Answerwed: Can You Have Too Much Tech?

A year later
To my surprise, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had to turn the Mini on. It’s sat there quietly in the corner while I’ve carried on quite happily with the iPad Pro.

When I started this, the temptation to upgrade was strong. Apple had just released the new Mac Mini — a proper powerhouse for the money — and I was itching to justify it. But I also knew I was trying to simplify and downsize, not just in space and material possessions  but also in mindset. Buying another box to sit on the desk didn’t really fit that idea.

The iPad experiment
Earlier that year I’d splashed out on the M4 iPad Pro — my first new iPad in about eight years. My original Pro is still going strong with my daughter as it’s custodian, which says a lot for Apple’s build quality. The new one wasn’t cheap, so I decided to make it earn its keep and see whether it could truly replace a desktop.

Six months was the target. By May 2025 I realised I hadn’t booted the Mac once since the previous November. Even during my recovery from Surgery in June, the iPad was my only computer — for writing, research, world-building, even map and design work.

(For the record, I don’t count the iPhone. Great for messages and photos, but trying to create or read anything substantial on it drives me mad.)

Enter the iPad Mini
As much as I love the Pro, it’s not exactly a one-hand device. Try reading in bed and you’ll see why. So when the new iPad Mini appeared, I caved. It’s the perfect size for reading, YouTube, or light writing sessions — especially paired with the little ProtoArc foldable keyboard and trackpad that swaps between devices at a tap.

Call it indulgent if you like, but it’s become a very useful companion. The Pro is my workbench; the Mini is my notebook.

Where the Mac still earns its keep
Every now and then I do fire up the old Mac Mini — usually to export something from Affinity Designer, because the desktop version still has a slight edge for final file output. And when I’m designing a complex spreadsheet, it’s pleasant to spread out across four monitors. That’s muscle memory more than necessity.

For everything else — writing, drawing, browsing, watching — the iPads handle it effortlessly.

What surprised me
What’s struck me most is how little I’ve missed the desktop. A few years ago, when I was coding on Linux boxes, this wouldn’t have been possible. But now? The iPad Pro has more than enough muscle, and more importantly, it helps me focus. One screen, one thing, done.

I still plan to give the Mac a clean install of Sequoia soon, mostly to clear the cruft — but that’s maintenance, not longing.

The takeaway
If you’d told me a year ago that I’d all but abandon my main computer, I’d have laughed. But it’s true. I don’t need more tech; I just need to use what I already have better.

So that’s where I’ve landed: the iPad Pro for real work, the Mini for reading and travel, the phone for communication, and the Mac Mini for those rare moments when four monitors still feel comforting.

Not exactly minimalist — but it’s calmer, simpler, and enough. And that’s really the point.

From the Cellar
The older I get, the more I realise the goal isn’t owning the newest thing, it’s being content with the right thing. Tools that disappear when you’re creating — that’s where the peace lives.

I’ll talk about what this “less but better” mindset has done for my creative rhythm — and how a quieter workspace can make the world you’re building sound louder at some point I guess.