iPad3, It’s Getting My Attention

my first iPod is 3rd gen.
my first iPhone is 3rd gen.
my first iPod nano is 3rd gen.

do you see the pattern here?

Apple is at the cusp of releasing their 3rd generation iPad, and it’s getting my attention.  IF the rule of "3rd gen" prevails the iPad3 will prove to be a device worth the wait.

so far the only rumors circling the blogo-sphere is that the iPad3 will have the A5X processor, and retina display. i’m surprised that no mention of increase storage has been projected; perhaps a boost from 64GB to 128GB - which would be the ultimate deal-breaker for me.

3rd Gen, More Coincidental Than A Rule

one comment i need to make regarding 3rd gen Apple mobile devices which makes it more coincidental rather than a rule.  in all cases the deciding factor has come down this one thing - storage.  if you haven’t notice i delay buying each of these device families until one was released with the amount of storage i felt would satisfy my needs.

increased gigabytes is indicative of so much more than just storage, but all the hardware that would have to be present in order to support managing it all.

working in a high tech environment you learn things like that. when a new product that boast 2x or 4x the amount of cache memory, it’s usually complimented with increased processing power to manage it all without performance loss.

3, The Magic Number

3 is the magic number designating the generation of each Apple devices that i own.  why is this so special?  it’s probably more coincidental than anything else, but when i look deeply into it waiting for the 3rd generation of Apple products have benefited me with the most feature rich products, and future-proofing - that is to say the longest lasting, most used devices.

i have outlined three particular Apples products that i own.  my thinking behind waiting for the 3rd gen, and how proceeding generations in my mind wasn’t worth the immediate upgrade.

B.ll Sh.t Apple Predictions: MacBook Air

i had a very spirited conversation with my best friend about what may be expected from the upcoming Apple event. specifically what may become of the MacBook Air (MBA) product if Steve Jobs announces a new one.

my b.ll sh.t prediction is that the Apple will forgo using Intel chips and start using the Apple A4 processor. same one found in current iPad product. in addition to that making the MBA the first Apple laptop to run iOS. this to me this makes perfect sense on so may levels.

first of all, the potential to continuously promote their Apple A4 processor. the A4 is already found in the iPhone, iTouch, iPad, and now the new Apple TV. with respect to the MBA: just think of the iPad with a hardwire keyboard in a clamshell design. no more having to buy custom Intel Core 2 Duo chips. in fact all Apple would have to do is just redesign the logic board from the iPad to fit into MBA.

second of all, why the iOS?. the next MBA is reported to have a reduction of the screen size down to 11.6 inches. just shy of the size of the iPad. why is that significant? cause Apple doesn't see their Mac OS in it's native form as a one-size-fits-all solution for all their products. continuing to use the Mac OS was important to the iPhone, but it needed to be scaled down to fit on a device with limited storage. in addition to that it needed to have the UI redesigned in order to be accommodated on a 4 inch screen while supporting the fingers and thumbs as the primary input devices. and even though the iPad's screen is substantially larger than the iPhone's, iOS continues to work well on it while allowing Apple to expand their micro OS's potential. in addition to that opening up the App Store to another product.

lets presume that the upcoming MBA doesn't have a touch screen like the iPad. how would a user interface with it using iOS 4? one basic interaction would be with the track pad. with the established hand gestures already found on the MacBook/MBPro, a user could use those same gestures to swipe from one desktop page to the next, bring up the multitask bar, or pinch & zoom. basic functions. nothing too special. of course it would just be cooler if the MBA did have a touch screen.

in terms of the kinds of 3rd party apps that would run on it, i would imagine that developers would have to include additional support for the MBA on their already existing apps. or, perhaps, develop unique apps just for the MBA just as there are unique apps for the iPad in the App store.

speaking of the App Store, this opens it up to a new device, and gives the developers something exciting and unique to develop for. especially when developers could offers their wares for free courtesy of Apple's iAd service - another service that benefits Apple's bottom line

with WiFi connectivity to be expected, the MBA could be the first MacBook to have a 3G wireless subscription service (a la AT&T) just like the iPad. if the MBA includes a front-facing camera, think about the iPhone's Face Time on it.

now let take this a step further. what if this prediction the MBA becomes true? the way i see it Apple may use the MBA as an experiment to see how well the masses respond to the iOS on Mac hardware. let's assume users love this idea, and the iOS UI becomes more liked than the current Mac OS UI. it would seem to me that Apple may one day release a Mac OS resembling that of the iOS.

of course i'm just talking unpredictable b.ll sh.t here. when it comes to predicting what Apple may release, i'm so far off. still, fun to think about it.

peace,
@riel

Why I won't be buying an iPad... any time soon.

this blog post is way over due, and the subject matter outdated, but in an effort to get back to writing i decided to go ahead publish my thoughts about Apple's new iPad, and why i'm not getting one. simply put i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. i can't even find a way to shoe-horn this thing into it either. but that's a personal matter.

still i can't help but wonder what Apple was thinking when they decided to release this product. they touted it as a universal device best suited for eBook reading, Internet surfing, gaming. and so forth. but when i think deeper into it, it seems to fail in comparison to devices that are designed specifically to address these areas of digital life. Apple uses words like "magical", "wonderful", and "boom!" to describe how awesome the iPad is. however during the introduction event of he iPad I could not help but wonder if anyone in the audience was actually impressed let alone marveled. after all it turned out to be a larger iPod Touch. and despite the mediocre functions of the iPad it has gone to sell millions worldwide. my curiosity can only assume those who have bought it have a far better or unique use for it than the average user.

here are some of the applications the iPad address and the reasons i feel they don't.

Reason 1, eBook reader:
one of the selling points of apple's iPad is that it servers as an eBook reader. however when i think of the ideal eBook reader the Amazon Kindle comes to mind. it's a thin device weighing in the ounces. it's large enough to accommodate the text of a typical book. it's black and white like most printed pages. it's ambient reflective background simulate as close to paper as much as possible so it's easy on the eyes thanks to it's E-Ink technology. and as a big bonus it's so good on the battery that a single charge can last it up too 300 hours.

the iPad fails in every aspect listed above. it weighs in at 1.6 pounds. and though that may not seem much, after 20 minutes it does start to put a strain on the wrist when maintaining it upright. the screen size as adequate for accommodating text of a typical book, but the LCD screen couple with a LED backlight can cause a bit of strain the eyes. lastly because the iPad is not a dedicated eBook reader but rather a general purpose device with a function to display eBooks, battery life is terrible; only 10 hours before it needs a charge.

best use of the iPad as an ebook reader is short term; perhaps 20 minutes at most. most avid readers (at least the ones i know personally) typically spend an hour reading text.

Reason 2, gaming platform:
the Nintendo gameboy, Sony PSP, hell, even the iPhone (to some extent) are typically the devices that avid gamers prefer when it comes to portable games. they are light weight, fast, contains an extensive library of games, and with exception to the iPhone, are equip with physical controllers that help add to the sensation of the game's experience.

games are being published for IPad. most of them were originally made for the iPhone/iTouch that have been adapted for a bigger screen. the problem is trying to handle the iPad while playing some of these games. i'm not entirely sure what kinds of games are being sold that would be best for the iPad, but i can't imaging that the arcade crowd is jumping on this. i downloaded Street Fighter IV on my iPhone, and though i hate the fact the 20% of my screen is taken up by my thumbs, I continue to enjoy it. to play this game on an iPad would seem clumsy considering the dimensions of this device. on top of that there's the reoccurring issue with the weight previously mentioned.

then only kinds of games that i can see passable on this platform are board games, and some puzzle games that may not required the iPad to be held up-right. in fact the one genre of games that would be quite impressive are the strategy role-playing games such as Final Fantasy, or even better World-of-Warcraft. you wouldn't need to hold the iPad upright; just lay it down on the table and use the the multi-touch feature to play the game.

Reason 3, portability/versatility:
it's portability becomes an issue with me as it's not as small to fit into my pocket like the iPhone, and not as versatile as a notebook.

let say i'm in some coffee shop (i know, it's always some trendy coffee shop) i can't whip out my iPad and start surfing the web with one hand while drinking my caramel latte (mmmmm, caramel ) with the other. nope, I'll stick to my iPhone, thanks.

let say i'm working on a blog post. to type on an iPad would require me to position it at a slight angle just to type. with the virtual keyboard and the screen on the same plane one of two things suffers: 1) your wrist due to the weird angle, or 2) your eye sight from the glare off the glass. it may be possible to suffer both. one solution is use a Bluetooth keyboard.... screw that! just use a laptop. at the very least the screen won't need to be held up with you hands.

Reason 4, an internet device:
this is by far the the most impractical reason. when is comes to the internet it only comes in two sizes; large (rather the full rendered web page) and small (the mobile version of the large size). that's what makes the notebook and mobile phone devices perfectly suited for this task. on top of that to sit and hold onto the iPad to read a web page... well see Reason 1 and 3. in contrast the iPhone (despite its screen size) can be palmed, and though navigating a web page with a thumb does require some practice, at least it's completely efficient.

Is there anything the iPad is good for?
the iPad suffers the same problem as most tablet computing devices; it's a niche device. however, I do believe the iPad can serve several functions. consider the following:
Any job that utilizes a clipboard:
take as an example a hospital setting where the ipad can be used in place of paper medical charts. the doctor walks into a room and the patient's charts appear instantly on the device.

Visual creation:

an electronic easel is an ideally suited application for the iPad. i've seen video of artists draw incredible works of art right on the iPad. very impressive.

Music creation:

people talented in the ways of music have used the iPad as an electronic instrument, part of their DJ'ing equipment, mixer. i mean there's all kinds app out their to help make music.

in an effort to live my life with the least amount of hypocrisy i will say this: i will not discount the possibility of owning iPad completely. as i've said before i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. after all despite the stated reasons, it is a pretty neat device, but completely useless to me at this time.

peace,
@riel