Computing
Some years ago Mrs Davey concluded that she didn't really need a laptop and that an iPad would be just as good for her. This has indeed proved to be the case.
At that time we had a family computer, a 2012 Mac mini, in our living room. When we moved to the bigger flat and I got an office we concluded that we didn't need a family computer - a large screen with a Chromecast plugged in would do just as well. So the Mac mini has become my office computer, in place of my 2015 Macbook pro. Since then I have used my Macbook pro as a portable computer to use in coffee shops and for projection in meetings etc.
We've upgraded the Mac mini over the years. It has an ssd instead of the original slow hard drive, and I boosted the memory to 16gb. Despite the fact that it is essentially an eight-year old computer it does pretty well everything I need it to and it has a nice big screen for doing analysis of Bible passages. Its biggest weakness is that it doesn't have a webcam, so for zoom I have to use my laptop.
However, I'm coming to the conclusion that for me, too, a laptop is not necessary. Now that I have the Mac mini in my office, everything I do in other rooms of the house could work perfectly well on an iPad. Not only that, but in terms of performance for cost, iPads are excellent value. They're easy to carry around. They also have very good webcams, while most laptops have dreadful ones, including my Macbook.
In the late 1990s, early 2000s the move started from desktop computers to laptops. Many of us were sceptical. The screens were too small and not as easy to use. They were heavy and awkward and you couldn't get in a good position to work.
Now most people thinking of buying a computer think of a laptop. They're convenient. You don't need a dedicated worktop for them. If you want to spread papers all over your desk you can. You can take your work wherever you want to.
Now I think we're slowly moving to tablets. They're even more convenient. Lighter. More powerful. More economical.
And the thing that I find most helpful about the iPad is this - they help you focus on one thing. Rather than having lots of windows open and flitting from program to program, they encourage you to choose what one thing you're doing and to do that.
When the time comes to change my laptop I can't see me getting another.
At that time we had a family computer, a 2012 Mac mini, in our living room. When we moved to the bigger flat and I got an office we concluded that we didn't need a family computer - a large screen with a Chromecast plugged in would do just as well. So the Mac mini has become my office computer, in place of my 2015 Macbook pro. Since then I have used my Macbook pro as a portable computer to use in coffee shops and for projection in meetings etc.
We've upgraded the Mac mini over the years. It has an ssd instead of the original slow hard drive, and I boosted the memory to 16gb. Despite the fact that it is essentially an eight-year old computer it does pretty well everything I need it to and it has a nice big screen for doing analysis of Bible passages. Its biggest weakness is that it doesn't have a webcam, so for zoom I have to use my laptop.
However, I'm coming to the conclusion that for me, too, a laptop is not necessary. Now that I have the Mac mini in my office, everything I do in other rooms of the house could work perfectly well on an iPad. Not only that, but in terms of performance for cost, iPads are excellent value. They're easy to carry around. They also have very good webcams, while most laptops have dreadful ones, including my Macbook.
In the late 1990s, early 2000s the move started from desktop computers to laptops. Many of us were sceptical. The screens were too small and not as easy to use. They were heavy and awkward and you couldn't get in a good position to work.
Now most people thinking of buying a computer think of a laptop. They're convenient. You don't need a dedicated worktop for them. If you want to spread papers all over your desk you can. You can take your work wherever you want to.
Now I think we're slowly moving to tablets. They're even more convenient. Lighter. More powerful. More economical.
And the thing that I find most helpful about the iPad is this - they help you focus on one thing. Rather than having lots of windows open and flitting from program to program, they encourage you to choose what one thing you're doing and to do that.
When the time comes to change my laptop I can't see me getting another.
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