writing about whatever they want. It just seemed so cool to have a place where people congregate and share content with more intellectual impact than what you get on a traditional social media platforms. Seeing people just writing about things for the sake of writing made me stop and think “I’ve always wanted to do that. I can do that.’. Anyone can post on there, yet somehow setting up my own site to do exactly what everyone is doing there was the route I took. Why? I don’t know. Wanted to, that’s all. Maybe I’ll post on there one day.

That said, I never developed a way that I feel most comfortable writing. I’ve done plenty of writing with on paper, keyboard, touchscreen, stylus, but I’ve never been serious about it. It hasn’t really ever mattered how I did it, as long as I was capable. However, lately I’ve been experimenting with finding my happy place for writing. I figured there has to be a most comfortable method of writing for me, and I wanted to find it. I’ve tried writing on my MacBook, I’ve attempted typing in my Vision Pro on the virtual keyboard and a physical keyboard, I’ve tried dictating through my phone. In summary, they’re all viable.

Writing on my MacBook didn’t spark much interest in me. I view that device as a terminal in which I work on programming. It’s powerful enough for that, I have my environment set up for it, writing just doesn’t resonate there. The machine is capable of too many other things, and opening up Pages just doesn’t feel instinctual there.

Writing in the Vision Pro with a physical keyboard has become my second favorite method to work. It’s lovely to tune myself out from reality and sit on a virtual beach or the moon, working away. It is an awesome experience to bring up any number of windows surrounding me for research or reference. However, I haven’t fully embraced the Vision Pro as a productivity device. I don’t have that urge to open up a page to type on. I come from using AR/VR in the Quest, which is mostly a gaming/entertainment device. It has come farther down the productivity pipeline lately, but really it is my Beat Saber machine. Perhaps somewhere down the road I will fall deeper in love with working within the Vision Pro. At this moment in time though, I’m not there.

Then I tried writing on my iPad. I’ve tried writing out the words with the Pencil, but that didn’t really seem practical. It is kind of fun for a bit but it is more trouble that it’s worth. Typing on the keyboard on here though, oh boy. Something about typing away on the iPad just feels right. I feel like the 13 inch model is the sweet spot for me. The size of the keyboard feels natural(comparing it to the size of the Magic Keyboard, it is essentially the same), the functionality is superior to a physical keyboard, it is quiet, and the fatigue is minimal. Is it more prone to error? Very yes, but luckily iOS does a great job correcting mistakes and suggesting ways to complete a sentence. I have a feeling it is only going to get better with Apple Intelligence on the way. I’d say really my only gripe resides in moving the cursor, and selecting text. Maybe I just don’t get it, or maybe it still needs some work. That’s really the only frustrating part in writing on the iPad. Using the Apple Pencil alleviates the annoyances a bit, but using it involves picking it up and putting it down more than I’d like to. Also, the keyboard on the iPad lacks the swipe-to-type capabilities of the iPhone. I’m not sure if I’d ever use it, but having the option to test it out would be nice. While typing each letter individually in the same way I do on a traditional keyboard is perfectly fine, I can see it being convenient at times to use it as a hybrid form of typing. Chances are I’d end up preferring not to use it, but who knows, let me give it a chance.

Ultimately, the fact that it is always there, always a tap away makes the onscreen keyboard my favorite writing tool. It feels better than typing on a phone screen (it feels petty to complain about my thumbs getting tired typing on a phone, but they do. It is a real thing that happens and I don’t like it). There is basically zero set up process, I don’t need to pair anything, turn it on, move it just right to be comfortable. It is what it is, it is what it needs to be, where it needs to be, and I can dismiss it and recall it easily.

So, for anyone wanting to switch things up in their writing process, I recommend going out and spending too much money on a 13 inch iPad and relish in the glory of the onscreen keyboard. Not really, but if you want to try it out, I do recommend giving it a shot. I’ve written the entirety of this text with the onscreen keyboard on my iPad with relative ease. I know in the long run that it is very likely I’ll end up writing on whatever device I feel like using at the time, probably using multiple devices together. I’ve considered getting the Smart Keyboard case and trying typing with that, but I like the feeling of using my iPad as an iPad. If I want a screen with a keyboard attached I’d use a MacBook. The iPad is unique in that it is a giant touchscreen, and I feel compelled to use it as such. Anyway, I just thought it was worth expressing my appreciation for how far the typing on-display experience has come over the years. Good job Apple, you made yet another device that I love. Now, go forth and make an e-reader in the same size, because I think this device doubles as the ultimate book reading experience.