The iPad Pro Can't Replace a Laptop

I came across an article on Forbes comparing the iPad Pro to the iPad Air and a laptop. It's pretty much what I expected.

The iPad Pro hasn't excited me at this point. It's just a big iPad. Sure, it has some new features, but not enough to justify the expense for me.

I've tried a few times over the years to use a tablet or even a phone as a primary computer. And the experiment has failed every time. If I'm traveling, an iPad and phone will get most of the job done for about a week. But they lack file management. I usually come back with a pile of unprocessed email. If I need to download files or save attachments, I usually can't do them correctly on an iPad. I can't save things directly to OneDrive like I can on my Mac.

I heard several years ago that Apple was working toward a convergence, where you use the same OS with the same capabilities and applications on computer, iPhone, and iPad. They aren't even close yet. I think Microsoft got there first.

Bill Burr Takes on Steve Jobs

Bill does raise a good point. Steve Jobs didn't really "invent" anything. He led, inspired, and whipped a team of people into producing them. Bill complains that he showed up at "nerd fests" without the team of scientists and engineers who did the actual work. Conan brought up a good point when he said he was not going to walk out on stage with all the writers on his show.

I'm not convinced the devices Steve Jobs was credited for would have existed had he not walked the Earth.

Remember in 2007 when the iPhone came out? What other devices were on the market? We had Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Palm, and a bunch of no-named crap. Most only came with about 64 to 128 MB of on-board memory. Some had SD card slots, but in my experience, those did little to expand the on-board memory. The shitty Windows Mobile phones I was using required all applications to be installed on-board, which ate up all of the local memory.

One of the retorts people gave to the iPhone's (at the time) massive 8 GB was "well, it's limited to 8 GB. MY device has a theoretically unlimited memory with hot-swappable SD cards." Yeah, but who wants to keep switching out SD cards? Oh, crap, I want to listen to this song and run this program, but they're on different cards!

Whether you think the iPhone was a good device or not, I consider it a game changer. Finally, Microsoft, RIM, Palm, and all the others were FORCED to start producing new, reliable devices with applications and on-board memory. Microsoft folded Windows Mobile and retooled for Windows Phone, which is a pretty damn good platform EXCEPT for the limited application support.

Also, remember the bad old days when you wanted ONE SONG, but had to spend $20 on a CD full of 9 other crappy songs just to get it? In part, because of the work Steve Jobs did, we can now buy that one single song and ignore the rest of the crap put out by the music industry. We can even get most of them DRM (or as I call it, CURM- Customer Use Restriction Management) free. Remember having to drive with hot-swappable CD's? Now I can get in the car and run a single playlist off my iPhone over BlueTooth. Awesome.

Steve Jobs was as flawed as any other man. But he was a leader and a visionary. I respect his legacy and I'm glad for the work he left behind. I like the iPhones, iPads, AppleTVs, and single-song purchasing capability he left us. Now, where the hell is his revolution of the television he supposedly came up with right before he died?

The iPad Is Falling Behind

I wonder if Apple will catch iOS 8 up to some of the other tablets next year. That's one of the things that sucks about Apple. You get one massive update each year, followed by 2-3 "bug fix" updates, then nothing but silence until next September.

Let me explain why the iPad is falling behind, although I'm sure I don't have to for most of you.

Example (iPad) : I was going through my mail this morning. I had another follower on Google +. I usually add everybody who follows me. I have a list for people who followed me on G+ that I don't know. So I click the link, which opens Safari (naturally). Safari presents me with G+'s page asking if I'd like to install the app (it is installed, but I can't open an app from an email link on the iPad). I say "No, take me to the mobile site". From there I have to log in. My Google password has gotten so complex I can't even memorize it anymore, so I have to bring up Lastpass and copy and paste it. Then I can add the person.

Example (Android, Windows 8 RT, Windows 8 Pro, anything but iOS): I open the email and discover I have a new follower on Google +. I click the link, which automatically opens the G+ app from which I can add the person to my list. Windows 8 might not open the app, but it will open the site in a full browser (not a mobile browser) from which you can continue without extra steps.

The iPad is falling behind. Doing almost anything on the iPad now seems to take too many steps. Everything from email pretty much opens in Safari. You can't change the default browser or the default application for anything. You get one: Safari. Now when you're dealing with files, you can choose but you can't exactly set a default.

I'm thinking a Windows 8 Pro tablet will suit me best next time around. I'm already using my Galaxy S3 to do most of my mobile work. Mostly, I use the iPad when I have a bunch of reading to do and I know my Galaxy S3's battery can't cope.

iPhone 4S Makes iOS Fun Again

My iPhone 4 has been grinding to a halt lately. I kind of expected it. Apple is the master of planned obsolescence. For a while, I toyed with getting an Android phone. I did some research, and mostly liked what I saw, except for those fears I had left over from the old Windows Mobile days. Apple may be techo-fascist, but they do deliver a decent integrated platform.

With Android, the simplistic description is Google makes the operating system, then gives it to the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). The OEM then builds the hardware, middleware, and add-ons. Then the telco gets involved with their own branding (AT&T Music, for one- does anybody actually use that?). Then the user is left with a handset with several stakeholders' hands on it. This often delivers a horrible experience.

I researched a bunch of Android phones, and talked to some people. One friend LOVES the Atrix line, but the Atrix HD (which was $1 on upgrade at Best Buy last week) had a weak battery and only 8 GB of storage.

Tumblr "The Amazing iOS6 Maps"

Rather than NOT blogging because I don't feel like cranking out long posts, maybe I'll start doing micro-posts like other bloggers.

Since I'm on a roll about iOS 6, here's a Tumblr blog devoted to The Amazing iOS6 Maps.

By the way, I has a Tumblr.

iOS Users Report Decrease in Satisfaction

I can second this. iOS 6 isn't all that impressive. The maps app is definitely a step down from the old trusty Google Maps. I don't have a use for Passbook. I've effectively stopped using Facebook, so I don't care about that integration.

Do Not Disturb could be useful, although the only calls I get are from my wife, and I can't get a signal at work anyway. I can't use Airplane mode because I use Bluetooth headphones. VIP in email is a take or leave. Most of my email comes from newsletters and status updates. I should just unsubscribe from most of it.

I consider iOS 6 as a face lift and a step backwards. It could have been 5.2. 

Should I Leave the iPhone Platform?

The question this post is titled under is more rhetorical than anything. But it is on my mind.

My iPhone is dying. More likely, Apple executed the script "Planned_Obsolescence" and things started grinding to a halt. The battery life is getting to be crap, applications are lagging, and the experience is nowhere near as great as it was 2 years ago. My podcast app, Downcast, lags when I try to skip through commercials. I know the commercials help fund the podcast, but if you've ever listened to a podcast with commercials, they play the same ones every day or week or whatever periodicity. It's not worth my time to listen to the same 3-4 minutes of commercials 20 times a day.

This problem may be more related to the latest Downcast update than iOS6 though, but it's still annoying. Apple finally released its own podcast app, but there's no way to import my podcasts into it. I probably have to go through iTunes. Forget that.

I'm also getting feedback on phone calls. It sounds like the person I'm talking to (usually my wife) is driving with the windows open and the children screaming in the background.

When I started this blog 6 years ago, I was a Windows Mobile user. I eventually got so tired of the problems that platform perpetuated I left it for the iPhone. I bought an iPhone 3G out of upgrade, that is, full price. I got an iPhone 4 near the end of 2010.

I've been content with the iPhone. It's not perfect, and Apple has a technofascistic approach to things, but on the whole they provide a good integrated experience. At the very least, the people who make the iPhone personally use it.  That's more than I can say for most other phones. I doubt anybody at Samsung used the BlackJack II and Epix, my two last straws on Windows Mobile. I doubt anybody at HP personally used the iPaq 6945 that I had for a while.

Apple is really good at setting trends and doing things nobody else can. Yet they also run behind. The first iPhone was revolutionary in a lot of ways. It was sleek and beautiful. It didn't have any of that annoying AT&T branding. Did anybody EVER use AT&T Music? Seriously? Then it fell short in key areas that other phones of the era already did. It only had a 1.3 Megapixel camera, and no stereo Bluetooth. The headphone jack was recessed, making a lot of connectors impossible to work with, including good headphones. It also had no apps. You can see Apple's genius at planned obsolescence, when the key selling features of the iPhone 3G were a normal headphone jack and apps. Oh, yeah, 3G, which several iPhone competitors had when the original iPhone was released.

Apple also manages to take some steps backward. The new Maps application falls short in a lot of key areas that the trusty Google Maps ALWAYS did well enough.I've found shortfalls in it. I can't get traffic to display. Since I have to drive back to New Jersey after work every other Friday on the I-95 corridor, being able to see whether the traffic jam I'm stuck in is only a few miles or long distance is important to me.

I have several friends on Android. I'm wondering if this is the time to jump. I still have an iPad, and it's not like I can't use the iPhone 4 as an iPod if I really feel the need to use iOS.

Real Dan Lyons: A Month of Microsoft

Dan Lyons (of Fake Steve Jobs fame) is going to give Microsoft another chance. He committed to using only Microsoft products for a solid month. Of course, it helps that Microsoft bought into the idea and sent him a phone and laptop to use.

I can't help feeling jealous. I use Microsoft laptops only because I can never seem to fit a MacBook into my budget when it comes time to replace them. My current laptop was bought for me by my in-laws when I went into real estate two years ago. It's an HP.

I'm not sure if Windows Phone fixed any problems in Windows Mobile, but I am NOT using my own money to find out. I've spent enough money and blood pressure points on Windows Mobile. If Microsoft would like to send me a review unit I'll be happy to evaluate it. Until then, I'll stick to the iOS platform.

I look forward to how Dan Lyons' project turns out.

So, What Do YOU Think of the iPad?

I was reading through some old blog drafts, and came across this one I wrote but never posted on the day the iPad was announced. I thought it was interesting to reread my reaction to the initial announcement.

I have a 16 GB wi-fi iPad 1. My dad gave it to me last year when he got the iPad 2. Hopefully, once the iPad 3 comes out, I’ll get the used iPad 2. It amazes me how quickly Apple products become obsolete. I bought an iPhone 3G in 2009. Within a year, it was almost useless, and yet it was still under warranty. I’m actually surprised at how long my iPhone 4 has lasted. I’ve had it about as long as I used the iPhone 3G.

So here’s the trip back in time to January 27, 2010:

Steve Jobs: One Last Thing

Steve Jobs was probably a jerk. Most of us would have fantasized about beating the crap out of him if we'd worked for him. And yet, he was a visionary who changed most of our lives in positive ways.

I stumbled across this video on Amazon the other day. Robert X. Cringley put it together after Steve's death last October. It was a great walk down memory lane.

The video is free to stream for Amazon Prime members.

I backed the video up three times to make sure I copied the following quote down. I've added it to a file I keep of my favorite quotes:

Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact and that is everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. - Steve Jobs.

That resonates with me a lot. I'm reaching a point where I realize I have a decent amount of intelligence. I realize I'm about as smart as the people who tell me what to do, make the laws and policies I have to follow, etc. I'm probably smarter than quite a few of them. What I wouldn't give to have Steve Jobs' ability to cast vision.

Leadership From Beyond The Grave

Steve Jobs (1996 or 1997) is questioned about some decisions he made when coming back to Apple. I found his response brilliant. He’ll definitely be missed. Obviously, he was a man, and as such, very fallible. But definitely a visionary. Crazy enough to believe he could change the world. And he did.

I hope some day, I can share this courage to say no to things that seem good in the present, for things that will be better in the future.

Personal MBA: Great Artists Ship

I hate when blogs don't allow comments. That forces me to use my own blog to comment when I have something to add, and I have little traffic. I stand a far greater chance of somebody accidentally stumbling across one of my comments on somebody else's blog than on my own.

Josh Kaufman at The Personal MBA put up a post, a tribute of sorts, to Steve Jobs, who passed away yesterday. Steve had a heck of an influence on the world. I was thinking this afternoon how, not too long ago, if you wanted one song, you had to buy a $20 CD. Most of the CDs I have from that time period only have ONE SONG I actually wanted, along with 9 crappy ones. Steve largely influenced the world so that now, I can just buy the ONE SONG I want. I love it.

I was talking to a coworker today. I asked how things would change if we had the ability, like Steve Jobs did, to tell people "This is D work. It's not acceptable. Start over." In my industry, we're often forced to accept whatever work is given to us. Sometimes it's bad. I had a problem with my BlackBerry. Our telecom team couldn't figure it out, so they ordered me a new one. I still have the same problem, but I'm not likely to get it fixed with the people we have available, and I'm also not likely to get access to the BES to figure it out myself. So I'm stuck, but I have a new BlackBerry with the Version 6 OS, which makes me cool. Few others have it.

Still, as a manager, and a leader, I'd love to have the influence Steve did. I've love to be able to inspire people to produce greater work, rather than adequate work. I've found people will rise to the level of expectation you have for them. In the position I was hired for, I wanted to raise the quality of ticket documentation among my team. It took a while to get buy-in from another manager to back me up, but after he got chewed out for not being able to explain the status of a ticket when the tech wasn't available, I was able to sell him on my idea. We hatched a 3 step quality improvement plan, and over the next few weeks through a series of ticket audits, we managed to get our techs to document tickets once a day. Our rules were simple: if it's an "I can't do my job because something is broke" ticket, and it can't be closed by the end of the workday, just leave a note on the ticket explaining why, so if we get a call, we can explain it. Things improved quickly, and before I got moved to another branch in a reorganization, we could check the tickets daily and find them all up to date. I was proud of our team. We gave them an expectation, and they met it.

Newsflash: iPad Owners Hate Their iPads

Blogs posts like this make me laugh. Though I am a total computer geek, I don’t have the funding that high-profile blogging computer geeks have. Therefore, I don’t have an iPad (unless you want to get me one for my birthday, Dad). My dad doesn’t read my blog.

I’ve seen similar reports in other tech blogs I follow. If you had the money to drop on an iPad, do you like it?

I’m not sure I’d get one even if I felt like spending the money. The iPad seems really cool, but I can do almost everything it can do with my iPhone 4. Maybe if the iPad had Flash, I’d get excited about it.

For those of you who have followed me, I’m considering jumping to Android for my next phone. That could be a year and a half or so. We’ll see what happens by that point. The iPhone could go through 2 more versions by then.

This Might Explain Why Verizon Announced Its iPhone

It’s no secret, I’ve been skeptical about the iPhone on Verizon. One of the last reasons I was skeptical is I expected Steve Jobs to announce it himself.

I was going through Google Reader today, and came across a very cryptic post by Fake Steve Jobs (Dan Lyons). It linked to another page here. Apparently, Steve Jobs is facing more health issues.

Looks Like I Was Wrong

OK, there’s going to be a Verizon iPhone.
I’m still stuck with AT&T. I got my wife her iPhone 3GS in May of 2010, and I got my iPhone 4 in November of 2010. That means it’ll cost us a lot to get out of our contracts at this point.
So how did AT&T celebrate this announcement? Well, when I tried to check weather on my way home, I had 5 bars and a 3G connection, but couldn’t connect to anything.
At least my wife and I had a full call this evening without dropping. Must be a full moon or something.

Yet More “iPhone On Verizon” Rumors, This Time From the WSJ

The Wall Street Journal of all places is now carrying a rumor about a supposed Verizon iPhone. Although, just like all the other rumors, there is no mention of how Apple and/or AT&T plans to get around that pesky 5-6 year exclusive agreement that nobody but me seems to remember.

I’ve mentioned many times how much I dislike AT&T. The other night, they dropped 4 calls in 30 seconds between my wife and I. We both had 5 full bars at the time. I’d love to have an option besides AT&T, which we’ve been with for a while and have never been satisfied with service.

What I gather from the article is Verizon is making a big announcement this coming Tuesday. The article states that it will be the “iPhone on Verizon” announcement, but offers no substance to back it up although it is stated in the article as fact.

Verizon sent out invitations for an event to be held in New York City on Tuesday asking that recipients "Join us as we share the latest news," but didn't specify the subject matter. The event will be headlined by Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704739504576068170230339348.html#ixzz1AU0V0XDD

My speculation is Verizon will announce another “iPhone Killer”. I want to be wrong. Let’s hope I am.

Why I’m (Rationalizing) Enduring AT&T

I’ve been complaining a lot lately about AT&T. I’m sorry. I tend to talk to my wife in the evenings while I’m sitting on my laptop and it’s easy to open Twitter and complain while I’m trying to reconnect the call. I guess I should stop. I’ve always had a problem when I get frustrated and have easy access to Twitter. You have no idea how hard it was not to rant on Twitter while I was working as a Realtor. I had other people’s businesses at stake, so I forced myself to keep my digital mouth shut.

I have no love for AT&T. I’ve endured them for a long time. I’ve been with “The New AT&T” since 2005, but before that I kept bouncing between Cingular and AT&T Wireless for 5 years prior to that as I’d leave one for the other only to be bought back by the one I left.

My Comment On A Blog Post About Windows Phone 7

A colleague at work pointed out a blog post about Windows Phone 7. The writer of the post bought a new phone with Windows Phone 7 installed on it. He took it back within 4 hours and had to pay a restocking fee.

I would have simply left a comment on the blog post itself, but it’s hosted on InfoWorld, and I would have to register for an account. In a day and age when a 10 year old could easily code a site to allow me to log in with an existing account (like FaceBook, Twitter, or Wordpress), InfoWorld, a site that apparently markets itself to IT professionals, requires me to create yet another account on their site. I’m tired of having to keep track of logins and passwords. I can’t tell you have many sites and blogs and forums I’ve had to create an account on just to leave a comment or view information and NEVER GO BACK AGAIN. I’m tired of it.

Did Microsoft Actually Do Something Right?

After years of reading Lifehacker posts about tweaks to make Windows more like Mac OS X, here’s a post about a way to add some Windows functionality to Mac’s OS. Apparently, Windows 7’s Aero Peek is a coveted feature.

I like Aero Peek. If I ever get a Mac, I’ll install this program on it.

BlackBerry Blog: The First 5 Things I Do When I Get a New BlackBerry

It’s amazing how different the main smartphone platforms are. I came across a post on the BlackBerry Blog about the first 5 things the writer does when setting up a new BlackBerry.

I’m a dedicated iPhone user by this point. I’m not saying iPhone is the best out there, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s the best for me.

I almost laughed at the first thing this person does: Check to see if the device runs the latest software. When Christina and I got BlackJack II’s in 2008, they were running Windows Mobile 6.0. I learned that Windows Mobile 6.1 was out, so I spent most of that evening updating our new phones to the newest operating system.

I couldn’t even imagine Apple doing that. If you buy ANY iPhone from Apple, it will come out of the box with the newest version of the operating system. That makes me want to laugh at the other smartphone platforms. I’m pretty sure any new Mac comes with the latest software, although I don’t have much experience with buying new macs. I know I’ve never gotten a new Windows PC that didn’t have to download buttloads of updates right away. I’ve also never installed Linux without having to install tons of updates either.

That’s one of the things I like about the iPhone. I can get a new one, plug it into my laptop, and tell it to restore from my last backup. Then I have essentially the same phone without skipping a beat.