Jon Hicks on Using an iPad as His Main Computer
Jon Hicks, the well-known designer who did significant work on the iconic Firefox icon, is using an iPad Pro as his main computer1:
It’s started slowly, but the platform has been maturing and I’ve been using it more and more as my main computer. There are limitations and issues, which I’ll come to, but I keep coming back to it as a my main design tool. There’s something very alluring about this light and portable thin slab of glass that can do (almost) everything I need it to.
Jon is an illustrator2, so a better illustration workflow is important to him, and he likes the Apple Pencil in particular:
In contrast to all this, the iPad Pro and Pencil felt absolutely delightful immediately, and it’s mostly down to the Pencil. It’s such a beautiful tool to use – its balanced and luxurious in feel. Drawing seems to flow from the hand in a way that it just doesn’t on the Surface. It still doesn’t feel like a real pen, brush or pencil on paper, but has the best feel of any digital drawing tool I’ve ever used.
Definitely don’t miss the “Shortcomings and Workarounds” section which is extensive.
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Jon also appeared recently on Episode 44 of the iPad Pros podcast. ↩︎
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Illustration should have one of the easiest times transitioning to iOS. The success of Wacom Tablets shows this group already likes working this way. The other two types of work I think transition easily are writing and general office work (e.g., Microsoft Office, iWork, and Google Docs. ↩︎