The New iPads: Apple Goes All In

Apple.com

Apple just held their annual iPad event last October 22 (23 in the Philippines) and a lot of products have been announced. One of the most interesting ones though are the new iPads. The 4th generation iPad was just a minor incremental update from the 3rd generation because all it added was the A6X processor and the Lightning connector. The iPad mini was a new product in a category that was started by Amazon due to their Kindle Fire tablets and became a success. The main problem was it had a lower resolution screen than its competition at the time (the Kindle Fire HD had a 1280x800 resolution display while the 1st iPad mini only had a 1024x768 resolution display). In their event though, they remvoed those flaws with a bang.

iPad Air

The 9.7-inch iPad started this whole "modern tablet" revolution where you can touch the internet in your hands. After the iPad 2 came out, this tablet never really had a nice thing going for it in terms of design. Sure the 3rd gen iPad added the Retina display, but the weight and thickness had to be sacrificed for that. This year, Apple made the biggest design change since then.

I was surprised at first as to why they named it the iPad Air. Essentially, Apple implemented the iPad mini design to the full-sized iPad. The result is a tablet that's 7.5 mm thin and weighs only 1 pound. You may love them or hate them, but you cannot deny the fact that when it comes to hardware design, Apple's at the top. Despite the tablet losing weight, it gained a lot of power. It has the new A7 chip with 64-bit architecture introduced with the iPhone 5s. Although critics say that 64-bit doesn't really give any improvements until you have at least 4GB RAM, Apple claims that performance is twice as fast as the previous generation. It also has the M7 motion coprocessor which checks the motion sensors in the device without draining much power since it doesn't have to call on the A7 processor. It's also the first iOS device to support MIMO (Multiple In, Multiple Out) technology. This means that there are two antennas inside that give twice the data transfer rate than the previous generation. The iPad Air also has expanded LTE support which means you can use the iPad to its fullest potential in more places. With everything new that was mentioned, the iPad Air still manages to maintain the same 10-hour battery life.

iPad mini with Retina Display

Ever since the mini came out, it became the iPad that everyone wanted. The smaller 7.9-inch screen made it easier to hold in one hand, and yet it still offered the full iPad experience. My gripe with it though was that it had a low resolution screen and it had the A5 processor which is already 2 years old.

Now, they have the iPad mini that everyone wants. It now has the 2048x1536 resolution Retina display. Since the screen is smaller, the pixel density is 326 ppi (higher than the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX and the new Nexus 7). It also has the same A7 chip found in the iPad Air. Like the 3rd gen iPad though, the tablet is a bit thicker (at 7.5 mm) and a bit heavier (at 0.73 lbs). It isn't really much compared to the huge benefits of a high-resolution display. Despite the display, it still has the same great 10-hour battery that the iPad is known to have.

My Thoughts

Honestly, I'm really confused as to what iPad to get. They both have the same processors. They both have Retina displays. The only difference now is the size and the price. I wasn't really surprised that the iPad mini with Retina display starts at $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model. Given all that they put in (A7 chip, Retina display, etc.), the $70 price hike is justifiable. Still, I'm in a bind now as to what I'll get. I love it that the iPad Air is 1 pound, but I love the portability of the mini. I'll figure that out soon. The reason why Apple's putting all the premium on the hardware is because they think that the free software (iWork and iLife are now free) and the robust ecosystem will make you think that the premium is worth it. Let's hope Apple's correct with that.

Thoughts on Apple's WWDC 2012

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(All pictures here: Copyright © 2012 Apple Inc.)


Let me start by saying this: I used to hate Apple. I would rant that an iPad is just a "giant iPhone" and even said that the iPhone was a gimmick and only a few people would actually buy this due to its price. As usual, I would bash the Macs for being the most expensive computers ever made. Well, that was the old me. The me that used to hate Apple has now turned into an Apple user. What can I say? I fell in love with the mobile devices.


It all started with an iPod touch. Introduced in 2007 months after the release of the original iPhone, it would be a device that has the best of what the iPhone can do except of the phone capabilities. I owned a first-gen iPod touch and I was still contented with the content I had with it. Since then, I followed Apple's announcements, news, and even posted opinions here in my blog about what Apple and its competitors are doing.


In this post though, I will focus on Apple's WWDC 2012 keynote presentation last Monday (Tuesday, Manila time) and put out my unbiased opinion on what Apple has in store for us over the course of the next few months.


By the way, I'm sorry if this was overdue, but I had to finish my "Final Days of Summer" and OJT Series in order for me to do this complete reaction to this event and all the new stuff they released.


Here are the three things that highlighted this year's keynote:


MacBook Pro with Retina Display

I gotta say, I was surprised that they actually did this. Rumors spread around that there would be Retina displays throughout the whole MacBook line but never I expected that at least one of them would really get that significant upgrade. So, here it is, the new king of the MacBooks. This beast has a lot going for it, so here are the base and the maximum specs:

• 15.4" Retina Display with a 2880x1800 resolution
• 2.3GHz 3rd generation quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 6MB shared L3 cache (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) (processor up to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz)
• 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory (up to 16GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory)
• 256GB flash storage (up to 768GB)
• Intel HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
• 720p Facetime HD camera
• Connection ports: Magsafe 2 port, 2 USB 3.0/2.0 ports, 2 Thunderbolt ports, HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack, SDXC card slot
• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi networking
• Backlit keyboard
• 7 hours battery life

Honestly, I can't believe they shoved all this into a laptop that's 0.71" thin and weighs 4.46 pounds! The design is simply well-thought and Apple clearly applied what they've learned over the years. Although the lack of an ethernet port is a worry since this is mostly aimed at professionals, there's a Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter so I hope this wouldn't be much of an issue. Overall, this notebook gives more compelling reasons for people to buy this, although a big turn-off would be its price: it starts at $2199. :( Still, I would recommend this to anyone who can shelve off a LOT of money. Moving on...




OS X Mountain Lion




Yes, yes. After a year with the Lion, we get another update which is Mountain Lion. This update focuses more on how the Mac can connect with your Apple mobile devices even better. This update includes Notification Center, which was carried over from iOS and implements it in the same way, Game Center, also from iOS which supports cross-platform gaming over Macs and iOS devices (which I think is cool), and AirPlay Mirroring, where with the help of an Apple TV, you can stream whatever's on the screen of your Mac to your TV.


To me, this feels like Lion with a few good updates and improvements that people will enjoy and I'm sure that $19.99 price would convince all the current Mac users to upgrade. Moreso, the new buyers of Macs will get this for FREE. It's coming this July.



iOS 6

This may be considered the highlight for users of Apple's famous iPhone and iPad, and the iPod touch. iOS 6 brings more to the table as they bring another package of features which help boost their usability and benefits the user. Here are some of the highlight features of the new major software update:


Maps - The most-rumored new feature of iOS 6, the Maps application has now been revamped and gone are any references of Google Maps. Everything in the new Maps is now made by Apple (since they bought a lot of mapping technology companies) and has now new features. The iPhone can now do turn-by-turn navigation, a feature that has long been in the Android ecosystem for a long time. Another feature is Flyover, where it displays 3D satellite images of major cities, which looks amazing. Other features include Traffic, which notifies users of realtime traffic.


Siri - Siri is now smarter in iOS 6. It can now show you sports scores and info, movie times, restaurant reservations, powers the turn-by-turn navigation in Maps, can accept Tweet requests and Facebook posts, and launch apps. It's becoming a more useful personal assistant.


Facebook - Speaking of Facebook posts, Facebook is now integrated into iOS. You can now post Photos, web pages, and more to Facebook using the same functionality done with Twitter. You can now also "Like" apps and more.


Passbook - Passbook is where you can store your virtual gift cards, membership cards, airline and movie tickets, and even sports games tickets in one single place. It even notifies you if you're nearby the certain place where that pass is needed.

Other features include Phone improvements with Remind Me Later or Reply With Message, Safari enhancements with Offline Reading List and Full Screen Landscape mode, Shared Photo Streams where you can share certain photos with friends including comments and likes, FaceTime over Cellular, Pull to Refresh and VIP Inbox in Mail, and Guided Access for easy use of the iPhone and iPad with Single App mode.


Software enhancements are great but I wish there was even more. A UI redesign would be nice, but I think they're either holding it off for the next iPhone or not doing it at all, which is sad. I still like the enhancements they bring to the 4th generation iPod touch, iPhone 3GS and later, and iPad 2 & iPad 3rd Gen. Sad to see the original iPad go as well. Times have changed though.




Overall, Apple's WWDC 2012 stayed in the tradition of new things. The new hardware was a surprise, but the software improvements fell a little bit flat for me. I hope that we will see a shocking Fall as Apple strikes back against the Android army. Best wishes, Apple.

Thoughts On: "The New iPad"

Yes, guys. The new iPad is here. I know, I know. "It looks exactly like the one last year!" Don't be fooled, though. Apple made sure that like the iPhone 4S, this "new iPad" will sell like hot cakes. I won't delve into the details of the specs as every freaking tech site has them, and of course, the Apple website. 


For those who just knew this now, here are what makes this iPad "new":

• Retina Display: This will blow you away, with a 2048x1536 resolution display. This means everything you see on the new iPad will be amazing.
• Apple A5X Processor: This may not mean much to everyone, but this is a dual-core processor WITH quad-core graphics. This powers that very powerful Retina Display, and puts out great graphics, with Apple claiming it to be better than Nvidia's Tegra 3 Quad-Core processor. (Let's see who's gonna get the last laugh. HAHA)
• 5 MP iSight camera: Another wish of some people, they put a higher quality camera in it, also carrying the advanced optics that they put in the iPhone 4S. This means better pictures captured, and also better viewed with that monster Retina Display.
• 1080p HD Video Recording: Expected this, since this is from the 4S. Still, it's cool.
• 4G LTE: Again, this may not mean much, but Apple FINALLY caught up with the norm. Now, this new iPad will now have faster data speeds which will please web surfers.

They also put Dictation on the new iPad, letting users speak what they want to type. My thoughts on what they put? Although it's not a revolutionary upgrade, it's a GREAT upgrade to an already GREAT device. Unlike the iPhone, which is in a sea of a lot of phones, the iPad became the first to define the category that almost died, but Apple successfully revived. I am deeply amazed and they don't need to change things that ain't broke, and changed things that were needed and did it right.

Overall, they changed the tablet game. AGAIN.

Sources: Apple, TechnoBuffalo