A Newfound Love For The iPad

By Paul Morrone, CFP®, CPA/PFS, MSA

Bigger than a cell phone and smaller than a laptop, the iPad filled a void we never knew existed. Now, after nearly 10 years in the market, it’s hard to imagine a world without tablets. Everyone was hot to jump on the tablet train and the iPad was (and still is) the gold standard. I found myself using my first iPad just to use it. Part of it was novelty, the excitement of using something new. However, it really didn’t’ serve any practical purpose for me. Smartphones (in my case an iPhone) provided me with the connectivity and flexibility that was necessary at the time; giving me access to email, the internet and the ability to make phone calls all from a pocket-sized device. From a work perspective the technology ‘cloud’ was barely in its infancy stages and most of the programs we used in the office were Windows based and had to be run on a computer. After the newness wore of, I realized that all I had was an expensive toy to play candy crush on. Not really that exciting.

I went on an iPad hiatus for about 5 years, during which time I purchased a Macbook laptop that still works as well today as it did when I bought it back in 2012 (how many of you have had computers for 7 years!?). It was one of those situations where if it’s not broke don’t fix it, so I never did. With the latest iteration of the iPad, however, the lines have been blurred even further between PC usability and tablet portability and convenience. It also helps that we are now entirely cloud based and everything we use is compatible with the iOS operating system on the iPad. The benefits of a keyboard ‘folio,’ which works as good as a desktop keyboard, and the Apple pencil have all of a sudden made the iPad a compelling tool.

After half a decade, I took the plunge back in and am now fully sold on the concept. With the iPad now offering support for the MS Office applications, I can use it as a laptop replacement at home or on the go. Just the other day, I found myself writing emails in a parking lot right in the driver’s seat of my car. While I could have easily done this on my phone, it would have taken me 15 minutes to hunt-and-peck my way through a well written and grammatically correct email. With the iPad keyboard I was done in less than 5.

I’ve also been experimenting with the notes feature which allows me to hand write on the iPad as if it was a piece of paper. I foresee using the iPad in the future as not only a tool on the go, but an integral part of meetings and office workflow. Don’t be surprise if next time you’re in the conference room you see me jotting notes down on the iPad right in front of you!