The Apple Event / ipad 4 / iPadMini

iPad Mini

So the Apple Event just finished, so many things to say so here go my random thoughts:

• The iMacs and laptops I could care less about since I believe it’s nothing more than a commodity market.
• Not a fan of the presenter taking a shot on users for still using a Optical Drive. I get your idea of presenting something new (and this was the only technology-wise advancement).
• The new iMac design is beautiful
• Apple announced a 4th generation iPad. This is wrong on so many ways and i think it just took importance out of the iPad Mini
• There a some many things wrong with this, the announce that the 3 has been the best selling product yet they kill it in 6 months.
• Way to protect peoples investment, not even 6 months in and they already tell you your product is old
• It shows a ridiculous amount of arrogance by Apple, with Jobs it always had it but in a way that didn’t get in the way of getting good stuff out there
• On to the iPad Mini, while I’m against the idea of this product (check out my thoughts here) I thought the presentation was lackluster
• I found it really wrong that they went on to “destroy” the Google Nexus yet they price it 130 bucks above it.
• What reason would I have to buy a iPod if for 30 bucks I can get a iPad Mini, but why should I get the Mini if I can get for 70 bucks a real iPad.
• The talked about what they are “better” at but they forgot to mention the resolution is worse than its competitors. 7.9-inch iPad Mini with 1024×768 pixels is lower resolution than Nexus 7 and Kindle HD Fire HD. 162ppi versus 216ppi and 169ppi.
• I remember a time where Apple truly dazzled us with new products, now it seems every event is just a refresh, a bigger or smaller version of what is in the market.
• Why did Apple choose this date for it’s event? To take attention away from Microsoft Windows 8 and the Surface launching this week. After seeing this I don’t really think they accomplished that.
• Apple will never accept this but they are afraid of the Android platform. The signals are there: going into the market that is already created, try to stay on pace with technologies that have been out for a while and not create new stuff, actually bring nothing new to the market in the past couple of years
• Competition is stronger than it has ever been, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think dismissing something saying you are better but not really offering it in the same way to the market.
• Why would I buy the ipad mini now if I’m sure that in 6 months they will come out with a retina display Mini?
• So the new iPhone comes out and has pretty much what every other high end phone has, the Mini brings nothing new to the table regarding mid-sized tablets -except a absurdly high price-, the new iPad 4 is a slap in the face to iPad 3 consumers… hey at least the iMac is sexy.

I hope this doesn’t come across as an Apple hating post, I’m a fan of some of its products but I really believe the Cupertino giant is slowly losing it’s way. I don’t like where this is heading; I think people are dumb enough that the Mini will be a financial success but as an investor I’m afraid of what the next 5 or 10 years will look like.

Never forget what brought you to the party, that is something Steve Jobs always had present and I believe Tim Cook and the rest of the team is slowly losing.

What are your thoughts on the Apple event? on the 4th generation iPad? On the iPad Mini?

Mr Khakbaz out!

Samsung Galaxy S2 Review

Haven’t blogged in a while but I guess this is as good a time as there is. If you follow me on twitter you may have seen I got a new cellphone and have been tweeting a lot about it.

As much a geek as I am, up until 2 days ago I had never had a 3G phone. So I was basically living in the early 2000’s and it was a time for a change; after giving it lots of thought it came down to two options: Apple’s iPhone4 and the Samsung’s Galaxy S2.

Some may ask why the iPhone4 and not wait for the 4s. I was watching the 4S presentation and waiting for it to end to decide if I should wait or go ahead and get a new phone. After seeing it was not much of an improvement, I headed down to my cellphone providers store still with both options in mind.

After seeing the plans and both phones I had asked for an iPhone4… or so I thought. I found a Galaxy S2 to play a bit with and just loved the heck out of it. I ended up getting the S2, I’ll tell you why.

Samsung Galaxy S2

• Screen size: compared to the iPhones 3.5 inch display, the Galaxy has a huge 4.3 inch display. It is just beautiful to look at, and with the AMOLED screen you have really deep blacks. The size is just great for people with bad eyesight like me, although it could also be a liability because it will suck a lot of power out of the battery. Still consider it a great part of the device.
• Overall size: the phone is as thin as can be, even a couple of millimeters thinner than Apple’s phone which is a good thing. Also it is incredibly light, you just are surprised when you pick it up. The phone fits just perfectly in my hand, I don’t have to clinch my hand or make any effort to hold on to it.
• Processor and memory: this baby has a dual core 1.2 GHz processor and 1GB of memory, that makes it the fastest phone I have EVER used. It is just remarkable how responsive it is regardless of how many apps you have open. Also can be a battery drainer but that is something I haven’t experienced yet.
• Battery: battery life is somewhat of a issue for me and something I hope I don’t have to deal with. The first week is not a good indicator on how this will work out as I have been using it a lot more due to the “new toy factor”. But for what I have seen, battery life could be a problem. Today I tweaked the phone a little and it has helped out a lot. The thing I love is that it has a removable battery and down the line I can get a new one (all batteries start to decline in performance after a year o so) unlike the iPhone that has a locked battery.
• Flash support. This is not that big of a deal for me, I have an iPad and have not missed flash that much; only problem has been when I want to see any live steaming, well you just can’t as must of it is based on Flash. S2 supports flash which helps to have a computer-like browsing experience.
• Camera: while Apple announce the new iPhone will have a 8MP camera, why wait? This baby has a 8MP camera that also records video in Full (1080p) HD resolution. Have taken a few shots and all I can say is WOW! Still want to test how pics come out in dark environments or with moving objects, but for the moment this is a real good camera phone.
• Android Market: while researching and asking friends about Android and Iphone one of the biggest issues the Mac Fanboys (I really like Apple products but it’s now one of those obsessive things some people I know have) was that the Android Market didn’t have as much apps as the AppStore. While the mere number of apps is much larger in the AppStore, 99.9% of the apps I’m interested in are also available on Android so this has been a non issue; heck even a lot of apps you need to pay for with Apple are free over here (Angry Birds, Whatsapp, etc).
• Price: this was a non-factor as the iPhone and Galaxy S2 cost exactly the same (at least here in Mexico).
• OS: this is the first Android devide I have owned and it was part of what got me hooked. I had already asked for the iPhone but after playing with the Galaxy for no more than 5 minutes I changed my opinion. It is that good.

All of these factors were determining factors for me to pick up a Galaxy S2 instead of an iPhone. Not saying one is better than the other, but plain and simple, I liked this one more and believe this will fit my needs in a better way than the iPhone.

Over these two days lots of people have been impressed with the phone. I have found that most iPhone users are that more because of marketing than any other thing; they don’t open up and even try other devices. And this comes from a guy that owned the 1st generation iPhone and a real happy iPad2 owner. Some of the comments have been: “wow the screen is so big and bright”, “this thing is so light” and “Android looks so clean and neat”. Naturally there are those that can’t get their head out of their but, have never even tried a Android device and just say “oh so you got the iPhone copy”. Really??? Check out the specs, and you’ll see this is a different kind of animal.

Will I be a loyal Android user from now on? Not sure, I’m not limited to use only one OS, I’ll try stuff and find out for myself what is better for me.

Is this the best phone right now? Maybe, maybe not; spec-wise it clearly is, OS-wise everyone will have different opinions; as far as I’m concerned this is the best phone for my needs.

Will I recommend Android and specifically the Samsung Galaxy S2? Damn right I will

I’ll keep playing with my little toy and have a update entry in the next month or so with more details on the phone, the usability, battery life and everything there is to know about the phone. For now….

Mr Khakbaz out!!!