Honestly, I never had a strong need for a laptop. Back in college I was like most students — I really wanted one, because it’s portable, it’s fashionable, it’s badass. But as I got deeper into using computers, I started to dislike laptops, because they’re just so un-upgradeable. Who doesn’t want to upgrade the GPU, RAM, or CPU every now and then? With a laptop, basically you can upgrade the RAM and that’s it. Still, right now I’ve got a renewed need for a laptop, and the reason is a bit silly: I often want to find a quiet, empty place and just use a computer in peace. I already have a cheap Dell laptop, but the eye-searing screen, the garbage keyboard feel, the pathetic i3 SNB performance, and the tragic battery life even with a 9-cell — none of that meets what I need. Especially the screen. Anything can be bad, but how can the screen be bad? So my requirements for a laptop were basically set: high performance + good screen + strong battery + good keyboard + portable.

As a weakling who can’t do anything but type, I’ve actually always wanted to use an iPad as a typewriter. The touchscreen is fine, but it’s just too much effort, and not having a physical keyboard always feels like something’s missing. So one day, while wandering around Tmall, I saw a Logitech Bluetooth iPad keyboard for 200-something yuan, down from an original price of 600-something, and bought it on the spot. After getting the keyboard, I immediately paired it with my iPad, of course over Bluetooth. The iPad paired with it easily, and after pairing once, all you need to do is flip the switch to use it again.

Plenty of people told me I was loaded for buying this thing. I looked at the negative balance on my credit card and smiled without saying a word. Us poor bastards always pay for what we buy — some sell the kidney they’ve got now, some sell the kidney they’ll have in the future. The difference is the first one’s gone for good, the second at least has a chance of being bought back. Walking the line between selling a kidney and selling myself, I keep buying the things I want one after another. Looking at the E505, S703, and S754 I’ve used before, I get the feeling I’m deeply hooked on Sony — to the point where if you sit me down with one of those fruit-brand players I just can’t adjust. Too flat. I’ve already been trained into a heavy taste.