The iPad is still the ruler of the tablet market and as a content consumption device, it’s top of the league. With more than 100 million iPads sold, many developers are drawn to using their iPad for development. But is it a serious option?
The good news is that doing development on an iPad is definitely possible, but how well the Apple tablet works for you will depend a lot on your workflow and what you’re trying to achieve.
First off, it’s a good idea to download a file management system such as Dropbox to your iPad, so you can easily create versions and rescue your files, and a good outliner such as MindNode will help keep your work organised and under control.
Text editing on the move is relatively straightforward. An app like Textastic has a lot of nice features and is widely recommended. Koder is another editing tool that has great functionality for the iPad, and it comes along with FTP and Dropbox support.
But for full-fledged web development, a better choice is Diet Coda. It has built-in SSH terminal, SHTP, a great text editor and browser. The drawback is that it’s on the pricey side, but it does give you all the functionality you need.
You may run into trouble when it comes to debugging, especially if you need a good JavaScript debugger. Firebug Lite is a good app for this, though it has some limitations. It’s not integrated into the browser, so it doesn’t catch a lot of problems. In a pinch, it might not be good enough. However, if your development is mostly server-side, or you don’t depend on these kinds of debugging tools, then iPad development is going to go much more smoothly for you.
Overall, it will take time, dedication, and a bit of investment in developer apps to make the iPad work for you as a solid environment for developing. You’ll need to think carefully about your workflow and your needs. However, with the right tools and a positive attitude, anything is possible.
