Still finishing this post up, but several people wanted more info so here it is in its current form. Let me know in the comments what you’d like me to elaborate on.

Well Loved Tech

I love making gear last, especially technology. Modern marketing is constantly pushing us to get the new shiny thing. I prefer to acquire quality gear, then optimize, fix and upgrade it for effective longevity.

It’s fun to push things beyond what is commonly thought possible or realistic. My latest foray into this practice has been with my trusty ole iPad mini 2. This model of iPad was initially released in 2013. It’s now 2019 and I am figuring out how to leverage it as my primary computing machine.

This may seem ridiculous, and it kind of is. Especially considering I have a 2012 MacBook Air that still runs like the day I got it. But, I think tablets are the way of the future, for now.

The iPad is quickly catching up to and surpassing the necessary computational power to do useful tasks. Video editing, gaming, streaming, drawing, reading, designing, coding, writing, composing, exploring, there aren’t many things left that can’t be done on a “mobile device.”

System in Action

A quick video on how I import, clip, edit, record music, and export a video. All on my 7 year old iPad mini. I made this video to accompany a blog post on my iPad kit.

Charging

Another thing iPads have going for them is energy efficiency. My old iPad mini barely dents our Goal Zero Yeti 1000 (1000 watt hour capacity) when I charge it. The battery size on my iPad mini is 24 watt hours. A full charge depletes our 1000 watt system by 2.4%, barely noticeable.

I can even charge this little device effectively with our mega portable Biolite Solar Panel and battery. The solar panel is rated for 5 watts. So I could theoretically charge the iPad from 0 to 100% with about 5 hours of sunlight.

Gear

iPad mini: visualize

Tech Specs

Buy $150

Zagg Keyboard: articulate

Buy $28

53 Pencil: show

Buy $35

Foldable Desk

Buy $40

Card Reader

Buy $13

Boya Mic

Supplemental Gear

Cameras: capture

Drones: explore

Biolite Panel: collect

Biolite Battery: charge

Do

Books: read

Bear: write

Voice: record

Paper: express

Sketchbook: design

Assembly: build

Documents: download

Snapsed: edit

Be

Waking Up: center

Overcast: listen

Spotify: jam

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