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If I could have a quid for every time I’ve written about my desire to make the most out of the iPad Pro, I’d have lots of money.
Apple still, in my humble opinion, makes the best tablets in the world. The iPad Pro is unmatched in terms of performance, design, ecosystem integration, and sheer wantability.
But it’s that last quality that has proven the most frustrating for yours truly. I’m always drawn to the iPad Pro, but then struggle to find a use case that sticks. I’ve dabbled with making it my main writing device, and with more creative ventures like music production and video editing.
I always end up sitting back in front of my Mac. Not because the iPad Pro can’t do it all (it can) – because I’m a Mac boy, through and through.
Then, the other day, lightning struck above my head, and irrefutable genius emerged. With such a large space available to me in my YouTube studio, why hadn’t I designated an area specifically for the iPad Pro?
So, that’s what I did.
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My overwhelming Mac mini setup
I should add some context here. My studio is, as you might expect, primarily a filming location. I do, however, get down to other work in there, and that’s where my huge production desk comes in.
It’s an impressive thing, my production desk. It’s very long, beautifully deep, and contains a whole bunch of awesome stuff. There’s an M4 Pro Mac mini connected to a massive ASUS monitor, a Logitech keyboard and mouse combo, a bunch of charging devices, loads of earbuds that are either in review or which I’ve forgotten to put away, and, inexplicably, a Bluetooth JBL record player that I never use.
I get a lot done at that desk, but it is a bit distracting. It often becomes a dumping ground for the multitude of smartphones I’m always simultaneously reviewing, and the myriad of sponsored products that end up in my YouTube videos.
And I really should file away those earbuds.
My production desk is vitally important. But I clearly needed another, cleaner setup with a much more defined role. So, I found a corner of the studio ripe for such a workstation and began setting it up.
The new iPad Pro setup
I’m a huge fan of standing desks, so the first and most obvious task was to get one situated right in front of the window I’d designated as the backdrop for my new iPad Pro station. If you’re wondering, it’s a Flexispot desk, and it’s great.
Next up, the chair. Although they’re not sponsoring this blog post, LiberNovo did offer to sponsor the video version of this tale, which was great timing. They sent the Omni, which has a self-adjusting support system that shifts to match your posture in real time. It can even deliver a five-minute spinal massage when fully reclined.
On the desk, I have just a few items. This is crucial if I’m to avoid overwhelming myself once more. I also have a strict ‘NOTHING ELSE GOES ON THIS TABLE’ rule, which I haven’t broken yet.
The stuff that is allowed on there starts with the M5 iPad Pro, complete with Apple Magic Keyboard. It’s the 12.9-inch version and it has the nano-texture glass option, which, if you can justify the cost, is absolutely something you should get on board with. In terms of what I’m doing on that iPad Pro, this extends mainly to writing with the Ulysses app, managing email via Outlook (no, really), and communicating with the team via Google Meet and Monday.com.
Joining the iPad Pro is the Studio Display I’ve had since 2022. It felt like the most appropriate external monitor to connect the iPad Pro to. By the time you read this, we may have the long-awaited successor to the original Studio Display, and, if that’s the case, I will absolutely be getting one in to test.
As for having a second display connected to the iPad, I still need convincing, I’m afraid. But I’m willing to use this opportunity to properly give it a go, and it has, clearly, come along in leaps and bounds since I last tested it.
The desk also houses a Benks headphone stand for my AirPods Max USB-C, an ESR MagSafe and AirPods charger, and a Ugreen USB-C power bank. The latter’s future on my ultra-clean table hangs in the balance because, as handy as it is to have something into which I can plug a bunch of devices to charge at once, that could result in Cluttersville. Again.
What this says about the iPad
Unless you’ve properly gone iPad-only (i.e. you don’t have a Mac, MacBook, or any other form of computing device), you need to find a way of integrating the iPad into your life and work.
The iPad is a brilliant entertainment device, but the more the hardware and software have evolved, the more it has become something which demands as much of your time as possible.
My new working space gives me – and the iPad Pro – just that. It’s the space at which I can now write, uninterrupted and without the danger of being constantly distracted either by the operating system or all of the crap on my desk.
The single-cable attachment for external display support and power is also game-changing, because it means the iPad Pro battery is always topped up without the need for yet another messy, distracting cable on the desk.
Then, there’s the ecosystem. The AirPods Max play a key role on that desk, because they’re the fastest and most reliable way to get audio out of the iPad Pro without fishing out my AirPods Pro 3. Chuck my iPhone 17 Pro Max onto the MagSafe charger, and that’s another element of the Apple ecosystem immediately to hand.
Related: My list of the best iPad accessories!
The iPad Pro also just happens to have the best conference call camera I have access to in the studio, which makes my new minimalist desk the perfect venue for undertaking Google Meet calls, too. I love it.
Final thought
The big question for me is: will this desk setup ‘stick’? I will, after all, have to cart that big 12.9-inch iPad Pro into work with me every day if I’m to actually use that space consistently. Factor in the stuff I already have in my rather heavy backpack, and it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
However, I think it’s worth the weight and potential back pain. That space is already making me more productive.
Could I get everything done with an iPad Air? Of course I could. But I’m not going to sit here and justify my iPad of choice, because it’s my choice.
Now, it’s over to you. Share your iPad productivity tips in the comments section, please!
