The Post PC World: The Best and Worst of "The New iPad"

The New iPad...

Yesterday at 1:00 pm eastern time Apple introduced "the new iPad". For the most part the iPad's reception has been favorable. Donald Bell, from CNET is absolutely enthralled with the new Retina display.Charles Cooper, again from CNET says "nobody cares what we didn't get". I happen to agree, although there is a part of me that wants to call "the new iPad" the "iPad 2S". Overall, what we received from Apple is pretty much what was rumored - see my recent post to compare the rumors to reality. But now that its here let's take a look at the machine.

What We Did Get

During the Keynote address Apple's CEO Tim Cook made it a point to differentiate the PC-World from the Post PC-World. Apple claims to be leading the Post PC-Revolution with its new iPad; although I am skeptical of the claim the the PC is no longer the center of the digital world and just another device - there are things iPad cannot do that I use my PC for everyday. So how well does the new iPad perform in a Post PC-Universe? Pretty damn good! See the brief video below for the big announcement.

The first thing Apple revealed was its new - and amazing - Retina display! The standard HDTV has a resolution of 1920x1080 or about 2 million pixels. The new iPad has a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels or over 3.1 million pixels! I have not seen the display yet, of course; the release data is not until March 16, 2012. But with that number of pixels on a 9.7 inch screen it has to be fantastic! I am going to buy the machine just for this display, which truly is revolutionary. The display alone is a huge upgrade from iPad 2 or any other tablet on the market. See the video from Apple to see the technology behind the Retina. 

We also received a more powerful processor with the A5X chip, which has quad-core graphics capability. I am not sure how fast the A5X chis is, although I have a hunch that it's still 1GHZ. I am also pretty sure that the new iPad has the same 512MB of RAM that the iPad 2 has. Nevertheless, quad-core graphics is a nice improvement.

Another new feature, which I though was odd given iPhone 4S, is the 5MP iSight camera with 1080p recording. It uses the same optical system as the iPhone 4S, yet it is 3MP less. It has image stabilization, records in 30fps, and has a 5x digital zoom. Not bad for a tablet camera!

The final new piece of hardware is the 4G LTE and 3G-World capabilities (which I did not mention in my last post). This is a really exciting feature if you want to spend an extra $129.00 for the device and spend another $30.00 a month for the 3GB a month data service from AT&T or $30.00 a month for 2GB of data from Verizon. No thanks, I'll stick with Wi-Fi :) (Do you see why I could care less about this feature coming to the iPad? I pay enough for my freaking iPhone data plan as it is.) Although I am impressed that Apple was able to keep the same battery life with the addition of next generation broadband cellular.

We also received a new microphone with the new iPad along with voice dictation (this will be amazing, if it works - is you watched the Keynote, you may have noticed there was no on stage demo like there was with Siri, this could mean the technology isn't as reliable). 

Apple also released a bunch of new Apps for the iPad, which I am not going to reiterate here. The bottom line is simple: if you have been waiting to buy one, now is the time; if you already have one it might not be enough to spend another $499.99 in less than two years (or one year is you have the iPad 2). 

Even though the new iPad is a revolutionary device at the same remarkable price point, there are a few things missing.

What We Did Not Get and Should We Care?

The first thing that struck me was no Siri! When Philip Schiller announced the new voice dictation feature, I was positive that the next words out of his mouth were going to introduce Siri for the iPad... that didn't happen. However, with the microphone and the hardware specs I think that Siri is on its way to the iPad. This summer Apple is likely to introduce the next generation iPhone and with iOS6. I think there is a pretty good shot that Siri comes to iPad at this time. Thus, I am not too disappointed that Siri wasn't offered with the new iPad... just yet.

I was, however, disappointed that the device - outside of the display - was not more powerful overall. I was hoping for 1GB of RAM and a more powerful processor, even if it wan't quad-core. Yes, I know that the graphics chip is quad-core - that's awesome! But I have a feeling the processor is still 1GHZ (this spec is not yet mentioned here on Apple.com). But, in the end, I don't think this matters for the new device. The iPad 2 is mega fast and I am sure the new iPad will be as well. 

The 5MP camera is a let down. The iPhone 4S has a better camera than the new iPad! However, I don't really plan on taking my photos with my iPad (I am sure many people agree with me); in fact my phone is really my first option when I am out and about and want to capture video and pictures. Moreover, with iCloud I can take my pictures and video with my phone and edit them on my gorgeous Retina iPad display. Thus, the fact that the new camera is better is enough for me. It still seems weird though that they couldn't just place the iPhone tech in the iPad? But what do I know, I am not one of their engineers... We also didn't get an improved front-facing camera - it remains the 0.3MP VGA quality - but really this is only used for Face-Time and who needs to look at my face in high resolution!

Of course, being the geek that I am, I wanted a bigger screen, flash support, a new iOS, better hardware, Siri, and longer battery life - but really I know that my wants and desires are much higher than actual expectations! The new iPad is a magnificent improvement and critics shouldn't be quick to point out what is not in the new device. I recall that after the iPhone 4S release there was a lot of talk about what that product was lacking, yet the device has been Apple's best selling phone yet. The new iPad is going to make a huge impact on the tablet market! 

The fact of the matter is that Apps are better for iOS and they will now look better on the Retina display with the more powerful graphics chip. Apple Post-PC portable devices are the best on the market. Android is a great operating system. It does a lot of great things and does them well. But nothing compares to the beautiful and easy to use iOS. In fact, the more I use Apple's portable devices, the more I want to buy a Mac... but I won't... Why? See here.

The Bottom-Line... Buy One!

I will be purchasing the new iPad! I am not sure if I will buy it on March 16 - I don't have the time to wait in line all day (unlike the people in those Samsung commercials, I have things to do). But I will pick one up early in the product cycle. My biggest fear in buying a tablet is that it will be out of date in only a year - and it will! I am not worried about my phone because I get one every two years and they are relatively cheap (if you sign your life away with a 2-year contract). Bu the tablet is much like a PC purchase, it's going to be with you for a few years (unless you have unlimited wealth, then just buy one every year - I do not). 

In the end I am impressed enough with the upgrade from iPad 2 to make the buy. I know that this time next year I will want the new device - that is a curse I must live with. In fact, if "iPad 4" good enough I'll give the old iPad to my fiance and buy the new one for myself :)

Yes... I am excited! I will be sure to let you know about my experience once "the new iPad" is in my possession.

The Mac vs. PC Dilemma

The Dilemma...

Everyone knows about the Mac vs. PC tech war. I am not sure if it's definitely a war, but there are two sides, both with enmity for each other, and a series of stock arguments and rebuttals. In fact, there are a "community" of Mac lovers which will jump at the chance to tell you Mac is the only game in town.

See this rather hilarious link for an amusing take from the PC side of the debate.

I was once a PC enthusiast who went out of his way to bash Macs  occasionally participated in Mac vs. PC debates. In fact, when the original iPod was competing with other mp3 players (like the Zune) I took the side of generic portable media players, as any good PC enthusiast at the time would have.Of course I was mistaken. Recently, I have become much more open minded to world of Apple.

My open-mindedness began with my first iPod Nano purchase. Eventually, I broke down and bought one. I had a few mp3 players prior to my Apple and I hated them! I had an old Philips Nike PSA Play 64 and it didn't last a year. I purchased a series of Samsung "wanna-be" iPod Shuffles and none of them were very good. In the end I bought a first generation iPod Nano and from then on out I was sold. My love for iPod led to the purchase of an iPhone and I will probably never buy another type of smart phone again. Moreover, I WILL be purchasing an iPad 3 (hopefully in March 2012). Nevertheless, my love for Apple portable media and tablets has not manifested into a Mac computer purchase. Why? I definitely want one!

Top 3 Reasons a Mac is Still Out of the Question

(1) Hardware for the Price

The price is way too high given the internal hardware specs! This is really the biggest reason for my hesitancy. Let's go through a quick demonstration. 

MacBook Pro 15" Laptop:

Cost for Base Model: $1799.99
Processor: Intel 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Storage: 500 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
Display: 1440x900 HD Glossy Display
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB dedicated memory
Battery Life: 7 hours

After only about 2 minutes of using the Best Buy Laptop filter feature on their website (meaning there are probably better and cheaper examples) I found this Samsung:

Samsung - 15.6" Series 7 Laptop:

Cost for Base Model: $999.99
Processor: Intel 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 (second generation)
RAM: 8 GB DDR3
Storage: 1 TB (RPM not specified, but it is at least 5400 RPM, if not 7200) Hard Drive
Display: 1600x900 HD Glossy Display
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 512MB dedicated memory
Battery Life: 7 hours, 48 minutes

Now let's configure the MacBook to have similar specs to the Samsung. An upgrade to 8GB RAM costs $200. MacBook won't let you upgrade to 1TB, but they will let you upgrade to 750GB for another $100. That brings us to $2100 or $1100 more than the Samsung with (almost - the Mac is still lacking 250 GB of hard drive space) the same hardware configuration. I can now buy 2 top-of-the-line Samsung PCs for less than the price of 1 similarly configured Mac Book Pro. I don't know about you, but I can use that extra $1100 for other things!

I think - at least on the hardware side - I have demonstrated my point. "Pound-for-Pound" the PC destroys the MacBook and costs $800.00 less in the standard configuration and $1100 less with similar hardware configurations (i.e. after bringing the MacBook up to par with the Samsung)! Moreover (and maybe a future post) have you seen these Samsung PCs? They look and feel phenomenal. From a hardware (design omitted) standpoint, why would I spend more on a Mac? I wouldn't. The cute little graphic (from here) illustrates my thoughts on the subject :)

Essentially, Apple must charge more because design (especially the uni-body aluminum MacBook) costs more to produce. They are also charging for their "superior" operating system. On a side note, I think Windows 7 has been the best Microsoft OS release since XP; in fact, I have had relatively little functionality issues with 7 and I am running it on several computers (with one of them being an older model). Is a Mac design and OS worth the huge additional cost?... NO WAY! See this awesome video from Apple, which shows you why you spend extra money on the design of a MacBook.

(2) The Virus Myth

Mac people are quick to tell you that their computers do not get viruses. The simple fact is the virus market is like any other market, there will be a greater supply of viruses on the platform that has greater demand (in this case demand is ignorant  unsuspecting users that can be targeted). See here for a more detailed explanation from a series of experts essentially making the same point. Thus, the increase in Mac market share will lead to an increase in viruses targeting Macs. Mac purchases are contributing to their own future security problems, Moreover, I am not computer illiterate; I have not been the victim of a virus since Windows Millennium edition was released. But of course I am an exception... simply put, I kill viruses. But that's besides the point, the fact that Macs are less susceptible to viruses is a supply and demand issue and will most likely change. Moreover, people who own Macs do in fact get viruses in the present day and time. Here is an entire website devoted to Mac security...

(3) I Already Have So Much Software for PC!

This point is a little less "anti-Mac" and more of a practicality problem. If you are like me, you  have acquired a range of PC software which you currently use. For some of us this was a substantial investment. Form a smaller subset of us there is still software we need that does not run on a Mac. Yes you can buy an emulator... but I don't want that headache. Moreover, the availability of opensource programs for Windows is still greater then for Mac (another consequence of the large PC market). Thus, there is a massive initial investment of purchasing a Mac.

There Are Things I Really Like (Ambivalence...)

There is obviously more that goes into this decision. I like the Mac OS (although I don't like reduced administrative privileges - I don't want to make continuous trips to the "Genius Bar", I just want to fix it myself). I love the interplay between iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Mac on iCloud. I even like the Mac design (despite how much it adds to the price). I love the look and feel of a Mac... YES, I said it, I love the "look and the feel" of the MacBook Pro. - it has style, I am not blind! But the benefit is nowhere near the cost of these additional so-called "features". So what would make me buy a Mac?

Simply put, I would buy a Mac if the price was in-line with other reasonably priced PCs. I don't care about the Mac community or all the wonderful things Mac users say makes the price "worth it". And I don't want a MacBook Air which I consider to be a beefed up net book (yup, a beefed up net book). I want a reasonably priced MacBook...period. I am not sure if Apple will ever provide this (and the iPad is not a substitution for a computer) because there are people willing to buy Mac machines regardless of the price. And, if I had a following (which I don't... yet), I am sure I would get a bunch of comments from Mac users about how I am wrong about the differences between the two computers.

Nevertheless, I bet there are a lot of PC users like myself, which would be willing to try a Mac if the price was right. If Apple wanted to increase market share, they would design a reasonable priced machine for everyone else.... i.e. those people that don't necessarily want to pay more money to be a part of some community.

P.S. Please don't tell me the Mac Mini is a good deal. It's $600 and doesn't come with a monitor. It only has 2GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, and on-board Intel graphics. Essentially, the specs on the Mini are comparable to a top of the line desktop PC 3 or 4 years ago, besides the Core i5 Intel processor (yes I know it is only 1.4 inches tall, 7.7 inches wide, 7.7 inches deep, and 2.7 pounds - I don't care).