My Brief iPad Mini Review

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Aaron Hahn

From the start, my eyebrows were raised ONLY because of the way Apple unveiled the new Mini (as I watched it live on the AppleTV in 1080p!). The unveiling of it was almost as good as that of the original iPhone in 2007. Almost, though, as NOTHING will be beat that. I mean, it is an iconic moment in technology history (I still watch it if I’m bored). Really, the Mini’s unveiling is the only reason why I wanted to even see one, as I’ve always considered it a niche product for the holidays. I see it pretty much as an attempt to compete with the Nexus 7, and more or less a shrunken iPad 2. I had some serious doubts from the start.

The reality is quite the contrary. I finally saw and played with one in person and I immediately knew this is the tablet for me. I’ve always thought that 7″ inch tablets were devices that just couldn’t compete with the iPad, and I laughed at the people that gushed all over their 7″ inch whatevers. Then I saw the Nexus 7 and shockingly I said to myself, “Man, this is actually really nice”. What was so nice about it was the OS (Android Jellybean 4.2) finally had that Apple “polish” to it. It only took Google 5 years to catch up… and then they broke that very same Apple polish with a patch… and broke it worse with a patch to fix that patch (begin evil laughter).

What really impressed me, though, was the form factor, as the design and weight of the Nexus 7 is amazing. Picking it up is like picking up a feather, and I *immediately* said to myself, “Now THIS is portable. I really wish this was an iPad”. Unfortunately, it still is the Nexus 7, as it is still Android… so it still sucks. Always remember peeps… it could look like a Ferrari, but if the engine is a 4-banger… what’s the point? And all the Windows 8 peeps say “WHAAT!”.

Apple met, matched, and beat (IMO) the Nexus 7 with one arm behind its back, or at least the unveiling said so. What I saw at first glance was a shrunken iPad 2, and then I started to read more. I read positive reviews, negative reviews, neutral reviews, and biased in both direction reviews. I’m a geek… it’s what I do. But no matter what type of review I read, one thing was consistent… portability. Then I looked in the mirror and admitted, I hardly ever use my iPad as a portable device… so what’s the point in owning the absolute best model you can get? The display? Well, that is a plus. But do I really use it as it’s designed? Honestly, not really. The iPad Mini, however, truly fits that build.

So, I went to the mall, walked by the Windows Store (the only store not busy during the Christmas holidays) and ended up the Apple Store. After waiting my turn, I played on the iPad Mini and I knew right then and there after picking it up that, this was the iPad as it is supposed to be. Turns out, I was wrong with my original assumptions.

One thing that ALL types of reviews talk about is the Mini’s lack of Retina display. For me – one who looks at displays daily for long periods of time – yes, I absolutely notice it is not Retina. Between my iPhone 4S and iPad 3, I can tell in immediately that it’s not Retina. I miss the Retina display on my iPad Mini, I really do. BUT… it’s all mental for a spoiled geek. Bear with me here. Until Retina displays are the norm, they’re a luxury item in my opinion. They are something Apple has over its competitors. Other screens are nice, but nothing compares to a Retina display.

The MacBook Pro Retina is the biggest example of display awesomeness. You simply have to see it to believe it. But, is a 15″ MBP Retina as mobile as say, a 11″ or 13″ Mac Book Air? No. And there’s the difference. A laptop is meant to be mobile, or portable. One obviously does this better than the other. One obviously looks better than the other, too. The iPad is truly meant to be portable, but comparing the portability of the iPad vs. the iPad Mini is no contest.

My take from 10,000 feet in the air? It depends on your usage and needs (as anything in this cluttered tech boom is). Four years ago, I would have said that the Sony PS3 was the better buy because of its BluRay capabilities. Now, I’d say the latest edition of the XBox 360 is. I’ve said before that the iPad 3 is the only iPad worth owning – but now, not so much. Currently, my personal needs are mobility and portability – and enter the 64GB Verizon LTE iPad Mini.

Coming from an IBM Lenovo laptop, walking around with a MacBook Air feels like I’m carrying nothing – but still doing my job. It’s weird. Walking around with an iPad Mini and still being able to have my entire digital life and doing my job (feeling like I’m carrying nothing)… it’s weird. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg had something when he arrogantly said the iPad wasn’t mobile. Well, the iPad Mini is.

If you’re looking for a new iPad or looking to ‘upgrade’ from an iPad 1 or 2, then seriously consider the iPad Mini. It’s cheaper and better in a lot of ways (check out the benchmarks in this piece), and once you have it (pending you have a 4G version) you will wonder how you ever lived without one. The only hard decision is, should you get the white or the black one?

I have read in a few places that Apple is two years out from a Retina iPad Mini, and that sounds about right. But if they do to it what they had to do with the iPad 3 (or 4) Retina (as they had to make it heavier, thicker, awkward weight distribution), then no thanks – I’ll wait till you can meet its current mobile specs (super-feather-light, and form factor).

Mobility… it’s where it’s at… and I’m a fan of the iPad Mini.

My (Slightly More Extended) Microsoft Surface Experience

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Aaron Hahn

Last month I provided some quick thoughts on the Microsoft Surface vs. Apple iPad. Recently I had the opportunity to play a little more with a Surface – in a much Apple-copied (however pretty cool) Microsoft retail store. (As a side note –> Hey Apple, you’ll sue Samsung for copying products… so why not Microsoft for copying your stores? Anyway… )

Moving on, in my time with the Surface, here’s what I picked up. First off, I noticed that the Surface suffers from the same issues as the desktop Windows 8, IMO. Shocker, I know. With no onscreen clues to tell you what to do, the Surface is frustrating. If I have no experience with Win8 and I am coming from a simple interface like the iPad, (and heck, even Android), I have to assume the Surface follows suit, right?

Nope.

Like the desktop of Windows 8 there are no on-screen clues to guide you in the OS. Therefore… how am I supposed to know to pull up the contextual menu (something neither Android or iOS has mind you), to change settings of the Surface? How am I to know to swipe from the right hand side of the screen? How?

Am I an idiot user? Or an average consumer – aka not a geek? So, how? I didn’t have to do that with my iPad?

Oh yeah, I knew to do this because I’m coming from desktop Windows 8, something not being as adopted (or upgraded) to as much as Microsoft hoped. Welp… there goes that plan. Ballmer, again, you’re a genius!

In all fairness though, the owner/user would obviously learn these mysteries and tout how amazing of an experience it is. But we have lived under the iOS and Android rule for five years now (including the similar functionality starting in 2007 with the original iPhone), and it’s just the standard/norm.

Does it work? Yeah.
Is it frustrating? Yup.

Only Microsoft can make ‘multi-touch’ feel like, well… Microsoft.

As for the hardware… yawn. Seriously. It’s a nicely built device, I will say that at least. However, there’s nothing “sleek” or cool about it, like the iPad and some Android tablets. The “awesome, cool, clever, keyboard ‘smart cover’”, is hardly anything to write home about. It’s being touted as a ‘keyboard’, but yet doesn’t function nearly as well as one. This = fail. Oh yeah, and that “awesome, cool, clever, keyboard ‘smart cover’” that is shown synonymously in ALL ads for the Surface… is 100 bucks extra. Wait? What? I’m an average consumer that believes everything he/she sees? Where’s my damn “awesome, cool, clever…” keyboard? Even if I extend my 500 dollar Surface (iPad wannabe) to 600 dollars, it still didn’t seem worth it. At least for me (maybe I did it wrong) – when I folded the keyboard cover back (or tried to, as it was tethered to the table), I was hitting keys. Again, fail.

And that’s only on its surface (no pun intended). “Underneath the hood”, no one is talking about (or rarely talking about) how much storage is left (for the standard 32GB Surface tablet). What is this?! Yes, close to 50% of its space is gone to the OS! Not even the full Win8 OS. WHAT?! <sigh>

“But, hey customer! You can get twice the storage for the same price as a 16GB iPad!”

No, you can’t.

When it comes down to it, what isn’t being talked about (or has just been forgotten) is how much Apple really changed the game. Not so much with its hardware, but its software. Playing with Windows in the way that a lot of people say it was really designed for, on a touch tablet, really made me think about “stale, old iOS” - and how much I really do like it. Say what you want about the aging iOS but if a two year-old, or an 80 year-old person can effortlessly use an iPad out of the box – that’s saying something. But, to the contrary, if my five year-old can only click the über ugly, constantly notifying changing, seizure inducing Chinese cartoon-like, flashing, interface formerly known as ‘Metro’ and never officially renamed, tiles… and nothing else… <sigh> I lost my train of thought. You get my point.

In the end, I do have hope for the Surface in a couple of years. I believe Microsoft will right its wronged ship with the Surface 3 (or whatever it will be called, probably “Surface 2014!” or something stupid like that). I do agree with a harmonious ‘OS’ ecosystem, between one’s phone, tablet, and desktop. Like I’ve said for a year now… Apple and Microsoft are doing the same thing but from two completely different sides. It’s just that one works better ‘right now’ – and that’s OS X & iOS.

The New Macs Suck (For My Wallet)

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Aaron Hahn

This is yet another reason why Apple is on top (right now).

If you go to the Apple store and try to ‘build’ a new Mac, you REALLY have to consider that you will have zero possibility for doing ‘DIY’ upgrades later. Therefore, you are stuck with maxing your system out from the build, where Apple is infamous on making money on some of their mark-ups. This is a large profit margin… straight money.

Through the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and now iPad, they’ve convinced the consumer that ‘looks’ are as important as performance. They’ve convinced the consumer, now pretty much all of them (geeks included), that you don’t need to tinker with your machine afterwards… “it just works” – so we’re going to build everything on the board directly. With these concepts combined together, you get this year’s Mac products. ALL but two Mac models are not upgradable afterwards (all but one below as you’ll see, and I didn’t add the MBP). So you MUST upgrade at the time of purchase, or you WILL be screwed just two years later.

I ‘built’ what I would buy as a sustainable 4-5 yr. PC:
- 13″ MacBook Air: $2,526.00 – (stock: $1,499.00, with TB LED Display: $3,526.00)
- (would order 999.99 Apple Thunderbolt Display as this would be a ‘desktop’ replacement with a much needed additional Thunderbolt port).
- (would order “Mac Care”, as this is an unserviceable mobile laptop).

- 15″ MacBook Pro Retina: $4,176.00 – (stock: $2,799.00, with TB LED Display: $5,176.00)
- (would order 999.99 Apple Thunderbolt Display as this would be a ‘desktop’ replacement with a much needed additional Thunderbolt port).
- (would order “Mac Care”, as this is an unserviceable mobile laptop).

- 2012 Mac Mini: $1,527.00 – (stock $799.00, with TB LED Display: $2,527.00)
- (would order 999.99 Apple Thunderbolt Display as this would be a ‘desktop’ replacement with a much needed additional Thunderbolt port).

- 2012 27″ iMac: $3,597.00 – (stock $1,999.00)
- (would order “Mac Care”, as this is an unserviceable desktop).

As I said before, this is what ‘I’ would buy, as something that would sustain me for the next four to five years. The problem is, ‘I’ paid $2,100 (after taxes and shipping) for my iMac four years ago, and I am able to service it if I need to (RAM, hard drive, no “Mac Care”, etc.). AND I got a great display with it (again, 2,100 bucks four years ago). To repeat that now, I would have to spend $3,500! I just don’t see that happening for me anytime soon. I’m kinda screwed.

More Thoughts & Ramblings

All of the above are the future for both Apple and other manufacturers (as they are trying desperately to catch up). Other manufacturers have a horrible OS in stock now with Windows 8 (this is a huge win for Apple, as I’m learning how Win8 is just so damn bad as time goes on).

Apple has the lockdown on supply chain and patents. If you look at the ‘blue’ stock prices, and then what the maximum price would be with ‘their’ upgrades, you’re easily looking at a 85% – 200% markup (300% with a Thunderbolt display). THAT is money. You could shave a grand off without the LED Thunderbolt [TB] display, but Thunderbolt is a huge technology, and the more the better. I guess at ‘purchase’ you could remove the display and get it at a later time. But still, this is their model.

Although you’re buying absolutely awesome products that should last you four to five plus years, as consumers it sucks to be ‘us’. The MacPro was the last real serviceable product they made, and they haven’t upgraded the MacPro but once over the past few years (and that was a very modest upgrade to the CPU speed). What does that tell you about where they’re making their money, where they want to be, and what the consumer is buying?

All of that said, I wonder how long Apple as a company can sustain this growth? I wonder how their lockdown of the products and supply chain will continue. I wonder how long it’s going to take for the consumer to revolt against such a model. From the start, this has been their model, and I don’t ever seeing that changing. The MacMini was supposed to be their ‘consumer level intro’ computer, but with all the necessary upgrades at $1,500, you might as well shop elsewhere.

I just don’t see this lasting with the consumer past five more years at the rate they’re growing. Maybe Tim Cook will change this once they start to lose share, but I doubt it. What I sincerely hope happens is Microsoft starts building their own hardware, as it is rumored to be happening. I would love to see Microsoft inch towards this model as it will put pressure on Apple to reduce their price. Macs are what they are because the software maker and the hardware maker are the same, as this allows for a near perfect computer. If Microsoft should do this (again as it’s rumored), not only will that provide a better PC, but it’ll be direct competition to Apple’s methodology.

All of that said… I would seriously buy that 15″ MacBook Pro Retina. A co-worker of mine ordered the model I specced out at $4,000. It’s amazing. Light, portable, fast, beautiful design, the screen is…. beautiful. But to replace ‘my’ iMac I’d need a screen, and the only screen I’d want is that TB LED, and that’s another grand on top of four. That’s pretty rich. Also, with the flipping back and forth between a retina screen and the TB LED – I don’t know if that would hurt my eyes. Once you go retina, it’s hard to go back, heh. The next comparable screen like the TB LED is probably around $2,000 – $4,000 by itself.

My runner-up would be the MacBook Air. After using an Air for a week now, it’s a great little laptop (seriously great, almost an iPad replacement). The model I have is stock, and is slower than ‘I’ would like, but it’s a great portable laptop with a GREAT battery. In fact, I’d say it’s the best battery I’ve ever seen/used in a laptop ever. As I write, I’m on my second day with no charge!

To bring this extended piece to a close, I’ll say that the most economical bang for your buck is a regular MacBook Pro with a TB LED Apple display (eventually). Still crazy expensive, but at least you only have to upgrade your CPU and maybe the hard drive at build. Everything else is serviceable.

Have any thoughts or questions? Please leave them in the comments… thanks!

Surface vs. iPad: A Quick Glance

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Aaron Hahn

So I was tech-reading on the net (like I often do) and I came upon how Microsoft had a ‘question and answer’ session about their new ‘Surface’. One user asked about its display vs. the iPad’s Retina display. He said (basically) that even though the Surface’s display has a lower resolution (by a lot), because of the way that Microsoft is utilizing ‘Clear Font’, that it’s actually better than the Retina display.

I’m still laughing, and laughing hard at this horrible answer by Microsoft… and I’m not alone. One user said:

“Microsoft blows. The only area the Surface outperforms the iPad is in blowing real hard.”

This, is a true statement. I mean, FanBoys get nailed about ‘drinking the kool-aid’, but seriously Microsoft… wow.

Look, the ONLY thing the Surface has over the iPad is a FULL OS, depending heavily on the fact that you get the “right” Windows 8 tablet. Yes, there are two of them.

It’s the full version of Windows 8, new UI and traditional desktop, on a 10″ tablet. You’re going to pay for that Full OS tablet by the way. #ProTip – customers should really think about how they will be using their tablet device before they choose.

So if you “need” a full OS on a 10″ piece of glass, that’s fine. I can think of a lot of reasons to have a full-blown version of Apple OS X on a 10″ piece of glass. But don’t sit there and try to tell me that the screen, that is subpar to a technically-built display, is better. That’s just garbage.

The problem that I have for a full OS on a 10″ piece of glass is, ergonomics. This is huge. Using my iPad for longer than an hour, my neck and arms tire. This has to do the weight of the iPad 3, and the Surface is heavier. If I think about a traditional desktop, and what I use a traditional desktop for, I cannot do this on a 10″ piece of glass whilst sitting on my couch. Nor would I want to do that on an office chair and desk. Most “desktop” applications (if not all) require a keyboard AND a mouse. Which, that keyboard cover by the way, is not standard with the Surface. That’s 100 dollars extra (notice how they’re not touting that, eh?).

So, that’s 500 bucks to get the “regular version” of the Surface, or 600 bucks for the “full” Windows 8 version. THEN another 100 bucks for the keyboard cover – which isn’t all that great for using “as a keyboard”. That totals around 700 bucks for a 16GB tablet. What?!

Like anything, it depends on what you use a ‘computer’ for. For me… when I want a desktop, I WANT a desktop, and I DON’T WANT Windows 8.

Like my original quick review of Windows 8, I said I thought it was brilliant in concept, but it doesn’t work in practice. I do think that Apple’s approach is better by taking the tablet back to the desktop, vs. the desktop to the tablet (like Microsoft). They are two different approaches that will eventually meet in the next five years. Windows 8 is still a good five years out. Well, maybe make that ten years for Microsoft, and five years for The Fruit.

Windows 8 Review – Interesting, But Yuck

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Aaron Hahn

I just downloaded and installed two OS’ in the last 24 hours, one of which was the latest rev of Ubuntu, the other Windows 8 Customer Preview. I think the this preview is the public preview before the GM build of Windows 8, the GM build is normally 99% of what will be shipped to store and our computers. As always, I’d like to share my thoughts…

Personally, I think Windows 7 is fantastic. I think Microsoft really tried hard to break away from XP with Vista, and again, I never had any issues (at all) with Vista. Though Vista was a pretty XP on top and (IMO) limited and annoying changes underneath, it was a good upgrade. Vista was a resource hog for older/slower machines and that was its biggest ‘issue’. People couldn’t run it without having a great system. And if they had a great system (normally it was because of video games), Vista didn’t do ‘as well’ as XP while playing the games. I saw that, but to me, since video games are no longer a big part in my daily life, it wasn’t a big deal.

Then, Windows 7 came along and fix most of, if not all of, Vista’s issues. It is literally a Vista SP3 purely by code revision (6.5), and that really is brilliant. What isn’t brilliant is how Microsoft handled this ‘update’ to Vista – charging another $200 – $400 for an “update” just 700 days after Vista’s release. To me, professionally, this is what ultimately rubbed the masses the wrong way – especially for all of those who felt they got duped by Vista in the first place. But I digress…

Taking a page from Apple (yeah, I said that, and “this time” it’s true), they’ve gone with the extreme, and in some ways better than Apple – by bridging tablet computing with desktop computing. The problem is, on a desktop, it falls short. To me it’s like a cartoon of Wile E. Coyote: jumping the canyon with a rocket tied to his back… almost there… then the rocket gives out, falling just short of the goal and into a cloud of dust.

This is the most unfriendly version of Windows ever. Going from 3.1 to ’95 was completely rough, and this version of Windows is just as bad. The UI, though I really praise Microsoft for trying something different (to finally rid all of us from this ‘windowed’ world), is just limited, clunky, and seems rushed. The new default interface, ‘Metro’, is super familiar to X360 and Mobile Windows 7 users, on the desktop – it’s… unnecessary. This is the biggest feature I really wanted to see, and unfortunately I am disappointed. There’s no graphical indication of what you are suppose to do with the Metro interface, and if you go to the desktop, there’s no graphical clue with how to get back to the Metro interface. To me, this is a big problem. I say this because if I, a geek for over a decade and a half, can’t quickly see what I am suppose to do, then I immediately cry foul.

Did I figure things out? Absolutely.

Was it intuitive? Hell no.

Also, any non-native Microsoft app or app that is not designed for the Metro UI (on the Metro screen) is ugly and sticks out like a wart on a face. Again, yuck.

So let’s look at real world use… 75% of the people that own a computer really only do a few things on it. Use the web, email, & _____ (fill in the blank). Since the Metro UI is the default UI, surfing the web is neat with IE (a native app), but again, it crashes down to a cloud of dust. The cookies between the desktop version of IE and the Metro IE, do not sync up… ???

I can’t find the home button for Metro IE, and it’s slower than the desktop version. This upsets me. The desktop version is fine. In fact, IE 10 is rather nice on the desktop. I can’t say that for Metro. But hey, lets be honest here, who really uses IE anymore? I seriously cannot think of anyone other than my parents. And do you really want to be classed with people in their 60s? I downloaded both Firefox and Chrome, and they do not have a native Metro UI (nor do they have a native Metro UI icon) and this is fine, but now I am wondering - what’s the point of the Metro UI on a desktop?

The Metro UI in apps designed for it, like email, are awesome. Really. They’re beautiful, because it’s not “windowed computing”. Unfortunately for a desktop, mousing around the “entire” screen is a burden. But, the default email app shines with its simplicity. It truly is a new age of computing *sigh* … if it only worked “well”. The settings for the menu context is all the way on one side of the screen, hidden. Then, to do something else, you have to mouse over to the other side of the screen (where there too is another hidden set of options). On a 24″ monitor, this is a lot of mousing around. It’s like playing a game with a retarded supermodel. Gorgeous, but frustrating.

Getting to some good, what really shines for Windows 8 is their store. Finally, Microsoft has a place to download content. Ubuntu has been doing this (successfully) for years now. OS X just started doing it (successfully) last year. Google does something (?) with a web store (stupid Google), and now it has come to Windows desktop. It’s here that users of Xbox 360 will feel right at home. Mostly anything you’d “need” for basic computing is presented in a beautiful UI, with really easy to use features. It’s Metro UI native, and it’s a simple and painless system. I really like the concept of a place to download content. On these OS’s it’s like going to the mall. It’s nice.

What sucks about the Microsoft Store is that it’s for Metro UI only – there are no desktop apps, (at least from what I can tell). And this is fine, since most of these apps aren’t professional grade, like your Adobes and media apps.

Bottom line, the Metro UI is absolutely fantastic, but not on a desktop. It simply doesn’t work well enough. Well, it does “work”… but it’s just not intuitive enough to be the main feature. I have very little control of what and how the Metro UI works and looks – and on a desktop computer, I expect that.

There is no doubt, however, that Microsoft is going to make a big splash this year with Windows 8. The current Customer Preview is not without its bugs, and I’d be surprised if Microsoft doesn’t change A LOT of things before GM, (if this isn’t already the GM). The simple fact that we’ll be getting a ‘tablet’ interface as a default makes me expect tablet features, like iOS or Android. This, like Windows 7 Mobile, is missing these features and it’s only expounded on a desktop. The example here is folders – let me group my apps into folders, instead of a barfed view of “everything”! OS X does it, iOS does it, Android does it… c’mon Windows?!

I do have to say that I praise Microsoft to all ends for trying something new, having the guts to go with it, and the guts to spend millions and millions of dollars to give it us. What they’ve done is fantastic on paper, but not practical in its current position. I think it is absolutely awesome that they split us from the traditional “desktop” and made their desktop another feature. In a sense, that’s brilliant and out-of-the-box thinking. But, it doesn’t work. I have to look at what Apple is doing with OS X – slowly bringing the tablet experience to the desktop… vs. the desktop to the tablet. I like this approach, as it fits better with today’s desktop computing.

That all being said, perhaps this is exactly what we need? Perhaps Microsoft will indeed do something revolutionary for the first time? Perhaps Micorsoft is now the new “Apple-Underdog”? Regardless of what transpires, my eyes have been sparked by a Microsoft product for the first time since XP. But, my Micorsoft luvahs and Apple hatahs… there’s a long way to go.

I’m still not switching back, as I still love OS X for it’s UI and controls. OS X Lion’s “tablet features on a desktop” is brilliant.

But… ask me later about Ubuntu 12.04.

: )