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!

Wandering NYC

Friday, final day in NYC (flying out at noon on Saturday) so I got to make the most out of this day. After a long Thursday night drinking and watching the Mavs-Heat game I slept until 9:30; as soon as the alarm woke me up I was off to the races to do everything I wanted to do.

At 10:15 I’m out of the room and hopping onto line A up to 59th street. Boy it is hot and humid, I’d say it’s around 90 degrees and 50-60% humidity. A quick 7 minute trip and I get to my first destination, the Apple Store at 5th avenue; as a geek this place was like heaven to me. Just from the outside the place is beautiful, check out the pic

The big cube is just the outside, right in the middle you get to the stairs down to the store. Inside you can find any thing Apple, from all Macbooks, iMacs, iPods, iPads and a ton of docks for playing digital music. The place is just awesome, yet I could not find the iPad cover/case I was looking for (odd that I didn’t find it at the Apple Store yet I found one at a Brookstone in the Newark Airport next day). After Geek Paradise it was off to next door to FAO Schwarz.

If you’ve seen Home Alone this is the toy store they base Duncan’s Toy Chest on, FAO Schwarz has any toy you could imagine. You find the Harry Potter section, the action figure section, this huge piano you can dance on and the keys will light up (you can take it home for the nice price of $250,000 dollars)

Also you have this huge Lego section with some sculptures made entirely of lego such as a Indiana Jones and this Statue of Liberty

Got a gift for her and also for my Godson, a little Red Sox puff and a Cars 2 toy for each one.

Right across the street from both store is the SE corner of Central Park, so it’s time to walk like crazy in this beautiful place. Need I remind you by now it must be over 95 degrees and humid as hell so to say I was sweating is an understatement. Walked all around the park but the place I really wanted to hit was Strawberry Fields -a small section of the park dedicated to John Lennon-, if you read my blog you now I’m a big Beatles fan so this was a must. Why the place is modest it just has this great aura and was so worth the long ass walk.

Just a nice place to visit; this is up around 72nd street, so I’m about 13 blocks off the subway stop I need to take back down to Times Square. By now it’s almost 1 PM so I’m starving, on the way down I decide the eatery of choice will be the Hard Rock Cafe on 44th, smack dab in the heart of Times Square. A house salad, Baby Back Ribs and a couple of Sam Adams later I got my tank filled up so it’s off to wander around a bit more.

The next stop is the Hershey’s Store a couple of blocks away to get some chocolates for her and for the office. Just the smell of the place is off the hook, chocolate all around. They’ve got these great boxes with a Times Square image and has an assortment of miniature chocolates.

Souvenir shopping, gotta get some things for friends and a final gift for her. A quick walk down on 7th to 36th to get to the World’s Largest Store, Macy’s to get some clothes. To say the store is huge is an understatement, it must be 8 or 10 floors high; I got a new wallet on the street level, two shirts on the second floor, a pair of shoes and two pants on the 4th. It’s around 5:30 and I’m sweaty and dead tired, time to hit the hotel to rest a little and shower before the show at 8.

After the pitstop it’s time to head up to Radio City Music Hall to watch the second show ever of Cirque De Soleil’s Zarkana. Had a couple of drinks before the show, those 15 dollar scotch & soda’s were pretty darn good.

I’ve always wanted to see a show at Radio City so this was a great opportunity, the show was OK but in no way was it better than that O show I saw in Vegas in April or The Beatles: Love. Also the fact that it was the second show ever show with lots of production quirks that need to be worked out. Not the best show I’ve seen, actually the worst of the 3 I caught this trip (Rain: tribute to the Beatles and Stomp were the other 3) but was pretty entertaining.

10:30 PM and a quick subway trip takes me back to the hotel. My legs are dead, I’m hungry and I need to get my bags packed for the trip back home. Got a couple of pizza slices which were great; NYC has got to have the best pizza around, maybe I’ve got to go to Chicago to see if the theory is right. Dined, packed and off to sleep. Long trip back home tomorrow, for now…

Mr Khakbaz out!!!