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"