Steve Jobs/Apple is NOT My Friend...

*WALL OF TEXT INC!!*

So much to be said in so little time (and Blog SPACE!), so I will try to not ramble on and on about my iPad expectations because I know not everyone cares, but this is my Blog and I can do whatever I like! Unless KY decides to omit some details because well she has the right!! (; _ ;) *sad face* I know I am not all that powerful as one would like to be...Therefore I will try to keep this to a minimum and open up the floor for others to comment and give me their thoughts and opinions!

So I've come to the sad conclusion I should stop getting on the band wagon, hyping myself up for new products, and looking forward to something that usually ends up as a disappointment...What am I talking about you ask? Well recently or rather just a few hours ago, I was slightly crushed by the announcement of the iPad.

January 27, 2010

Unveiling of the iPad

Bridging the GAP between Laptop and Tablet PC

The fateful day Steve Jobs has yet again crushed me with his new glamorous item that was hyped up beyond recognition.

The world awaited as Steve Jobs stepped up to the spotlight to reveal Apple's new product the iPad. It is a tablet based item that enables you to surf the internet, watch movies, play games, install applications, and read e-books. Which essentially if you really think about it is an oversized iPod Touch (which apparently is going to be launched in March for the Wi-Fi version, and a month or so later for the installment of the 3G version). It runs off the same system or OS as the iPhones (WHOA REVOLUTIONARY TACTIC GUYS), and this was a decision based on battery life and ease of use. Now personally I would have been more impressed if they had installed the Mac OSX, which is an awesome OS in comparison and perhaps (some may argue with me here) less buggy than the iPhone platform. Like I say to a lot of people, I am neither a patron of Microsoft nor Apple, if I had the choice I would just stick with Linux for all I care, but unfortunately a lot of the games I play are catered towards Windows hence I just go with it and have a Windows based computer. Although I do admit to the superior grpahic designing software available upon Apple my thin wallet does not cater me towards the Apple products. It is far cheaper to built one's computer off old parts, and junk @ Akihabara (yeah GEEKS!!).

Ok getting back to the topic, the slight disappointed I had with the iPad besides from the OS was the fact it was shown simply as an oversized iPod Touch. In all reality Steve Jobs does a good job of selling a product, but even his show was not enough to impress me all that much with the glamor iPad had to offer.

I was not completely sold...I'm sure a lot of people are as disappointed as I was, but again this is just me saying not really sure that the $499 price tag will be enough to convince me to purchase the item when it comes out. The iPhone was a revolutionary phone in its time that catered for the people with attractive qualities, the glitz and glam as to say, but overall while living in Japan I noticed a lot of inconsistencies and uselessness that could only be said for different consumers in this country. First the phone bill is ridiculously high. I for one do not intend to pay over $30 per month on my phone, but with the iPhone you will easily go over that with use of internet, mail, etc. Even with the package that includes free use of the net, one can argue, $70+ per month on a phone is ridiculous for every day use. Now if we move that onto the iPad...although AT&T will cater the iPad with a $30 3G package, I highly doubt that the Japanese market can come up with such low prices, since the iPhone itself comes with a hefty price tag of $46 in official up keep of the phone. I also doubt that Japan will come out with the iPad in time with the March release...I look forward to their ridiculous pricing scheme as Wi-Fi is not readily used outside of the home in Tokyo area. I do miss those days when Wi-Fi could be used in Starbucks all over the US. For a technologically advanced country we lack the generousity of "FREE INTERNET" in local areas. We do have wonderful Internet Cafe's which lets you in for a really cheap price ($3+ per 15 minutes also really not that cheap considering...), over all not sure how Japan will adapt with the whole iPad concept.

The iPad goes further with the whole thing by not installing a camera...perhaps not a bad move, as I would totally be sketched out at a person aiming such a huge material at anything. Just imagine someone aiming the iPad (assuming it is like notebook size) at you to take a picture. Why would anyone invest in a camera that size? Probably a smart move on Apple's part to just go with an attachment camera that hooks up directly with the iPad in order to see the pictures as an album?

I will admit with the fact this is probably the cheapest Apple has produced for something they made. The notebooks are way out of league for most struggling artists, and too much to pay for someone who can buy a cheap Windows based computer for college. Apple PC's are catering more to the sophisticated crowd who own it as a status symbol. With the appearance of the iPhone, Steve Jobs and Apple made it a more commercial name that was used all over the world to a closer degree than their PC's. Now with the iPad we can sort of use a system that is inbetween the PC and the iPhone/iPod Touch. I guess with the Tablet they are trying harder to make it a Household name, in which everyone can be familiar with. Someone once compared Windows with a Dog and Apple with a Cat. A Dog will wag its tail for everyone, but a Cat will be picky about who they seek admiration from. With the iPad, maybe they are trying to be more like a Dog...to cater to the masses.

So far I'm not too impressed with the way Apple is producing. I might be more tempted to just go with the Nook or Kindle. Then again I probably won't since I am archaic and rather read books on paper. I still like the smell of old books, the crisp new pages that flip under my fingers, and the thrill I get from holding a hardcover book on my couch on lazy afternoons.

I think I'll wait a few months until Apple works out all the kinks in the iPad when it releases in March. Perhaps see if anyone I know owns it and ask to play with it a little....


*please note this is my personaly opinion laced with information that I read and watched online. If you don't agree with my views I welcome your thoughts and comments. I just wanted to put my views out there, well perhaps they might put it into consideration as I know corporations monitor any entries online about their new products and such (><)b*aw yeah*

*EDIT ADDITIONAL NOTE: Apparently the iPad has a battery life of 10 hours...I am assuming this is just Vanilla iPad with just minimal use, much like iPhone on idle?! 10 hours is impressive, but honestly I expect more, since the iPhone technically built to withstand 16hours, and with today’s flights you need more than 10 hours. Definitely need 12 hours for a good one way trip. I mean with all the applications I am sort of thinking the run time on the battery is about 75% or less because you will use up more batteries as you use more applications or run programs and watch movies what not. If you solely use it as a e-book reader perhaps 10 hours?

Also I would really appreciate them to perhaps consider a LAN connection with the iPad like I said above, not all countries are Wi-Fi friendly. It would also be a good thing since we can more or less use a LAN connection in more areas, and a little more reliable than the Wi-Fi systems. The iPhone although impressive is not very good with Wi-Fi solid connections. It gets dropped faster when you are just a bit far from the Wi-Fi point. Perhaps an increase in strength of the Wi-Fi would be nice. Blue tooth is always there but again is it a necessity for an iPad?! Another few things I ponder about when I think on it....

xoxo

Luci

A Selection from YAHOO! on what Apple failed to deliver...interesting (. _ .) *//stare*

1. No 3G Support for Verizon - not so relevant as I live in Japan atm...
2. No jaw-dropping new user interface - no surprises there
3. No built-in camera - scroll up! for my comments on this
4. No Flash support - slightly irritated at this and also the whole concept of NO LAN capability slightly worrisome...
5. No user-replaceable battery - not that we have that in any other Apple Product...
6. No TV Subscription - would be more sufficient but I guess the iTunes is supposed to make up for it?
7. No iPhone software 4.0 announcement - interesting since the iPhone has been on 3.x for ages

You can see YAHOO!'s comment in the link if you prefer theirs over mine. ENJOY!