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All iPads Working vacation - take ipad Pro and keyboard, or MBP?

J

jerryk

macrumors 604
Original poster
Nov 3, 2011
7,421
4,208
SF Bay Area
Hi,

I am heading out on vacation in a few days. However, I have some project work I need to do while on the trip. This includes writing up scripts for videos, research technical issues, light coding on a remote server, etc. No video editing or things like that.

Should I get a keyboard for my iPad Pro and use that, or add my MBP 14 to my luggage? We are going to cabin and staying for the entire time.

Any thoughts?
 
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jerryk said:
Hi,

I am heading out on vacation in a few days. However, I have some project work I need to do while on the trip. This includes writing up scripts for videos, research technical issues, light coding on a remote server, etc. No video editing or things like that.

Should I get a keyboard for my iPad Pro and use that, or add my MBP 14 to my luggage? We are going to cabin and staying for the entire time.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I always bring the laptop if I want to do serious work. It’s also avoid myself feeling annoyed and frustration due to I cannot accomplish my work (just) because iPadOS or App’s limitation. I have experienced in the past, where I can not edit excel properly in iPad regardless how careful I touch or use the keyboard, that’s at some points distract my vacation mood.
 
Always bring laptop if work is involved during vacation. Just like other posters says, it’s just not worth the waste of time and frustration only to save some weight in the luggage. No matter how hard Apple try to improve iPadOS, as long as it is positioned as a supplementary device running iOS, it will never have the same level of functionality as desktop system today have, regardless of user demand.
 
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I do use my iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard quite a lot - to the point where I don’t own a personal MacBook any longer. But you mention “getting” a keyboard for it; if you have a 14” MBP and don’t have an iPad keyboard I think you’re all set.

As others mentioned, you could bring the iPad along as an extra display, or simply for personal use when not working.
 
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And yet another vote for bringing your laptop for sure and the iPad as an optional extra.
 
I prefer to travel light, so I start with iPhone/Apple Watch/AirPods as my default for all trips. If that setup can't handle the trip, I'll add in my iPad, and if I'm going to do personal work or work work, I bring whichever Mac I need. But I try to be VERY realistic about it if I start considering bringing anything bigger than my iPhone. How much do I REALLY think I'll use this iPad? Am I REALLY going to need an entire laptop for this trip? Typically I gamble on "no" and am right most of the time.
 
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Agree with others, unless your iPad is already a normal part of your workflows don’t bother trying to shoehorn it into them now just for the sake of traveling light. After all, you’re primarily there for vacation so why reduce your productivity if you’re trying to do something on your ipad that you don’t normally do?
 
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spiderman0616 said:
I prefer to travel light, so I start with iPhone/Apple Watch/AirPods as my default for all trips. If that setup can't handle the trip, I'll add in my iPad, and if I'm going to do personal work or work work, I bring whichever Mac I need. But I try to be VERY realistic about it if I start considering bringing anything bigger than my iPhone. How much do I REALLY think I'll use this iPad? Am I REALLY going to need an entire laptop for this trip? Typically I gamble on "no" and am right most of the time.
Click to expand...

I find phone screens too small for web browsing, etc. so it’s pretty much guaranteed I’ll use an iPad during downtime (e.g. when I’m back in the hotel room).

Now the laptop, I’ll skip unless I know I’ll need it.
 
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I work from from my iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard whenever I travel, I actually use it when going into the office as well since the work laptop I’ve got is heavier. Usually use Citrix to get into a VDI so it doesn’t really matter which unit I am using for that although there are some quirks with using the iPad version.

Sold my MBP 14” since I never used it when I had the 12.9” iPad Pro as I saw no use for it.
 
During my recent holiday, I took only my iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard (not that taking an iMac was ever an option!) The experience turned out to be quite frustrating.

Opting for the MacBook would be a wiser choice.
 
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jerryk said:
Hi,

I am heading out on vacation in a few days. However, I have some project work I need to do while on the trip. This includes writing up scripts for videos, research technical issues, light coding on a remote server, etc. No video editing or things like that.

Should I get a keyboard for my iPad Pro and use that, or add my MBP 14 to my luggage? We are going to cabin and staying for the entire time.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Great input from others on this topic. I don't have a once-size-fits-all approach to what hardware to take when traveling for leisure that might include some work.

Only you know the specifics of what you'll need to get done. If you haven't done those things on an iPad before, then I don't recommend trying them on the trip for the first time.

It might be too late for this trip, but... you might want to consider purchasing an inexpensive bluetooth keyboard/mouse and testing this combo out in your regular work setting. This will give you a better sense of any benefits and limitations. You'll be able to discover if there are adjustments to your workflow that are necessary to make that solution work.

If you find that you CAN adequately do those things on an iPad, then you can consider buying a keyboard option that would make the iPad Pro more mobile and contained.

I ditched my iPad Pro for the 9th gen iPad + Apple Smart Keyboard. Super-inexpensive, super-light, super-mobile. When I know that I'll have solid WiFi service at my destination, I'll bring this instead of a laptop, and remote into my Mac Mini 2 in my home office (if I need to do desktoppy things).

The only time I'll bring a laptop (and I take my iPad as well), is when I know that I'll need a true desktop-strength web browser on the trip. Mobile browsers like Safari, Brave, Chrome on Android or iOS don't cut it in those situations.
 
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jerryk said:
Hi,

I am heading out on vacation in a few days. However, I have some project work I need to do while on the trip. This includes writing up scripts for videos, research technical issues, light coding on a remote server, etc. No video editing or things like that.

Should I get a keyboard for my iPad Pro and use that, or add my MBP 14 to my luggage? We are going to cabin and staying for the entire time.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
If you need to get work done, you’d better bring the tried and true laptop. If you’d like to get work done, go ahead and try something new. I travel quite a bit and never leave home without a laptop and iPad.
 
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AlexJaye said:
So much for the "Pro" designation lol.
Click to expand...

Yup, in the apple world that has always just meant slightly nicer specs. You don’t expect iPhone pro customers to make money of their phone usage either.
 
I'm guessing part of the dilemma is because you also want to engage in vacation related activities like watching movies and reading so the iPad is going regardless. Your question is whether you should ALSO bring the MBP right?

The work related stuff sounds mostly like typing. If that is indeed the case, you could probably get away with just bringing a Magic Keyboard with you. If it's more involved than that, bringing the MBP will offer peace of mind. I noticed you also have a MacBook Air. Wouldn't that be perfect for such scenarios?
 
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Like some have said, it really depends on the type of work you do. Some kinds of work and the apps involve are fine doing it on the iPad. Others, not so much.
 
I took my iPad Pro only recently on a vacation, if I needed to work. I used GitHub code spaces for development, and the code checked in goes triggers the CI/CD to be deployed in to cloud.
Depends on how your workflow is setup. iPad Pro is more comfortable than a laptop in case you need to work.
 
I probably take more stuff than average, but on my recent holidays I took my ultralight 13" cellular Thinkpad laptop (2 pounds), the 5G iPad pro 12.9 for watching youtube, movies and as a second monitor, and my cellular iPad mini.
I have 40GB roaming on my laptop SIM card and I got a local SIM card with 100GB data for my iPad pro (I had terrible wifi where I stayed) so it often also worked as a hotspot for my other devices, including my phone.
 
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