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Monthly Archives: October 2012

New iPad mini

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Today, Apple announced a refresh of four different products and introduced a new one. The refreshes include the much faster iPad 4 (called “iPad with Retina Display), a new faster, lighter and thinner iMac, a new faster Mac mini and a new 13 inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. In this article we will discuss the new product, the iPad mini. First, we’ll start with the name.

Name

The name of the new product is indeed the iPad mini which, to me, is not the best they could have used. The iPad “mini” is not all that mini in comparison to the iPad. It is still over 75% the size of the iPad. I believe that a better name for it would have been the iPad Air, but oh well it is Apple, and Apple isn’t the best at naming things (just look at the iPad 4, it’s called the iPad with Retina Display”, um, we already knew it had a Retina Display).

Price and Storage

The iPad mini has been criticized for it’s higher price point for a 7 inch-ish tablet. The Google Nexus 7 for example is $199 (granted it is less featured than the iPad mini), the Fire starts at $159 (again with the less featured part), the 16 GB low end iPad mini starts at $329. That is a difference of $170 from the Fire, more than the price of the Fire itself. The price points of the iPad mini are as follows: 16 GB mini: $329, 32 GB mini: $429 and the 64 GB is $529. These points are expensive but in the next paragraphs, I’ll show you why, despite the price, the iPad mini is the one you will want to buy.

Design

The iPad mini comes with the best design in a tablet. The iPad mini has a stunning 7.9 inch display (just slightly off from everyone’s 7.8 inch guess) and features in 2 color choices, White and Silver and Black and Slate. It is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the full iPad. It is 7.2 mm and 0.68 pounds, which is the thinnest and lightest iPad shipped yet (of course granted, it is a mini iPad so one would assume this to be the case). The battery is a single cell battery that fits in less space but provides the same power. The cameras are smaller but yet still takes the same 5 MP pictures as the iPad. The iPad has the same resolution as the iPad 2, in a smaller size of course, which makes it a better display than the iPad 2. It also has 35% more space on it than a 7 inch tablet, therefore everything is easier to read and yet it still provides a smaller profile. The distance between the screen and the edges is also thinner providing a more prominent display. The casing is an aluminum unibody providing a light, smooth feel. The design of this iPad is some of the best design work yet from Apple, and that’s saying something!

Processor

The iPad mini will have the A5 chip, the same one put into the iPad 2. The iPad 2 is a very strong and fast tablet that retains battery life like the sun retains light, it never dies. The specs of the A5 are some that we are familiar with and I am slightly disappointed they didn’t put something with a bit more power but with that said, the A5 is still very powerful.

Display

The screen is 7.9 inches and is not Retina Display. Despite that, the iPad mini does have more pixels per inch than the iPad 2 (iPad 2 has 132 ppi and the iPad mini has 163 ppi) and let’s not forget it is smaller than the iPad 2 so the screen definitely isn’t shabby.

Camara

It has a 1.2 MP camera in the front and is capable of 720p video on the front camera. The camera of course is the FaceTime camera and it will be even better than ever. It has face detection. The iSight camera on the back has 5MP and has autofocus, face detection, five-element lenses and a Hybrid IR filter. All these features add to the betterment of the camera. It is also capable of filming 1080p video, helping Apple destroy the consumer camera industry. It has video stabilization and face detection technologies. The camera is again the same as the one on the iPad, even though the mini is thinner, lighter and more portable.

Lightning Port

As with all devices that Apple sells now (including the iPad), it has the new thinner, lighter Lightning connector. People are complaining about the connector because their accessories won’t work with any future Apple products they buy. Of course, they can buy an adapter but as time moves on they can buy updated accessories. If you bought it from Costco, you can return it at any time and get a new one. There are ways you can avoid paying for Apple’s connector change. The new devices are thinner and lighter partly due to the new connector. Also, the connector is faster at charging the 10 hour battery.

4G and LTE

One of the best things Apple did with the iPad mini is make it available for 4G and LTE instead of settling for 3G. It also has the Nano-SIM card instead of the bigger Micro-SIM card.

Siri

Apple is continuing the “all devices will have Siri” tradition it started after iOS 6 gave the iPad and the iPod touch Siri. Siri is your personal assistant, capable of providing you information, make messages, set reminders, do web searches, check weather and much more.

Conclusion

The iPad mini is Apple’s solution to take the 7 inch tablet industry. It may be a bit more expensive than other 7 inch tablets, but it’s beautiful slightly-bigger-than-7-inch screen, camera, iOS 6, Siri, LTE availability, beautiful, not to be matched design, lightweight and thin profile, lightning port and powerful processor will allow Apple to be a very well developed and powerful competitor against other 7-inch tablet makers such as Google and Amazon. Only time will tell how much Apple can take from them.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

Image courtesy: www.apple.com/ipad-mini/overview/

iPad (mini): What to expect

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After Apple has all but announced that they are holding an event on October 23rd, rumors around the internet went crazy about a new iPad mini. I for one happen to disagree about an opinion made apparent by Dillon a few months ago about the iPad mini. He disagreed so much with the idea that he even sent an email to Tim Cook. I am not as quick to jump the gun and send Cook an email. It is my opinion that Apple should enter the 7 inch tablet market because it would allow it to enter another market it could easily succeed at. After all, many Android tablets are 7 inch tablets so it would help Apple take over the industry further. With all that said, what will Apple include in the iPad mini anyways? Let’s find out.

Name

Just what will this device be called? So far, it’s been called the new iPad mini, iPad mini, iPod touch pro, mini iPad, iPad air just to name a few with the first one being the one most people agree with. It will probably be called the iPad mini but hey we were all wrong when we said “the new iPad” would be called the iPad 3. We’ll just have to see.

Screen

While I stated that the new iPad mini will be 7 inches, I am slightly off. It is believed that the new iPad mini will actually be 7.85 inches, closer to 8 than 7 actually, but still smaller than the almost 10 inch iPad. I feel that the screen size is a compromise between now-deceased Jobs and the other execs. At first, Steve Jobs completely denounced the idea but it was revealed that in an early 2011 email from Eddie Cue, that Jobs became more and more interested and open to the idea. I believe that he ultimately fought the idea of the 7 inch tablet so they compromised to a slightly bigger 7.85 inch. Of course, that may not be what happened, but it isn’t unlikely. It is also not believed that the new iPad mini will have a Retina Display since Apple still needs to keep it’s famously high margins.

Lightning

I believe that Apple will never introduce a product with a 30-pin dock connector again. I believe this to be the case because once Apple drops something, its never brought back again. Therefore, one must conclude that the new iPad mini will have the new smaller, lighter Lightning connector. This is a good thing because unlike current iPhone users who have accessories with their iPhones that need an adapter, no accessories will need an adapter for the iPad mini, because there aren’t any to begin with! It’s a new, unreleased design. I’m glad I won’t need the adapter should I buy the iPad mini.

Design

The design will be very similar, if not identical to that of the iPad. There will be a few changes, such as the most apparent one, the screen size! Also, it will be lighter and thinner than the regular iPad. There is even speculation that it will be multi-colored like the new colored iPod touch that definitely would add a “fun” element to the device but let’s remember there are a lot of people who aren’t kids who use the iPad. A lawyer with a baby blue iPad just doesn’t seem right. Of course should they offer color, it wouldn’t matter anyways since they would offer the bland white and black one, so it actually isn’t a bad idea. A kid can have a blue iPad and a lawyer can have a blander white iPad, unless of course the lawyer wants the blue iPad, it’s his choice after all.

Processor

What power could this new device possess? The current iPad runs on a A5X chip and I think it will run on the same chip as we move to next March where the iPad will sport the A6 chip that is now only on the iPhone. Both the A5X and the A6 chips are incredible. The A5X chip provides great graphics and the A6 provides insanely great graphics. The A6 on the iPhone 5 is the most powerful processor they have shipped and it makes the graphics look stunning. They did an amazing job with both chips.

Camera

I believe that, like the iPhone, iPad, and the iPod touch that Apple will put a front facing FaceTime camera and a back facing camera on the new iPad mini. I believe that the new mini will sport a 4-5 MP camera, similar to that of the one in the iPad now. Of course, it is possible that it may only have a FaceTime camera or no camera at all with the latter of the two choices more likely since Apple’s gotta place a difference between the iPad and the mini.

Storage and Pricing

In order for Apple to keep profitable margins, they may need to move back a space. They may need to go to 8, 16 and maybe a high end 32 GB model. It’s been said that the 16 GB would cost $299 and the 32 GB would be $399, the price of the to-be-discontinued iPad 2. The 8 GB model would probably be at $249, but it remains to be seen what the pricing will be. They could of course pull a MBA vs. MBP, making the iPad mini close in price to the iPad now, just appealing to different markets. The MacBook Airs and Pros are priced fairly close together, especially the lower-end models. For instance, both the low end 13 inch MBA and MBP cost the same, they just appeal to different people, Air for consumer and Pro to Professionals or people who need more power. It would be the mini for the consumer and the iPad for the person who can afford the little bit more money for more features, a person who would need those features and be able to afford them. I am very interested to see how exactly Apple prices this thing.

3G/4G service?

I think that Apple will probably only ship the iPad mini with wifi as to keep the prices down. Of course, it is possible that it will have 3G/4G but Apple’s gotta make a profit so they probably will not.

Who will this appeal to?

I think the iPad mini will appeal to people will can’t quite afford an iPad but want an iPad. People are strapped on cash and how perfect it is for Apple to release a more affordable iPad right before the holiday season. There are a few groups of people that it will particular appeal to when buying in mass. Businesses will buy it because of it’s cheaper price from the iPad. The iPad may finally get it’s biggest break in education yet. Many schools around the country use iPads and now with the mini, more and more school districts will be able to afford to get iPads into classrooms.

Conclusion

The new iPad mini has been speculated and debated about for some time now and it appears to be around the bend. With a 7.85 inch screen, lower price, hopefully colored chassis, thin body, Lightning connector, fast A5X processor, acceptance by more educational facilities, the new iPad mini will be an exciting new addition to the iPad family and I can’t wait to see it in person come a few months.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

October 5, 2012

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Today, we remember the life of a great man. This day one year ago, Steve Jobs, Co-founder, CEO and Chairman of Apple died. Steve was a man who did amazing things. He was the great innovator of our time, the Edison, the Tesla, the Franklin. His life was all about perfection but he did not lead a perfect life. While he did build and then rebuild the planet’s most valuable company in history, he did have some downfalls in his less public life. Decisions he made in his life were detrimental to some and hurtful to many, such as him shutting out his daughter or being a jerk to people he knew. He deceived, lied and whether I like to admit it or not, stole ideas. This goes without saying however that Steve wasn’t perfect but then again none of us are. We all exceed at something. Steve found what he was good at and exceeded in it. Most people, lucky people, find what they are passionate about and pursue it. He did just that. His pitfalls were surpassed by his ability to innovate and his life, his history shows that anyone, even a college dropout with a passion for something they love, can change the world. His philosophy, what he told people about life, to me, was inspiring. He told us to find something we are passionate about and never give up on it. He told us to explore until we have found our true passion. He told us to keep thinking outside the box and to think different. He told us that we should mold our life instead of just living in it. He told us these things in the hope that we would listen. I hope that you join me in that listening. Steve Jobs had some incredible things to say. Steve led his life through merits and ideals that we all could learn from. Of course, we must remember him by the products he left us. The Mac changed the way people use their computers, instead of being stuck in Orwell’s “1984”, we had just plain, old 1984. The iPod and iTunes has forever changed the music industry, no matter what happens to the industry itself. The iPhone changed the way we talk to each other and Steve once lived in the period of the Jetson’s and some of what he saw in that cartoon, he created for real people to use. The iPad has completely revolutionized the computer industry, making us more mobile in what we do. Desktop and Laptop sales has plummeted since the introduction of the iPad. All of that and his legacy burned into Apple like a brand on cattle. His legacy will ensure that Apple will continue to make insanely great products.

Apple has had a mixed year. The good being the iPhone 4S (granted it was introduced on October 4th, but still it was introduced under Cook), the new iPad, Mountain Lion, new MacBook lineup, quickly getting rid of things that didn’t work (Olympics commercials), the $1 billion+ win over Samsung and the new iPhone and stunning iPod lineup. They didn’t do so well on Apple Maps and iOS 6 in general, but all of the problems of iOS 6 are gradually being fixed such as Apple Maps’ improved accuracy. Of course what does raise a bit of concern for me is the fact that under Steve Jobs, iOS 6 would never have been released. It would have been delayed for as long as needed to fix the problem. Of course, it isn’t for certain that Apple knew about the problems of Apple Maps, but it is most likely. Also, I mentioned this before but I will do so again, Quarter 3 financial results weren’t up to expectations. Apple did disappoint that quarter a bit, but I believe that it was because it was an “in-between” quarter, a quarter in between major product releases such as the iPhone and iPad. Apple did introduce new Macs that quarter and granted they did sell four million of them that quarter. Also, Mac sales are increasing all the time while PC sales are declining, slowly but surely, Apple will gain market share. Despite the negative things that happened this year related to Apple, I believe that Apple is still going strong, they have just had a few speed bumps along the way. After all, it wasn’t under Jobs that Apple became the most valuable company in history, it was under Cook. Apple is only continuing to grow. They have the new iPad mini coming out soon, new MacBook Pro Retina 13 inches, a TV possibly on the way and God knows what else. Only Apple knows what Apple knows. The continuation of the success of Apple is the people at Apple’s way of celebrating Steve’s life, to celebrate his work is to celebrate the man. Steve Jobs, thank you for touching my life, for changing my life and many people around the world’s lives as well. You changed the world and the legacy you left behind will continue to change it. Continue to rest in peace Steven Paul Jobs. Thanks again.

Thanks for reading,

Joe