iPad + Cursor: the 2026 setup guide
I spent 90 days trying to make the iPad Pro (M4, 11") my only computer. Not because Apple wants me to — because I got tired of deciding between the laptop bag and the tablet bag when I left the house. Here's what actually worked, what didn't, and the specific toolchain I use now.
The premise
Modern web-based dev tools have caught up to the point where you don't need a local IDE. Cursor runs in the browser. ChatGPT and Claude run in the browser. Figma, Notion, GitHub, Linear — all browser. The only things that don't run in a browser are (a) local Docker containers, (b) a Node process, and (c) a terminal that isn't reset every 20 minutes by iOS's memory pressure.
So the actual problem to solve is: how do I get a persistent Linux environment behind my browser without buying a MacBook to carry alongside the iPad.
What didn't work
- iSH / a-Shell. Fine for `sed` and `curl`. Not fine for running Node LTS or a Postgres instance. Stops when you background the app.
- Blink Shell + Mosh into a Raspberry Pi at home. Works, but you're now managing a Raspberry Pi, and if your home internet blips during a build you lose your session state.
- Blink Shell + Mosh into AWS EC2. Works well; costs ~$40/mo for anything with real RAM, and you're still on a text-only terminal — no browser tabs inside the remote session means you can't run Cursor's browser UI cleanly.
What actually worked
A full remote Linux desktop, streamed to Safari. Not a terminal — a real GNOME session. Chrome runs inside it. Cursor runs inside Chrome inside it. My AI subscriptions log in there and stay logged in. The iPad becomes what it was always meant to be: a beautiful, silent, warm-lap screen.
The setup I settled on:
- Remote desktop: Techtonix Cloud (Pro plan, 16 GB RAM). Ubuntu 24.04, streams over WebRTC at 60fps.
- Browser: Chrome. Cursor as a web app. Claude and ChatGPT in adjacent tabs.
- Terminal: GNOME Terminal + tmux. Because it's Linux, tmux sessions persist through disconnects — this is the killer feature over a plain SSH client.
- Docker: Docker Engine (not Desktop) installed directly on the VM. Same commands you'd run locally.
- Sync: git for source, Dropbox for reference docs, GitHub Codespaces API for occasional heavy builds.
The daily flow
Wake up. Open Safari. Tap the Techtonix Cloud bookmark. Full desktop is up in ~2 seconds. Cursor is where I left it. If I had a build running when I closed the tab last night, it's done and the log is there. Nothing to reboot, nothing to reinstall.
The physical iPad works as an iPad — Slack, mail, YouTube picture-in-picture — and Safari holds the desktop in a separate tab. Split View works, so I can have desktop + iOS Notes side by side.
The one thing that doesn't work
Video calls. You can do a Zoom call inside the remote desktop, but the camera / mic have to route through the streaming pipeline and there's ~250ms of extra latency. Everyone sounds like they're on Mars. Solution: I take Zoom calls in the native iOS Zoom app on the iPad, in Split View next to the desktop. Best of both.
The math
MacBook Air M3 (16 GB / 512 GB): $1,499 + ~$40/yr AppleCare renewals. Amortized over 3 years: ~$45/mo, plus another laptop bag on every trip.
iPad I already own + Techtonix Cloud Pro: $39/mo. No laptop bag. No fan noise. Works from any screen if the iPad's dead — hotel TV, Chromebook, my mom's PC.
Break-even happens at month 30 in favour of the cloud PC, but the real value isn't cost — it's mobility. If you own an iPad and pay for Cursor / ChatGPT / Claude anyway, you're already paying for the software half. All you're missing is the machine that runs it, and that machine has no business being physical.
Try it
Techtonix Cloud is what I use. Ubuntu-only for now, one-month minimum, cancel from the dashboard with one click if it doesn't work for you.