With WWDC coming, I was about to write another post clamouring, pleading, even begging for a macOS tablet or iPadOS becoming less of a limiting factor for the applications it runs. I like macOS and iPadOS mostly and the app ecosystem for Apple’s operating systems is hard to beat. Yet not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could perform certain tasks on my iPad Pro that I can do on my MacBook Pro, or interact with content on my MacBook Pro’s screen by touching it, or just grabbing the disply to read something in portrait mode.
Instead of writing that article again, I finally broke down and ordered a ThinkPad X12 Detachable.
I hesitated taking the plunge because
- the hardware is well over a year old already,
- the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 exists and is better in many ways (higher-resolution display, better colour reproduction, two Thunderbolt 4 ports) and
- devices of this class with Intel’s new Alder Lake architecture are right around the corner.
That’s always the issue, though, right? Something new and better is always around the corner. In the end, I decided to go for it because
- I found a demonstration unit in supposedly “as good as new” condition for a decent price with a lot of warranty still in place,
- I’ve always had a soft spot for the ThinkPad design language,
- the display is going to be good enough for my use (as good as the iPad Pro display in terms of colour reproduction),
- it has LTE built-in,
- and I’m definitely going to enjoy the keyboard.
It’s going to be interesting finding Windows alternatives to my favourite and most-used applications from both macOS and iPadOS.
