App developer Steve Troughton-Smith raised a few eyebrows recently when he tweeted a photograph of his iPad Pro propped up on a stand and hooked up to a mechanical keyboard that dwarfed it in size. It looked like some ungainly desktop machine of yesteryear.
“The perfect computer doesn’t exist,” the title read.
It would be a stretch to say Troughton-Smith does all his work on that iPad setup, but he does some of it via the tablet, he told Cult of Mac.
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iPad Pro and mechanical keyboard setup covers many uses
Although Troughton-Smith said he ordered the imposing mechanical keyboard in late 2020, he only just recently received it. It’s an F77 from Model F (@ModelFKeyboards).
In the photograph, he’s got it hooked up to a 2018 12.9-inch iPad Pro on a Lululook magnetic stand.
The keyboard features a custom key layout with “Mac/UK/ISO, with symbol keys and a bunch of extras in the right-hand block like the media keys,” he said.
The F77 sports Model F Buckling Spring switches under the key caps. The switches are based on the IBM Model F switches of the 1970s.
Model F noted that’s what most modern mechanical switches in the world of wildly popular mechanical keyboards are based on, as well, but “they just aren’t made that way anymore.”
Stoughton-Smith referred to the keyboard as a “remake,” and it certainly looks the part, like it’d be right at home in a business office circa 1980.
M1 Mac mini handles most work, but not all
For most of his development work and everyday use — like posting on Twitter — Troughton-Smith uses the keyboard with his M1 Mac mini.
But while many users treat their iPad purely as entertainment and communications devices — videos, music, shopping, chatting — he actually does some real work on his.
“The last couple of big features in my apps were partially developed on iPad,” he said. “I haven’t used a laptop since 2013-ish; iPad is my portable computer.”
Troughton-Smith noted he used his iPad to work on a wallpaper-generator feature for Pastel, his color palette-management app. And for his internet-radio app, Broadcasts, he said he used the iPad to work on an artwork-picker screen.
“The perfect computer doesn’t exis…” @ModelFKeyboards pic.twitter.com/07l8QyYnw4
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) August 10, 2022
Definitely going for a bigger iPad when it comes
Troughton-Smith’s tweet showing the big iPad with a bigger keyboard drew a comment: “I am alarmed the keyboard is bigger than the screen.” To which he replied, “I need a bigger iPad.”
And he hopes to get one, he told Cult of Mac. After all, a 14.1-inch M2 iPad Pro could be coming as soon as early 2023, according to analysts.
“I’m very much looking forward to new iPads; I would go for larger-than-12.9-inch if I had the choice,” he said.
Shop these items now:
- 2018 12.9-inch iPad Pro (or 2021 here)
- F77 Model F mechanical keyboard
- Lululook Urban Magnetic iPad Stand
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches or challenges.
