I have an orange fountain pen ink from that I adore from a small maker. When I first ink it up, it is one of the most beautiful inks I’ve ever seen. But if I leave it inked for more than a day or two (which I never write enough in one day to empty out a pen), it dries out, loses character, and becomes difficult to write with. I’ve put it in different pens with different nibs, and it is the same experience every time. I’ve decided it’s time to stop trying with this ink. I’m disappointed every time I use it.

Similarly, I bought the first iPad Pro the day it was released in 2015, and it immediately became my primary computer. I upgraded to the first FaceID model in 2018, and eventually added the Magic Keyboard as well. I haven’t had a personal Mac since around that time, and it’s been no problem.

As a teacher, I ran my classroom off of the iPad Pro. When I moved into EdTech, my employers provided me Macs which to use (currently on a 16" M1 MacBook Pro), but my iPad has been my constant personal device.

Unfortunately, the amount of friction I’m experiencing with my iPad continues to grow. Websites load poorly on its “desktop class” version of Safari. Stage Manager brought about a new multitasking paradigm…that is worse than before. I’ve grown tired of fighting against this device.

I’ve debated for a long time what I want to do about the problem. I really love the iPad as a platform. My iPad mini still gets a ton of use. And while it’s barely a fraction of what Viticci is experiencing, I definitely felt for a long time like I was an iPad guy.

But I’ve finally done it. This is the last blog post I will write from my iPad Pro. I’m about to clear it off because it has been sold, and a new M2 MacBook Air is on its way to me.

As much as I love this device, it’s not working for me. And so, like the orange ink I love so much, I’m letting it go.