I did this as well last year: <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/4db0ce/so_i_used_the_129_ipad_pro_as_a_computer_for_two" rel="nofollow">https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/4db0ce/so_i_used_the...</a><p>I thought it was going to be perfect since it's much lighter and thinner than a Surface Pro 4.<p>You <i>need</i> a remote server for this to work, since you won't get access to the underlying shell without jailbreaking. Depending on reliable networks was mistake #1.<p>Also, while Panic was a good enough terminal emulator, its redrawing was unreliable when switching from app to app. This might have changed with iOS 11, but it bugged me to no end before.<p>Lastly, I learned that much of the web (and some apps in particular, namely Remote Desktop) still thinks that you have a mouse. I used Cloudcraft when it first came out to draw some diagrams for an interview. I straight-up <i>could not</i> do it without a mouse, and iOS (stubbornly) does not support mousing. This on top of buggy CMD+TAB functionality and some apps straight up not working without a mouse ended the experiment for me.
The Apple USB Camera adapter[1] would let you connect your Ergodox to the iPad. If you need power too there's a USB 3 version with an extra lightning port.<p>[1]: <a href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD821AM/A/lightning-to-usb-camera-adapter" rel="nofollow">https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD821AM/A/lightning-to-us...</a>
After I returned a MBP ‘17 (twice) because of the horrible keyboard I also switched to an iPad. I’m still a student so all I need to do is write code in an editor and SSH into my Mac or Pi to compile/run it. It works great, and it’s a huge step up from my non-retina MBP that’s now a desktop computer.<p>The only two things I have not been able to replace is (yup..) the proprietary Xcode for the occasional venture into iOS development, and oddly enough: Sketch. You’d expect that the iPad is the perfect device for a Sketch-type app (bar 3rd-party plugins..), but nothing ticks all the boxes just yet.<p>An interesting advantage of iOS that I find is the focus gained. It feels as though switching to a different app requires more deliberate thought than on macOS. I used to do 9 things at once and completely lose my train of thought in all of them and I have less of that on iOS. Or I suffer from Stockholm’s Syndrome, that could also be it.
The containerised terminal toolset is really nice idea.<p>There's some value in using a hybrid approach with a lightweight laptop though the iPad Pro offers a pencil and probably better battery life.
I wouldn't use it as my main computer, but I've gone to Hackathons with a cheap Android tablet, wireless mouse, and keyboard. It's a lot of fun unless you get one (like the 2nd gen Nexus 7) that can't do Bluetooth and Wi-Fi reliably at the same time.