When Apple announced last week that they had updated the “new” iPad after just 7 months it caused a small uprising of complaints from some customers. I understand having some frustration since it seems we’ll no longer be able to time our Apple purchases to the unofficial yearly release cycle. But I’d love to ask them this: Were you truly this unhappy with your iPad 3rd generation before the new one was announced? For the past 7 months did you feel the iPad slow, underperforming, unusable? Is it suddenly unusable and underperforming now or does it just feel that way because you know now there is a “faster” one? Perception and marketing are powerful weapons. They are the instruments used today to get us to buy the next new thing and to enlist our friends and neighbors to do the same. Apple has become a master recruiter. Apple says the new one is better. The CPU and GPU are up to twice as fast and to be sure the impressive benchmark numbers prove it. But benchmarks are just numbers and “up to twice as fast” is relative. If I have an a App that takes one second to launch on my iPad now, does it really matter that the new iPad can launch in half a second? I have a new iPad (3rd generation) and I use it daily for tasks like writing, drawing, email, web surfing, and gaming. It doesn’t feel slow, old, or obsolete. The knowledge of a “new” one being out there hasn’t change that for me. Why not? I resolved myself a while ago to the prospect that new technology will hit store shelves faster than they can swipe my credit card. I choose not to worry about it. There will always be something newer, faster, more pixel-fied, and shinier hitting the selves tomorrow. Technology companies are in a feature and specifications arms race and consumer is collateral damage. Our buyers remorse is simply a consequence of their war. Luckily, there is no draft and we get to choose if we want to enter the battlefield. Some will. I’m resolving myself to not participate. I’m choosing to be conscientious objector, getting the best thing I can afford at the time and enjoying that until I decide I want something new. In my opinion not doing that leaves you with just two other choices. Sit around and always wait for the next big thing never being able enjoying what’s available now or join ranks. You CAN achieve technological superiority and stockpile a massive hoard of the latest and greatest technology, but it’ll probably just end with the thermonuclear destruction of your bank account.
A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 417. Apple’s iPad mini announcement. Apple’s Q4 2012 results. Apple loses tablet share to Android. Is Apple planing a music streaming service? Apple raises Euro app prices. Emails to PDFs. iOS iTunes crashes when accessing purchases. SSD and TRIM support. Java Preferences are gone. Edu and Government Mac discounts.
A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Episode 139. Apple held it’s latest event yesterday and while it was titled, “We’ve got a little more to show you” it was obviously a clever play on words as they have a lot to talk about. Here’s a little recap and my thoughts on what Apple has to show us.
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A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 416.iPad Mini Event October 23rd. New new iPad too? New iMacs and MacBook Pros. Retina 13″ MacBook Pro. Apple announces earnings soon. Apple extends Seagate iMac hard drive replacement program. New iPods hit the streets. Apple on a acquisition spree. Follow-up Printed Address Book from Contacts. Contact Groups in iOS 6. Hacking iTunes print font. Manually manage iOS device media. iPhone 5 and PowerPC a no go.
A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Episode 138. This is an episode I’ve been thinking about for a while. Markdown is a powerful and simple text based markup that lets you create simple and portable documents that can be easily parsed into many different formats. My friend David Sparks (Mac Power Users) helped push me over the edge to get Markdown into my workflow so I invited him on to chat about this really great writing tool.
Maccast Members
The audio for this episode is available to Maccast Members. Sign-up or log in by visiting the Maccast Member site.
A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 415. New iPods hit the streets. Samsung might get Appled. iOS Maps not impacting iPhone 5 Sales. iPhone 5 continues to be a success. No iPad Mini invites yet. Follow up on audio play-through issue. Move at iCloud.com address back to at Me.com. Tweet from Contacts. Mountain Lion tips with MacSparky. Mail Merge with Pages. Listener Hybrid Hard Drive Review. QuickTip: Right to Left iOS Panos.
A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 414. Apple to use Geniuses to help Map problems. iPad Mini details take shape. Apple tablet market dominance dwindles. Lightning not striking quickly. OS X 10.8.2 Supplemental Update 1.0. LTE coming to the UK in October. Next Gen Macs running custom Apple chips? Why I stuck with AT&T. Troubleshooting iOS 6 Connections. Podcast app woes continue. iMessages to a phone number. De-scuffing your iPhone 5. Mobile Me iCloud Storage extended.
A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 413. Are we in a “Mapocolypse”? iPhone 5 sales surge forward. iOS Apple TV update. iPhone 5 A6 may vary clock speed. Details on Lightning. iOS 6 Jailbreak months away. Unlock AT&T iPhones with iTunes. Free MobileMe iCloud storage ending. Apple alerts Verizon customers to Wi-Fi fix. Apple search for thinner Mac components. Feedback on Verizon LTE speeds. Helping improve Maps. iTunes Match issue after update. iOS 6 and iPhone 5 using extra data. iPhoto albums won’t sync. Applecare, never hurts to ask.
