We've all got one or we all want one. They're the hottest thing on everyone's birthday list, you can take them anywhere & everywhere and you can get an app to do practically any task you can think of. Including screenwriting.
Final Draft recently announced that they would soon be releasing an iPad version of their software, and everyone who's a screenwriter with an iPad is waiting eagerly for that. Apart from me it seems - I just kinda went, "huh?".
You see, anyone who's used an iPad for writing over a sustained period of time - be it emails, notes, Pages or whatever will know that whilst it's convenient to be able to do those things on the move, there's no replacement for a real keyboard.
Aha! I hear you say, just buy a Bluetooth keyboard! Duh! And you'd be right, that would kinda solve that issue, but then what you end up with is essentially a broken-in-two laptop. Not the best solution to carry around with you, so by that time you'd already be better off with something like a Mac Book Air.
The other problem is surface. Writing on an iPad (and this post was written on an iPad, in bed) requires a good steady surface - like a desk, perhaps - for reaching any kind of respectable typing speed. Balancing on your lap (or my knees as I'm doing now) just won't do for writing anything other than a quick blog post or email.
To write properly the tool that you use needs to be transparent to the process and not a constant reminder that you're actually pressing your fingers on a bit of glass with make-believe keys. You need a good desk, or a place that you can call yours - your zone - with a good steady surface, a proper chair and plenty of room to put down your favourite beverage and a note pad. You also need a good keyboard (they all have a different feel) and a good clear monitor.
Yes, the iPad is GREAT, don't get me wrong, it's perfect for browsing whilst out and about, or checking emails whilst being sat on the sofa. I love the iPad. But using it to write a screenplay would be like running a marathon with one arm behind your back and your laces tied together - you could do it, sure, but it wouldn't be the most efficient way of doing it and would take far longer.
I have been asked by many people, both during the course of developing Movie Draft SE and after its release: "are you going to make an iPad app?" and my answer is always a simple, flat "no, sorry".
The trouble is, because the iPad phenomenon is "cool" and "down with the kids" there's a tendency to think that you "need" to use it as a replacement for a desktop or laptop, but the truth is that both have their strengths and weaknesses and typing for sustained periods is not one of the iPad's strengths. It's as simple as that.
You wouldn't decorate your house with an artist's paint brush now, would you...?
