When I started last week I didn’t plan on ending it by completely revamping the way I write and what I use to create blog posts.

For the past year I have been very happy with my Google Pixel 2 LS Chromebook. I got it used on eBay for Christmas last year. However, over the course of the last week the space bar got to the point where it doesn’t work most of the time.

Which is a royal pain in the arse.

No Space Bar

Have you ever tried to type on a computer that the space bar only works once in a while – and then only if you tap it JUST right. Needless to say I have been getting more and more frustrated with it.

I touch type fairly well and havingmytextlooklikethiswhileItypesomething…well it makes it difficult to focus on drafting, editing or other processes that need to be typed.

While I liked my Pixel 2 LS Chromebook a lot, but if I can’t type on it, the usefulness factor goes way down in my mind. There are no apparent reasons for the space bar not working and I have checked it over very closely.

Yes, I could look at getting another used Pixel 2 LS on eBay for $300-$400, but then I would be pouring more money into something that is not going to be supported long term or short term.

Apple iPad Pro 10.5

I got frustrated enough last night that I pulled out my old iPad Pro 10.5 and started playing around with using it to see if I wanted to use it again as my daily driver, because now is not a great time to be spending a $1,000 or more on a new laptop.

While everything works well, I found when using it as my primary computer in the past, that I prefer a clamshell laptop over the iPad Pro with a Bluetooth keyboard. Most of the time everything works fine, but every so often there is a hiccup and it makes me scratch my head. Plus I have to remember to charge it or the keyboard runs out of juice at the worst possible time.

The other thing is my battery on my iPad Pro is not great and it only lasts about 3-4 hours before it needs to be charged, which was the primary reason I stopped using it. I will have to charge it couple of times a day which is an inconvenience, but at least I can reliably type on it.

Setting it back up

Setting it back up as the daily driver did take a bit of thinking about how I wanted to use it and what Apps to use. There is a different way of doing things with IOS apps (no mouse) and how the apps are formatted in ChromeOS. Getting used to those differences will take a couple of weeks again.

The biggest question I had was how to get my photos from my Pixel 3A Android phone to the iPad. I found that the Sendanywhere app works quite well for the limited photos that I want to bring forward to the iPad. I might bulk transfer them later on, but for now I will keep them in Google Photos and selectively choose which ones I want to go to the iPad.

Luckily many of the Google apps that I used regularly on the Chromebook are available on IOS and I don’t have to reinvent the wheel again. I can see me using Google Keep Notes versus Apple Notes, but I want to try Pages vs Docs to see how it works with WordPress.

Although I have a feeling that I will switch around my storage capacities from the extra on Google to Apple.

What did I learn

That a working space bar on a computer keyboard is more important than you think, especially if you are attempting to focus on writing. I can’t dealwithacomputerthatdoesn’tletmeusethespacebarcorrectly.

Luckily I held onto my old iPad Pro and while it is not perfect and not as easy to use as the Pixel 2 Chromebook, it does work and I can do everything that I need to do with it. I just have to think about the how I do it – more.

It seems that I am being pushed back to the Apple silo and if I have to get a new laptop with similar capabilities as my Pixel 2 LS Chromebook, I will go with a Mac of some sort. Although if I get used to IOS again, the large iPad Pro might be an attractive options. The 10.5 is just a little too small for a daily driver, especially when I do work with a split screen.

I am not a fan of Windows, Linux and the direction Google Workspace seems to be moving, they may not be as great a fit for me to use as they once were.

Google has always been a bit of a moving target and I want more stability than they seem to provide, even if their product lines are simpler to use on multiple devices and operating systems. Apple’s products do provide that, but are very much more in a single silo.

For a while it will be a mishmash of Apple and Google Apps and me using which ever one works best for the task I am currently doing. Although I can see going more and more back to the Apple silo as time goes on and I update the laptop and eventually my phone. It will take a few years.

So bear with me, while I change my processes and do a bit of remembering on how to work my iPad Pro as a daily driver. This could get interesting.

Now if I could get the battery to last a little longer. 🙂

The tools we use on a daily basis do have a large bearing on our stress levels and when they are not working correctly the stress does go up. I know that mine did and switching back to the iPad Pro was not the decision I would have preferred to make. However, at least I do not have to run out and get another laptop this week and can take my time figuring out what I want to do next.

Which makes my life easier and makes it so I don’t make a quick choices that I will regret later. Change is a part of well-lived life and how we adapt to those unexpected changes can either stress us out or just be seen as another learning experience.

This time it was just another learning experience.