Need vs Want — Why Buying the iPad Pro Turned Me Into a Minimalist
I started my first week of university equipped with an A4 notepad and my trusted HP laptop. It had a decent i5 processor, and a tidy keyboard with the right amount of travel. This alone perfectly suited my needs as a fresher. All I really needed was basic word processing capability for my lectures (the ones that I attended…), and smooth web browsing to watch Netflix.
I knew what the iPad Pro was, in fact I sold it to customers in my part time job in retail. I never wanted one. However, during my first week of uni it became a piece of tech that filled me with envy. I saw students making handwritten notes and annotating lecture slides ON A TABLET. I sat there watching someone smugly use their Apple Pencil while the rest of us mere mortals were using PowerPoint on our laptops. This made me…jealous.
To cut a long story short, I decided to buy the largest iPad Pro (12.9 inch), with a keyboard, case and an Apple Pencil. A few months prior something that I didn’t care about suddenly became my latest obsession. It was something I didn’t realise that I needed, that was the problem. I convinced myself that a want was a need.
“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” -Lao Tzu, 500 BCE.
What is Minimalism?
Simply put, minimalism is keeping things simple. It is a movement centred around downsizing your life, and consequently the number of things that you own and use.
Artistically speaking minimalism is an abstract art movement that came to prominence in America in the 1960s. It often favours the use of simple geometry (squares, rectangles and lines). Minimalism pushes the narrative that art should not serve to imitate something else, it should exist as its own thing. This forces the observer to only interpret what is in front of them not an external reality they can cast their minds to. The lifestyle is not disconnected from the art.
Similarly, a minimalist lifestyle places emphasis on living with what you have, and what you need and removing things that you might think you want or that you don’t need. This lifestyle values experiences and ‘living’ as opposed to accumulating ‘things’.
If you are interested in further reading I have linked a great introductory article to minimalist art, and a blog about the minimalist lifestyle.
How I Ended Up Buying the 12.9 Inch iPad Pro
When I was thinking of buying the iPad, I debated over two things:
a) Should I get the standard iPad (non-Pro) instead of the Pro?
b) If I get the iPad Pro, should I get the smaller 11 inch model or the big 12.9 inch version?
These three different options obviously had differing price points, with the standard iPad being the lowest and the largest iPad Pro being the the most expensive. After much deliberation I convinced myself that I needed an iPad Pro. Heck I could kill two birds with one stone and use it as a laptop and a tablet! This of course required the greater processing power of Apple’s latest A12X Bionic chip, the standard iPad just wouldn’t do…
Okay sorted. I will own an iPad Pro. But, what size? I need to write notes, type word documents and maybe watch some YouTube. While all of these features were feasible with the 11 inch model, I opted for the 12.9 inch one. Because… bigger is better? (yes, this was my thought process)
The Novelty of Everything Wears Off
You might be expecting me to tell you that the iPad Pro wasn’t that amazing after all. Well you’re wrong, partially. When I first got it, I downloaded all my apps, connected my Apple Pencil and I genuinely can’t remember feeling more joy using a piece of technology. It was so fast, in fact faster than many high end laptops. The processing power, the RAM, the storage, the functionality… I was like a kid in an iPad OS candy shop. Despite the brilliance of the product, it only took a few weeks for me to realise that all of this was unnecessary. I did not need the best product on the market. I needed to write notes, and see my lecture slides.
The funniest part of it all is that in hindsight I was probably better off buying the standard iPad, or using the iPad Mini that my university gave me for free. I didn’t actually need a new tablet, I convinced myself that I did. I have now returned to my HP laptop, and it’s served me well ever since.
Lesson Learnt — My New Philosophy When I Exchange My Money for Things
This was the first big purchase I made at university, and it was also the first time I was living away from home. This experience really made me think about the value of money. It changed my psychology as a consumer. Now I always ask myself whether I really need to buy something. Its a small change, but its had a huge effect on my thoughts about consumerism.
You can ask my friends, I am quite a frugal person. Not because I can’t afford to buy highly priced items, it’s because I don’t want to. I exchange my money for things I need, or things that make my life easier. Occasionally I will indulge in buying things that I want, namely my Spotify subscription and expensive Korean skincare products ( no shame here).
It’s not a case of saving money, it’s about not spending money unnecessarily. I have no qualms about spending money on life. I’ll happily go on holiday, go to the beach, make food for my friends, or go out to a nightclub. I don’t ‘own’ these experiences. I don’t get to keep them with me physically or see them around me. But, I do remember them. These memories enrich my life more than possessions ever will.
This mind shift freed me from the trap of marketing, especially in the consumable electronic space where a new product arrives every year. This cycle always leaves you wanting more and feeling inadequate. The sad reality is that companies prey on people’s desire to keep up with others. However, this desire is a choice. I have no problem with people spending their money on products they want, but we can all think harder about the goods that we buy.
I may be romanticising the movement, but being a minimalist takes you out of the game. You go from consumer to individual. A minimalist buys things they need, not things companies want them to buy. The money you don’t spend on things, can be used for experiences.
Conclusion
I’m not recommending that you become a minimalist, nor am I convinced that my lifestyle is truly ‘minimal’. But, I can tell you that I am happier and more fulfilled now than I have ever been in my life. I have really harnessed the Power of Now, the present is infinitely more satisfying to me now than it was a year ago. I enjoy the little things. I enjoy what I have.
I’d challenge you to look at your own life and see what you can remove. If there’s something you truly love and have a passion for, keep it! You don’t have to agree with me. But, I guarantee there are some things that you can do without.
**DISCLAIMER: The links to products in this article are affiliate links meaning I get money if you were to purchase a product through my link.**
- The Power of Now → One of my favourite books, read 20 pages and I guarantee it will change your view on the world, or at least question it.
- Apple Pencil → If you have a compatible device the Apple Pencil is in my opinion the most functional and advanced stylus on the market.
