iOS 7 on iPad 2

After a painless download and installation, everything worked quite well.  Animations were smooth, and I changed the background to one with stars and having a subtle parallax effect - I really like it.  (No I didn’t get any nausea as reported by many people….).  The one with the moving bubbles, I put on my lock screen as it was just too distracting.

The flat icon style is really too colourful and almost childish, but overall, it some brings a much required change and freshness to the OS.  Still no widgets, but that’s Apple I guess…

Speed-wise, it may be a tad slower than iOS 6 and some apps look too plain, especially notes, which looks quite boring and white/ yellow.  Other apps like Safari look cohesive with the system and changes seem to be for the better.

iTunes Radio is my favourite new feature.  I listen to it all the time.  It’s similar to Pandora, but hey it’s Apple and there are only a few ads.  While listening to it on my macbook, it actually syncs with Lastfm, just like the songs in my library.  Plus, you get to listen to latest releases (just listened to Justin Timberlake’s new album).  With extra features like this, I think it will definitely give it an edge over other services.

I also like the fact that apps auto-update by themselves...Yeah!  No more irritating small red icon telling you that you need to update your apps...

Why is there no weather app for iPad like the iPhone?  I don’t know why it is present only on the iPhone.  Apple needs to rectify this.  And, they should also update the weather icon, like they do on the clock icon and date.  Also, some apps don't work too well and I've had a few crash on me.  However, for an OS upgrade that supports 32bit and 64bit, I think it's reasonable to expect a few bugs and crashes..

Overall, I’m pretty happy with iOS 7.  And I'm glad that it still runs on the iPad 2.  Apple has added a lot of useful features and apps, and it’s a great start.  Some Apple made widgets would really spice up the system….Maybe that's coming in iOS 8.

Why I won’t switch to an iPad Mini…

Don’t get me wrong.  I simply love and adore the iPad mini.  It’s size, overall dimensions and weight are great for any person.  It’s easy to carry, light to use and you can hold it for extended periods of time without getting tired.  For those of us who do late night reading, it won’t rudely hit you on the head or face when you fall asleep reading like it happens with a bigger iPad.  Gaming is more fun on the mini; your hands don’t get tired holding it up.  The camera is good, Siri is present, and the battery life doesn’t take a hit even despite its small size.

So why am I sticking to an iPad 2?  The screen, though not retina, is quite adequate for what I do and I can close windows and press buttons more easily than I can with the iPad mini.  Plus, I use the iPad for typing power points or short documents, and paired with the Sharkk aluminium keyboard, it makes a perfect laptop replacement for most of my work.

O.K., let me tell you about the Sharkk keyboard.  It’s almost like the Apple keyboard, with a strong aluminium body, and pretty good keys, and can be found for only $20 at Amazon.  I like this keyboard quite a lot and paired with the iPad, it makes a perfect portable solution.  I hate the tiny keyboards on most iPad keyboard cases, so this solution, though more bulky, is much better…I can almost type as fast as on a laptop or desktop…

I almost went with my urges and traded in my iPad for a mini.  But there are some things that the bigger iPad can do better, so I’ll stick to it for a while...

iPad review, one year later: I Still Love My iPad

I’m Truly, Madly, Deeply in love with my iPad.  Over one year after its purchase and pretty heavy use, it still looks as good as new.  

A year ago, I spent countless hours at Best Buy stores trying to convince myself that I could do with an Android tablet (which started off at half the price of an iPad) but despite all the Samesungs, Kindles, Asuses and Acers, everything led me back to the iPad.  I must also mention my sincerest thanks to the Best Buy employees for not throwing me out after days and days of me just fiddling around with the tablets and not buying anything....before I finally bought the iPad from them, that is.... :)

Here are things I really like about the iPad 2...

1. The build quality - Unmatched, it just feels sturdy and the overall design is gorgeous.  It’s undergone really heavy use in my house but still looks like new.  Part of the credit goes to the Snugg case which provides very good protection all around the tablet....
2. The screen is excellent!  Great viewing angles, good brightness and colours.  I just wish they could turn down the reflections a bit.
3. It’s simple to use, even my kids use it without any problems.  It’s also got a lot of good software for kids like drawing, painting, storybooks, movies and also games.
4. It doesn’t hang.  I have never had to reset the iPad due to some misbehaving program, only close the app.  (On my Android phone, I have to reset it once in a while because it just doesn’t respond)
5. Multitouch gestures - I especially love the four finger swipe to change between apps!  It’s just like turning pages, except you are actually “turning" apps..
6. I can use it for work as well thanks to iWork, Dropbox and also read my PDFs.
7. My wife has stopped using our desktop and uses the iPad exclusively...
8. The battery supposedly can be charged about 1000 times.  On the average, I charge every 3 days, so that means 3000 days of use (That’s over 8 years of usage provided that other components don’t fail!!!)
9. Great for looking at photos (from iCloud and Dropbox) and movies and videos.
10. Instant on! Easy to pick up, so the laptop gets used only when heavy typing or multitasking needs to be done.
11. It downloads programs and updates even when when it’s screen is turned off and it is asleep.  So you can download a game or updates overnight and have it ready in the morning, without much battery loss...This has been incorporated into newer Macs as Power Nap...
12. Stable and secure.  I feel very unsafe with some Android apps and wonder whether the Google Play store regulates some of these apps.  Do you read the terms and conditions on some of the Android apps??  Man, it seems that they’re going to steal and use all my personal information...I’d rather have a closed system tightly regulated by Apple to make sure the apps I download won’t steal my credit card number!!!
13. Sure, it’s a giant iPhone, but that’s the beauty of it.  Try reading multiple documents and PDFs on an iPhone and you’ll end up getting a migraine.  On an iPad, it’s just fine...
14. It started off as being an unnecessary luxury but now it has become an indispensable device for all of us.  My wife says I love the iPad more than her....I say, “Better the iPad than another woman"

Retina resolution is well and good, but I really don’t need it at the distance I read and it’s kind of overkill for such a small screen which doesn’t put two windows side by side....

In the end, let me rephrase my title.  We all love the iPad!  At least, my iFamily in my iHouse...

On Being an iSheep...

I’m proud to be an iSheep.  There, I said it, loud and clear!  And I’m sure there are millions of people like me all around the world..

But I’m not an iSheep because Apple brings out a new product and says it’s good for me.  I’m an iSheep because I’ve TRIED OUT other alternatives, and realized that this is the best device/ software for me.  Everything from the design to the hardware and software is admirable, and that is why I’m such a Rabid Fan of Apple.  Are the products perfect?  No!  But they’re the closest things to ideal of all the different products I’ve tried...

Let’s start with the design.  Whether you are a fAndroid or Windows fan, you have to give Apple credit for their terrific design sense.  Why else would so many manufacturers (Barring probably Sony and Lenovo) copy, or should I say clone, Apple’s designs, whether they are desktops, laptops, phones or software?...Yes, I’m looking at you, Samesung...Sure, your products are great, but you ain’t winning any awards for innovative design, because you really actually stole design plans from Apple while you were manufacturing chips for them, you backstabbers, bite-the-hand-that-feeds-ers!!!

The Apple tax is another myth these days.  Yes, sure, Apple products are somewhat more expensive initially, but the overall value for money and longetivity are simply unmatched.  My wife’s iPod Shuffle has been used regularly for the past seven years and it SIMPLY WON’T DIE!  And these days, even the prices  for Apple tablets, computers and phones seem comparable to similar specced Windows or Android products. 

The software, I’ve already discussed at length in my previous posts, both the OS X side and the iOS side.  What helps in binding these two operating systems is iCloud which seems clunky at first (and Apple does need to work on it more) but as I use my iPad and Macbook together, it helps maintain a sense of cohesiveness between the two operating system and makes it feel as one.  The whole ecosystem is beginning to gel together very well.  And with the implementation of iWork on iCloud, Apple has finally got a product which will compete very well with Google Docs and Microsoft SkyDrive Office... High time!  Also, I can’t wait to try iTunes Radio as well.  A complete ecosystem..

THANK YOU APPLE, Thank you Steve Jobs, Johnny Ive, both the Craigs (Forstall and Federighi).  Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for all that you’ve given to the world.  Your designs, your computers, your softwares, and electronic devices have inspired many manufacturers to improve and think outside the box, and given us the consumers, better choices and better devices, whether Apple or otherwise.  We, the iSheep, love your products and hope you keep bringing out innovative and well-designed products like you have done through the years.  We don’t mind spending our iMoney on such great quality products.

If being an iSheep means getting to use great computers, electronic devices and software, then count me in!  Baa  Baaa or should I say “iBaa  iBaaa"

OS X Mavericks 10.9. It's Finally Time To Upgrade

OS X Mavericks is the biggest thing to happen to OS X since the debut of OS X.  I've been using it as my primary OS for the past week and even though it is still in beta, it is totally stable and performs extremely well.

If OS X Lion and Mountain Lion seemed to be incremental and updated for the sake of updating, OS X Mavericks 10.9 is THE update to get!  Everything just flows together, works well and has been tweaked and efficiency has been pushed to the max.  Less thrashing of the hard drive, Compressed Memory, App Nap, Safari and Finder Tabs are the highlights of this operating system.  Everything has been fine tuned to such an extent that it just seems perfect.  (I'd been always wondering why Apple doesn't put the unused apps to sleep to save RAM and energy, and Apple has done it!  I also really wished for a bigger iPhone after squinting to read on my iPhone and Apple did that too, and made the iPad....Apple seems to have habit of thinking before most people do and provide them the facilities...Maybe that's why there are so many iSheep...me included  :)    )

It is equivalent or even more monumental than Windows XP or 7 were to the Windows operating system.  It doesn't seem like it on the surface, but it is a landmark operating system.  If you have been holding off upgrading till now (and like me downgraded back to Snow Leopard for it's efficiency), it's finally the right time to upgrade....

Windows 8, one year later: A review

There’s a lot of hate going on about Windows 8.  In fact, not since Windows ME and Windows Vista has there been such a debacle for Microsoft...They're trying to rectify things with the Windows 8.1 release, but really, is it too little, too late?

I’m always one of the early adopters and have been trying out Windows 8 since the Consumer and Release Previews on my gaming desktop.

The Good:

1. Boots quickly and resumes from hibernation even quicker, especially on laptops.  My previous laptop, a Sony Vaio, resumed from hibernation in only a few seconds - much much quicker than on Windows 7 where it would take about 15-20 seconds
2. Great new Task Manager
3. Better overall memory usage, system is quite responsive
4. Can’t think of any more good points....  :)

The Bad:

1. The Start Screen.  As someone said it very well, it looks like an epileptic seizure inducing screen...There’s just too much going on, too many colours, too much flashing and flickering!
2. Difficult to navigate with keyboard and mouse
3. My friend, who is pretty computer proficient had big problems getting to the start menu and was even more difficult for him to find hibernate (Windows + i then choose the option).  "Where is the #$&#@ shutdown button??  Where is the start button?  Where are my programs????????"
4. Flashing back from start screen to desktop and back every time while opening applications
5. Metro apps are mostly useless for desktop
6. The Windows Store sucks, is too slow, and I just don't want to use it....contrast with iTunes Store where I really do want to use it...
7. I want to use desktop apps on the desktop, not the inbuilt preview, music player, IE and other programs which force me back to the beloved Start Menu!  More seizures..

Performance wise, I think it is a big step up from even Windows 7, which was already pretty good.

Unfortunately, the interface really sucks and what’s with the disappearing Start buttons and menus, apparently even in the newly released Windows 8.1?  Microsoft tried doing too many things at one time, and the end result is a total disaster.  Apple, on the other hand is really slowly introducing iOS like elements to OS X so there is less of a learning curve and more acceptance if and when the two systems should converge....

Microsoft should have just done the performance upgrades to the system and not fiddled with the interface.  Imagine a faster, meaner, leaner Windows 7.....Now that would be a great Windows 8!

Why I’m Using A White Unibody Macbook (2009) in 2013?

1. I just like white Apple Laptops better.  The unibody aluminum models remind me too much of PC laptops
2. It’s repairable.  If a hard drive goes Kaput, the laptop can be opened and a new one can be installed without a hitch.  Newer MacBooks seem to get harder and harder to repair and the Retina MacBook Pro, lovely as it is, has everything so glued together that I think even the Apple technicians will get nightmares trying to repair it.
3. It’s upgradable - I’ve already upgraded the memory to 4GB and plan to add another 4GB soon, for a total of 8GB, which should make the laptop scream even more.  I can just leave all my apps open for an “instant on” setup. I don’t think I’ll need to add the SSD (but I can if I want to) 
4. The Core 2 Duo 2.26gHz processor is quite adequate for the web browsing, document editing, and general day to day usage that I do.  The nVidia 9400m graphics card is also adequate for the few less demanding games I play.
5. It still runs the latest Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks pretty damn well with 4GB of RAM.
6. The battery still holds 91 to 92% charge, has reached about 170 cycles (out of 1000 recommended by Apple) so I guess it is going to last for a few more years.  The battery lasts for over 5 hours for most routine work.
7. It’s solidly built, there is minimal flexing, and the screen hinges are fantastic.
8. It's very quiet and I can hardly hear the fans.  During heavy workload, however, it can get loud and the underside of the laptop can get pretty warm...
9. The touch pad is the best I’ve ever ever used and the cursor doesn’t keep moving around when I touch the touchpad by mistake while I’m typing (a big BIG problem with most Windows laptops)
10. The screen is only mildly reflective and shows good colors.
11. THE SLEEP MODE

The sleep mode is fantastic in Macbooks.  After you close the lid, it goes into sleep mode with blinking LED lights (which are supposed to last for about 20,000 hours so no need to worry seeing them blink).  It loses about 10% charge per day which means it would probably last 10 days in sleep mode.  I know this is kind of available in Windows as well, but it doesn’t last so many days.

Another great thing about the sleep mode is that if I join the display port adapter to an external monitor, I don’t need to open the laptop to wake it up; I can just use an external keyboard and use the laptop closed, like a Mac mini / desktop.  This is the setup I use at home...On my PC laptops, I'd have to open the screen, wake up the laptop, then close the screen back down and use the external monitor....

Sure I’m going to miss out on the latest processors and architecture, but the laptop is more than adequate for my uses.  Here’s to a few more happy years with my laptop!!!

Battery Life in OS X Mavericks 10.9

Battery life in OS X Mavericks 10.9 seems to have improved a bit.  I haven’t really done any specific testing as such, but overall, the battery life seems to have improved under general usage.

With Snow Leopard, I’d get close to 4:30 - 5:00 hours with my Macbook White.  Now, with Mavericks, it’s more like 5:00 to 6:00 hours.  So let’s say, roughly about 1 hour more than Snow Leopard.  That’s really very good, amount for roughly a 20% increase in battery life.

This may also be due to my CPU being an old Core 2 Duo, p8400 2.26 ghz.  Maybe, the newer CPUs like Haswell have better power savings, and may lead to an increase in battery life.

This is with Wifi On and Safari running in the background. 

I'm sure Apple is going to further optimise the battery life as it gets closer to the final release, but I'm already really happy with the results, so anything more will be just additional bonus.

Whatever the case, kudos to Apple for increasing the features, overall speed and even battery life, all in one masterful stroke!

OS X 10.9 Mavericks Compressed Memory: A more detailed analysis

I tested OS X Mavericks more extensively over the last couple of days.  The Activity Monitor was always on (it has some wonderful new changes, by the way) and I was monitoring the changes.

I started loading a lot of apps so that I could overload the system and get the swap file to start slowing down the system.  But no...Nothing happened even after I loaded the heavyweights Chrome, Safari, and iPhoto.

So I went crazy and started opening up all the apps I had installed but the swap file refused to budge!  Compressed Memory apparently had started to come into play, and I could see its values start to rise.  Even after I had opened up all my apps, run a system scan with iAntivirus, playing iTunes in the background, and over 5GB of virtual memory used, the swap file was still ZERO.  Frigging Zero!!!!  Sure, the system was kind of bogged down, but I have never ever seen any OS with such fantastic memory management.  If it was Lion, Mountain Lion, or even Snow Leopard, the swap file would have been a few GB by now, and the system would be slow as molasses with the hard drive thrashing away!

I really really don’t know how Apple has managed this remarkable feat!  Even after continuing to stress the system for some more time, the swap file finally went up to 3.5 MB!!!  That’s MB not GB mind you....Amazingly Incredible!

If you look at the other picture I have included, it also shows the programs in App Nap, and this may have contributed to the memory management.  Maybe it puts the background apps to sleep and gives memory to those apps in the foreground.  The amazing thing is that all of this seems to be happening in RAM!

But whatever the reasons, whatever processes are going on, I just can’t believe the results.  I’m simply at a loss for words....

  

Memory Compression in OS X Mavericks 10.9

O.K.  I was dying to try out the memory compression feature in OSX Mavericks.  After the first boot post installation on my Macbook 2009, memory usage was 2.4/4.0 GB so it was just a bit more than the previous instalment of Snow Leopard.

However, after the update and reboot, memory usage was 3.9GB and I kinda panicked, thinking," Lord, not again...Gonna have to downgrade back to Snow Leopard".  Someone very rightly said that "Snow Leopard is the Windows XP of Mac OSX...It simply will not die!

Another reboot later, things settled back to 2.4GB so that was good.

I opened up Safari (Still a memory hog!  Apple, do something about it, for God's sake)...Opened a lot of tabs, opened Microsoft Word, iTunes, and few Finder windows....Virtual memory usage showed 4.5 GB, and I expected the swap file to be used and the thrashing of the hard disk, but NO!  Apple's Compressed Memory was starting to work and it started going up to a few hundred megabytes.

So this is how it works.  First, the programs use up all the available RAM and when that's about to finish, Compressed Memory comes into play.  I really haven't overloaded the system with a lot more apps and intend to do so in a few days...Will post again.

Immediately, I uninstalled a program I'd been using for the last few months - FreeMemory.  A very good utility, but rendered useless due to Apple's superb memory management.

Fantastic job, Apple!!!

OS X Mavericks 10.9 install ; first impressions

I had to try out OSX Mavericks (Not a big fan of the name though) on my 2009 Unibody Macbook White with 4GB of RAM with normal hard drive.  I think this is the most exciting OS release for me in quite a while.

Previously, I had downgraded back to Snow Leopard after installing Lion and Mountain Lion.  The new features coupled with losses of performance weren't worth it for me.

Well, well, so far so good.  Mavericks runs like a champ.  I've just finished installing and waiting for it to download updates.  Memory usage, system responsiveness seem waaay better than Mountain Lion and almost as smooth as Snow Leopard on this old system...

I'll keep posting again in the coming week and will be looking at Compressed Memory, App Nap, and the gains in battery life....Stay tuned.

WWDC 2013 Review

Well, well.  I think this was one of the best WWDCs ever.

The presenters were relaxed and except for Tim Cook's rehearsed usual fact files, I think it went pretty well.  Everyone seemed really excited to present their respective segments.  Craig Federighi was very relaxed and even funny on several occasions.  And he really interacted very well with the audience.  This was probably the first event that these guys did a really good job, post Steve Jobs...

The only negative:  Too many references about Scott Forstall's  skeuomorphic designs.  Hey, I kind of liked it and it gave ipad software some character and made it stand out; i.e. the book shelf, notes, and reminders.  In fact, I am probably one of the few people who says BRING BACK SKEUMORPHISM!  (Did you see the new plain looking notes and calender in iOS and OSX?  Uggh!!).

Scott was not the bad guy - O.K. he screwed up on maps and may have been an arrogant control freak, but let's stop beating the dead horse....

The new features of iOS7 and OSX Mavericks look very good indeed along with the new MacPro (not that I'd ever have enough money to buy it).  I think Apple is on a roll, both on the hardware and software side.....

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT iOS 7

O.K. iOS7 has been released in its beta form for the iphone.  Here are some things that I like about the release:



1) It supports all devices dating back to ipad 2 and iphone 4.  Yay, apple!  At least you support your devices for few years.  My last year's xperia got a late update and will probably be stuck at the current version of android os.

2) Multitasking -  looking good!

3) Automatic app updates and preferential fetching of the apps, according to usage.  Brilliant

4) Other changes including control center, weather, maps and various apps

5) I love the changes they have done to the notification center, and the addition of the today screen!  HP Palmtop, anyone?

6) Auto update of apps - FINALLY!!!

My only gripe is that they could have added some real time information in the icons or made cool apple widgets showing information, like the dashboard in OSX (Am I the only one who uses dashboard?  I love it, especially checking the weather and system stats, memory etc..)

People say they are copying from android, windows phone and I agree....Hell, they are copying off ubuntu mobile/jolla/meego as well.  But they refine the ideas, and make them slick and easy to use - the same that they do with hardware.  Speaking of which, once you use an apple multi-touch trackpad, you'll never and I mean NEVER EVER want to use a clumsy windows touchpad...It's that good.  And it's really so good that I don't even feel the need to use a touch screen...But that's a story for another day...

Can't wait for the fall to install it my ipad 2 (which my family and I love, love, love, love and love) and download and try OSX Maveriks on my unibody Macbook white ( as far as I'm concerned, Apple lost it's distinctiveness after it developed the current Macbooks with black keyboard! )