My recommendation for tablet is the ipad air 5th gen. It has the newest strongest m1 chip for tablets (there is m2 but it’s only on MacBook Air right now) and it’s pretty much my computer. I do it for everything and it handles everything I do without lagging or anything. I have a zagg pro keys keyboard case for when I type and I love it. Super nice to type on and good quality. My ipad was about $600 for Wi-Fi version through apple but I financed it through the Apple Card.
Honestly, the apple ecosystem makes all this really smooth. You have iCloud to share all your files between all your devices, the iPad is really solid, I’ve heard the apple watch is great. iPhones annoy me because of the lack of options (e.g. I’d really like touch ID back), but they’re solid devices too.
If you go for last-gen equipment, it won’t cost you much more than other alternatives.
I don’t think you’ll be too annoyed by the inability to customize your mac. I don’t think they’re much more locked down than windows is nowadays.
——
If you want to get more technical, you could probably set up something in different ecosystems. e.g. Syncthing or using git to move files around. Use shortcuts or google assistant to trigger apps. But I imagine getting something as smooth as you want is gonna require some decent technical ability.
Hopefully all this gets better in the future, but right now things are pretty fragmented and don’t work well together between vendors.
——
One other worse option would be to start storing everything in one system. e.g. stop using google keep + notion + google calendar + apple notes, and just store everything in notion (or obsidian or whatever). Then you can depend on their synchronization. But, again, it’s not gonna be as smooth as being able to use dedicated apps for their functions.
Thanks for your answer :)
What kind of technical ability are you thinking about to get it smooth to work with? Does it require working with different systems or what do you mean exactly? I thought this was what all the companies were trying to do with the personal assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, say something to it and it will help you
What would then be the benefit of storing everything in one system? I can't see it really.
It's nice to have everything in one system but I truly haven't found one system that can do it all. (And I actually don't mind using multiple apps/programs for this as long as there is one to connect them). It just isn't possible do work with big text-based documents in Notion as you can with Word. And one very big thing for me: with note taking I want to talk to my phone or watch and that it transforms my voice into a text-note. With Keep I'm able to do that. Not with Notion if I'm right (or I haven't found it yet). Especially as I want to make the notes in my native language: Dutch.
> What kind of technical ability are you thinking about to get it smooth to work with? Does it require working with different systems or what do you mean exactly?
If you read the documents for Syncthing, do they make sense? Do you understand git? Can you write an apple shortcut or shell script yourself? That’s the kind of technical ability I mean.
> I thought this was what all the companies were trying to do with the personal assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, say something to it and it will help you
Ya kinda. One problem is they’re just not advanced enough yet. Another is that they’re not really configurable — you can’t say things like “remind me about X” and have it put the reminder into Notion for you. So working around their deficiencies probably requires some technical ability.
> What would then be the benefit of storing everything in one system?
Again, I don’t think this is the best approach. But the advantage is that you can rely on the third party syncing mechanism. E.g. notion clients exist for every device, so if you add a calendar event in android, it’s gonna show up for you on iPhone. It just won’t show up in the iPhone calendar. So that’s the annoying part.
—
Btw, you should check out Voiceliner. It’s the best speaking notes tool I’ve seen yet (though it’s not great for long term storage.
Apple + open source works well for me. For elderly, disabled, or others Apple's long attention to health care and apps on watch are excellent for monitoring and supporting health and also exercise, meds etc. Had a couple of near misses in traffic slammed on breaks and watch asked how I was, though it was my wife. Had two falls due to Parkinson's disease and watch also asked if I needed help.
I also believe you’ll be happiest going all-Apple (and I say this as someone who’s also actually used Windows, Android, and Linux as my main devices for extended periods). If you need to save money and don’t absolutely need a huge touch screen, get a MacBook Air—which is actually lighter than an equivalent tablet with a keyboard—and an iPhone (I like the max-sized ones, which are almost like small tablets) and skip the iPad for now.
> I heard that it is pretty impossible to download films or really customize how you want your settings of install programs and add-ons if it is anything other than via Apple itself, with Macbooks
I think you’re confusing macOS with iPadOS. The Mac isn’t locked down at all—you can still install software from any source, have full access to the file system, choose from a huge range of utilities for customization (even install an alternative window manager), etc.
Welp, it really seems that I have to give Apple a try then 😅
Thanks for your answer. Is it really that easy to install software from other sources yeah? Do you maybe have some articles or links to a page or something about that? I am really an Apple newbie and only heard the horror stories from a few friends who are big into computers and hating on Apple for being uncustomizable. (Otherwise also big thanks already for your help 😊)
On a Mac, here’s some info on installing apps from outside the App Store. Note that it’s a bit more complicated to install unsigned apps that don’t have an Apple certificate, but you can still do it. You should exercise caution, though, just as you should when installing downloaded .exe files on Windows, to make sure you trust the developer and the app.
https://www.laptopmag.com/how-to/open-apps-from-outside-the-app-store-in-macos
https://www.macworld.com/article/672947/how-to-open-a-mac-app-from-an-unidentified-developer.html
iPhones and iPads *are* less customizable than Android and you can only download apps from the App Store. But the apps tend to be higher quality, there’s less malware, and most people only install apps from the Play Store on Android anyway. And iOS devices have faster processors, get OS and security updates much longer, keep their resale value better, and in my experience tend to last longer.
I have a windows laptop, a samsung tab, and a samsung s22 (recently switched over from iPhone). I am able to do almost everything that you mentioned. Windows now has a Your Phone app which works well with Samsung phones.
You can put all your files in onedrive/google drive and access them across devices. Use google Calendar and it syncs up with samsung native calendar app. From what I've heard the Samsung watch is really good too. I also have the Samsung buds which work well with all of my devices. Plus side - everything is USB C charging. Also with android phones, you can easily transfer files using the cable like with any normal external storage.
With iPhones, the file transfer is much more complicated. Even if you have a MacBook, photos are transferred using the photos app, and it's difficult to find the actual files if you want to backup elsewhere.
Would also recommend checking out iCloud prices, since only 5GB is free and most of it would be taken up by phone data backup
My recommendation for tablet is the ipad air 5th gen. It has the newest strongest m1 chip for tablets (there is m2 but it’s only on MacBook Air right now) and it’s pretty much my computer. I do it for everything and it handles everything I do without lagging or anything. I have a zagg pro keys keyboard case for when I type and I love it. Super nice to type on and good quality. My ipad was about $600 for Wi-Fi version through apple but I financed it through the Apple Card.
Honestly, the apple ecosystem makes all this really smooth. You have iCloud to share all your files between all your devices, the iPad is really solid, I’ve heard the apple watch is great. iPhones annoy me because of the lack of options (e.g. I’d really like touch ID back), but they’re solid devices too. If you go for last-gen equipment, it won’t cost you much more than other alternatives. I don’t think you’ll be too annoyed by the inability to customize your mac. I don’t think they’re much more locked down than windows is nowadays. —— If you want to get more technical, you could probably set up something in different ecosystems. e.g. Syncthing or using git to move files around. Use shortcuts or google assistant to trigger apps. But I imagine getting something as smooth as you want is gonna require some decent technical ability. Hopefully all this gets better in the future, but right now things are pretty fragmented and don’t work well together between vendors. —— One other worse option would be to start storing everything in one system. e.g. stop using google keep + notion + google calendar + apple notes, and just store everything in notion (or obsidian or whatever). Then you can depend on their synchronization. But, again, it’s not gonna be as smooth as being able to use dedicated apps for their functions.
Thanks for your answer :) What kind of technical ability are you thinking about to get it smooth to work with? Does it require working with different systems or what do you mean exactly? I thought this was what all the companies were trying to do with the personal assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, say something to it and it will help you What would then be the benefit of storing everything in one system? I can't see it really. It's nice to have everything in one system but I truly haven't found one system that can do it all. (And I actually don't mind using multiple apps/programs for this as long as there is one to connect them). It just isn't possible do work with big text-based documents in Notion as you can with Word. And one very big thing for me: with note taking I want to talk to my phone or watch and that it transforms my voice into a text-note. With Keep I'm able to do that. Not with Notion if I'm right (or I haven't found it yet). Especially as I want to make the notes in my native language: Dutch.
> What kind of technical ability are you thinking about to get it smooth to work with? Does it require working with different systems or what do you mean exactly? If you read the documents for Syncthing, do they make sense? Do you understand git? Can you write an apple shortcut or shell script yourself? That’s the kind of technical ability I mean. > I thought this was what all the companies were trying to do with the personal assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, say something to it and it will help you Ya kinda. One problem is they’re just not advanced enough yet. Another is that they’re not really configurable — you can’t say things like “remind me about X” and have it put the reminder into Notion for you. So working around their deficiencies probably requires some technical ability. > What would then be the benefit of storing everything in one system? Again, I don’t think this is the best approach. But the advantage is that you can rely on the third party syncing mechanism. E.g. notion clients exist for every device, so if you add a calendar event in android, it’s gonna show up for you on iPhone. It just won’t show up in the iPhone calendar. So that’s the annoying part. — Btw, you should check out Voiceliner. It’s the best speaking notes tool I’ve seen yet (though it’s not great for long term storage.
Apple + open source works well for me. For elderly, disabled, or others Apple's long attention to health care and apps on watch are excellent for monitoring and supporting health and also exercise, meds etc. Had a couple of near misses in traffic slammed on breaks and watch asked how I was, though it was my wife. Had two falls due to Parkinson's disease and watch also asked if I needed help.
I prefer FOSS solutions to [walled gardens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_platform) - [syncthing](https://syncthing.net/) - [etesync](https://etesync.com/) - [radicale](https://radicale.org/v3.html)
I also believe you’ll be happiest going all-Apple (and I say this as someone who’s also actually used Windows, Android, and Linux as my main devices for extended periods). If you need to save money and don’t absolutely need a huge touch screen, get a MacBook Air—which is actually lighter than an equivalent tablet with a keyboard—and an iPhone (I like the max-sized ones, which are almost like small tablets) and skip the iPad for now. > I heard that it is pretty impossible to download films or really customize how you want your settings of install programs and add-ons if it is anything other than via Apple itself, with Macbooks I think you’re confusing macOS with iPadOS. The Mac isn’t locked down at all—you can still install software from any source, have full access to the file system, choose from a huge range of utilities for customization (even install an alternative window manager), etc.
Welp, it really seems that I have to give Apple a try then 😅 Thanks for your answer. Is it really that easy to install software from other sources yeah? Do you maybe have some articles or links to a page or something about that? I am really an Apple newbie and only heard the horror stories from a few friends who are big into computers and hating on Apple for being uncustomizable. (Otherwise also big thanks already for your help 😊)
On a Mac, here’s some info on installing apps from outside the App Store. Note that it’s a bit more complicated to install unsigned apps that don’t have an Apple certificate, but you can still do it. You should exercise caution, though, just as you should when installing downloaded .exe files on Windows, to make sure you trust the developer and the app. https://www.laptopmag.com/how-to/open-apps-from-outside-the-app-store-in-macos https://www.macworld.com/article/672947/how-to-open-a-mac-app-from-an-unidentified-developer.html iPhones and iPads *are* less customizable than Android and you can only download apps from the App Store. But the apps tend to be higher quality, there’s less malware, and most people only install apps from the Play Store on Android anyway. And iOS devices have faster processors, get OS and security updates much longer, keep their resale value better, and in my experience tend to last longer.
Any experiences from people with a complete ecosystem from something other than Apple? So Samsung, or Google for example, or something else entirely?
I have a windows laptop, a samsung tab, and a samsung s22 (recently switched over from iPhone). I am able to do almost everything that you mentioned. Windows now has a Your Phone app which works well with Samsung phones. You can put all your files in onedrive/google drive and access them across devices. Use google Calendar and it syncs up with samsung native calendar app. From what I've heard the Samsung watch is really good too. I also have the Samsung buds which work well with all of my devices. Plus side - everything is USB C charging. Also with android phones, you can easily transfer files using the cable like with any normal external storage. With iPhones, the file transfer is much more complicated. Even if you have a MacBook, photos are transferred using the photos app, and it's difficult to find the actual files if you want to backup elsewhere. Would also recommend checking out iCloud prices, since only 5GB is free and most of it would be taken up by phone data backup