iPad 2 = WINNING. iOS 4.3 = NOT winning.

Let me get one thing across: the iPad 2 is a marvelous piece of hardware. Just when you didn’t think the iPad couldn’t get any slimmer and pack two cameras, it still can. The iPad 2 will succeed just like its predecessor, and that’s fine by me because it deserves it on the hardware end for the most part. I’m not going to describe the specs; you can check them out at apple.com/ipad . I also LOVE the smart covers…ingenious.

I am also glad that Steve Jobs came back to announce the new iPad; it shows that he is still very much alive and in control of the company he loves.

However, some things bothered me about the keynote (besides my main point coming up):

• Yes, the iPad 2 is the thinnest and lightest tablet out on the market probably…but other than that, there’s not much to it. The camera specs are vague at best; we just know that that the FaceTime (front) camera is VGA quality. The Motorola XOOM, on the other hand, uses a 2MP front-facing camera and a 5MP back camera. We do not know the current specifications of the back camera for the iPad 2, although I want to take a stab and guess it’ll also be a VGA camera or 3 MP, at best, because it seems very similar to the iPod Touch camera.
• It also bothers me that Steve Jobs kept on harping the iPad as not just some minor tweaking. OK, sure, it has an A5 processor, can do 1080p output, etc. But I feel like all of that still could have merited without an event like this. If there was discussion about MobileMe or even just cloud services in general, this would have been different. But iPad 2 plus a bunch of apps? I guess it kinda works, but it was still head-scratching at the end.
• It kind of relates to a report MacRumors had gotten last night about an “Apple staffer” saying that this update wasn’t exactly worth it. , but I have a feeling Steve Jobs felt like he NEEDED to be there to save the iPad. I hate to speculate, especially with his health being involved, but I feel like he felt he needed to be there because he knew that his temporary return would capture most of the attention compared to mostly under-the-hood changes to the iPad 2. Again, I’m not gonna go far out in saying that he was using his health condition to his advantage necessarily, but I feel like he knew that if he was up on stage it’d be better than if Tim Cook was on stage.

The main point that bothered me, however, was the lack of updates for iOS…and not even a single mention of MobileMe. Everyone who has an iPhone knows how stupid iOS’s notification system is…you’re texting along and all of a sudden you’re stopped by this annoying little bubble from one of your many apps that you really don’t want to see right at the moment. Android has a much less intrusive and much more informative/systematic notification system, but Apple decided to be “simplistic”. By doing so, however, they decided to be annoying.

I also have a problem with lack of widgets, or at least the icons not telling me any information but just how many things are waiting to tell me something. It’s the most useless use of space ever, it really is. Android does a good job of mixing information with portals/icons/apps. I can look at my homescreen for the current weather without having to prod through an app just to get to current weather conditions, and then prod through some more settings to see a 7-day, for instance. On a tablet, this is even more pronounced with the expanded real-estate. Honeycomb isn’t a perfect OS, but it’s an ideal OS. It can be made as simplistic or as complicated as one would like…Google + carrier companies need to do a better job of guiding the end-user in simplifying or expanding the user experience. But Honeycomb has infinite possibilities…iOS, in its current state, does not.

Which made me realize something: I’m not an Apple Fanboy…I’m a Mac Fanboy. I love the operating system because I can be as simplistic or as complicated as I want to be. Windows, admittedly, allows more extensivity but the aesthetics of Mac OS X can be made as simple or as complicated as can be; just look at my menubar. It’s a one stop shop where I can see everything that I need to see without making a single keyboard shortcut or mouse click.

(click on image to expand: I can check the weather, how much RAM my computer is using, and even check iCal events just by looking up).

Instead of trying to port iOS stuff to OS X, Apple needs to consider porting some stuff from OS X to iOS again. I’m not saying we need an omnipresent menu bar in iOS, obviously, but we need some sort of innovative system for pulling up the information we would like to know most in an unobtrusive manner. For crying out loud, Growl notifications were pioneered on OS X and yet now they’re showing up very nicely in Honeycomb? Apple’s slowly but steadily losing its mobile software grip, and they need to find a way to recover fast.

I’ve already decided…unless the allure of the iPad 2 really gets to me (or the cheapness of the first generation iPad), to make a pact with a friend of mine that if the Motorola XOOM wi-fi version is less than $600 that we’re going to buy our own XOOMs. The iPad 2, physically, is really nice. But hardware can only do so much…software picks everything else up. And at this point, iOS 4.3 doesn’t do it anymore. It has some great improvements…just not the best improvements. And now, since it looks like we won’t even get to have a developer preview of iOS 5 until July, it looks like we’ll be doing a lot more waiting.

 

Apple iPad 2 Event live metablog.

Sorry I’m not sorry for updating so much. But seriously, this blog (and my twitter, and maybe if I feel mean Facebook as well), will be updating constantly as new details come in from Apple’s iPad 2 special event.

2:01PM: don’t expect a cloud service rollout or free mobile me, no mention of it on the iPad 2 product pages.

1:47PM: Jobs claimed that this year (2011) was the year of the  copycat, with other companies trying to emulate the iPad. I think it’s the other way around…and not in a flattering way either. At least the other cameras on other tablets could do megapixel-worthy photos with flash (I think, back camera at least). If the iPad 2 is as unflattering as I take it to be, expect me to be on a Motorola Xoom in two weeks.

1:46PM: as time goes on and on about the new apps for the iPad, I’m growing increasingly worried that this is really all there is. aka, no cloud service, no free mobile me, etc. I think iOS 5, in hindsight was a bad prediction because it’s not WWDC yet. But to not see any Cloud Services would be a shame today…

1:38PM: PhotoBooth and FaceTime for iPad, iTunes music sharing via home network, things we kinda expected. I still want a new notification system.

1:28PM: new case (that’s now a cover) and HDMI cable.

1:25PM: OK, this is WAY too short of a product launch, there’s GOT to be something up Apple’s sleeve today.

1:23PM: black and white iPad (didn’t expect that). White iPad kinda looks fugly in my opinion, and I’m a fan of white. If I’m to believe the pictures, flat back though (thank God)

1:22PM: thinner than iPhone 4

1:20PM: still metal back, i was obviously wrong about no back camera, but I think it’ll just be low-quality camera in the back????? not sure. also “dramatically thinner”. 33% thinner

1:19PM: finally, details. “not a tweak design”, “dual core processors” “A5″, “all-out on graphics” (Thanks Jacqui from Ars)

1:05PM: If anyone’s actually reading this, Steve Jobs is just going over/lauding the sales figures and innovation that the iPad has produced. Nothing to see here for now.

1:03PM: SJobs is back, just to introduce new iPad. iBooks, asexpected, is updated with Random House coming on board, major boost to iBooks in a crowded eBook market.

1:01PM: Media is being seated and asked to turn cell phones to silent mode.

12:52PM: Justin Bieber’s such a badass. Maybe. OK, not really. But he’s flicking someone off in this picture. To all you weirdo 21-year-old girls out there who have a mad crush on him, does this qualify as “badass” enough for you? hahah. and no I don’t have Bieber fever. Sorry.

12:46PM: Playing words with friends right now instead of reading aforementioned poems.

12:37PM: Looking at poems and giving last minute predictions out of my ass:

1) iPad 2 with only a HD front FaceTime Camera; Cook/Jobs will say that back camera is irrelevant because it’s too unwieldy.

2) iOS 5 introduction, eventual release later in the year.

3) MobileMe revamp; tiered pricing.

I’ll be looking at ArsTechnica, Engadget and gizmodo today. WINNING.

What did I learn today and yesterday?

So here’s a bunch of stuff I learned:

• My “readers” obviously care more about Justin Bieber cutting his hair than what’s going on in Student Government. Fair enough.
• Falafel ain’t bad, especially with Tzatziki sauce (thanks Jillian!). Kind of could make me go vegetarian to be quite honest with you. But do we really have a place here in Gainesville devoted to falafel? Interesting.
• Voter turnout was slightly higher on the first day compared to last year, but not considerably enough to warrant concern that there’s a possible shift in power.
• Progress is potentially more out in force compared to yesterday, but it’s still kind of paltry to be honest.
• The “bring out the dog” thing is so 2010, people.
• APPLE’S COMING OUT WITH THE iPAD 2 NEXT WEDNESDAY OMG OMG OMG.
• Apple’s also coming out with a MacBook Pro refresh. For those of you who just got MacBook Pros in the past month, I feel sorry for you.
• The Asians are definitely out in force to get their guy Anthony Reynolds into office. You can’t really go around campus without seeing an Asian person wearing a Unite shirt.
• President Obama has ordered the Justice Department to not defend the Defense of Marriage Act, basically potentially opening the door to gay marriages in the future. (sorta kinda, don’t quote me on that please).

::yawn:: I’m tired, nap time.

Steve Jobs, and other things that have come back from near death.

So if you haven’t heard by now, Steve Jobs requested that the board of directors at Apple, Inc. give him a medical leave of absence effective immediately. He cites that he will still make major decisions when necessary, but that he is leaving day-to-day operations to COO Tim Cook, who also took over day-to-day operations while Jobs was trying to find a liver transplant for his pancreatic cancer. While Jobs still is carrying on his new gaunt appearance compared to previous years, many people were assured that his health was improving. I personally didn’t think he would regain his old appearance, but I didn’t think it would remain the same either. Just look at the differences in the years (left: before, right: after):

If you look at the most recent picture of Jobs, he definitely still mirrors more of the right image. In addition, the timing of the report is very suspect…and I don’t mean suspect in the sense that they were hiding this information all along. Or, depending on how you see it, it might be perfect timing. Today is, after all, MLK day and the stock markets in the United States are closed; there is, therefore, no immediate impact on AAPL stock just yet. But this news does come before a conference call set for tomorrow where earnings for the last quarter are set to be released. Now you might say, again, that it was all timed perfectly…stocks take a hit from the Jobs news, but stocks regain losses due to probably spectacular earnings. But it’s not typical because there will be undoubtedly many journalists and analysts asking questions about what exactly is ailing Steve this time, even though he has specifically asked that he and his family have the utmost privacy at this time. Even anti-Apple people on all the tech blogs like Engadget and Gizmodo are seriously toning down their rhetoric and stance because they know something’s a little more unusual lately in Cupertino.

Is it the final curtain call for Steve? Is this the beginning of the end of Apple? The answer to both is “we simply don’t know”. But the media really shouldn’t go about this story as if both are coming true. Sure, I’ll agree with the vast majority of people who say that Apple won’t simply be the same without Steve. He’s the one master of making something out of nothing, with his brilliant presentation and marketing skills. But he also knows how to make great products or, at the very least, learn from the mistakes of bad products whether they are his own or of his competitor’s. But people are assuming that Apple might just become second-rate after Jobs because of how Apple was when Jobs wasn’t there and where most people would agree Apple’s darkest days were. The problem with that logic is this: the people put in charge to try and revive Apple from hemorrhaging money were trying to do the right thing…they were just doing it the wrong way. They were worried about numbers, red and green, and trying to pay off stuff. Steve, through his exile at Pixar and NeXT, learned how to master the creation of good products which would solve everything via a top-down approach (anyone remember the original iMac and the iPod?). When Steve Jobs came back, a whole new team of people was assembled and, save for one or two positions, all people in the executive boardrooms of Apple share most of what Jobs envisions for the company. The level of innovation may go down a good bunch, but it won’t disappear. The people surrounding Jobs right now are simply much different than back in the mid-90s and they simply would not want to see Apple fail. Apple has made themselves a force to be reckoned with in the tech industry…all the anti-Apple people can say what they want, and they may be right on a few points. But Apple spawned the smartphone revolution and brought about the Androids that you see people rocking today. Apple brought up the tablet revolution and turned tablets into a near commodity. You may not like what Apple has to offer in these respective categories, and that’s understandable. Heck, I even wouldn’t mind getting an Android phone. But Apple is probably what brought Android and Android products to full fruition.My point though is that Apple will not fail when Steve Jobs’s time comes, whether it be now or 20 years from now. So don’t get all worried that your MacBook will be obsolete and useless, because it won’t be. The market is simply too big (or some would just say just big enough) for that to happen.

ANYWAY, now that that diatribe is over, I have only a few links to offer:

• Speaking of Apple, here’s what the next iPad may look like. Nothing too surprising.
• Want an excuse to use Comic Sans? Apparently text done in easier fonts (like Georgia, Times New Roman, Arial, etc.) is harder to remember than in fonts that are a little more “difficult”
• GTL FTW. OK, that’s not Gym Tan Laundry. But it’s green tea lemonade. And starting tomorrow in a few states (including Florida thank God), the Trenta (30 oz) size is coming to Starbucks. All other states will see it by May.
• True Jurassic Park? Kyoto University researchers have now proclaimed that an attempt at cloning a mammoth is underway. WTF.
• My own roommates don’t look at my blog. OK, one of them does. But still.
• Apparently if you can’t distinguish smells, you may be about to die. Scurry.

It’s Another Apple Christmas – this time fo realz

…..ugh…..SERIOUSLY? A Woot-off? ON THE DAY OF A MAC EVENT?! Geez, companies are really doing their part to “stimulate the economy”/bankrupt us.

Speaking of bankruptcy though here’s a shoutout to two people who I know won’t be bankrupt in the future, although I must say you’re making me nervous and anxious all of a sudden for the next year. A BIG congrats to Chelsea Marcus and Sean Brennan for getting into UF’s College of Medicine! Even though you’ve made me jittery as hell, you both obviously deserved it . Much congrats and best of luck!

Now to the really, REALLY good news though:

• Apple released, after almost two years since their last iteration, the new MacBook Airs. One word, no, two describes them: freakin sexy. LOOK AT THEM AND YOU’LL SEE WHAT I MEAN. 11.6 and 13.3″ versions, lowest priced model is $999 with 2GB RAM, 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia 320m graphics, multitouch trackpad etc. It’s a tad expensive, but it’s definitely much better value than Sony Vaio’s P ever was (that underpowered piece of crap with a weak Intel Atom processor that was STILL $800). Nothing of majorness is missing from these guys except a backlit keyboard, but I’ll live with that. It is interesting to note, however, that Apple kind of “compromised” on the netbook wars by trying to go as low a Core 2 Duo processor as possible AND only putting 2GB RAM standard on ALL MODELS. (I would’ve understood 2GB on the 11.6 and 4GB on the 13.3″…but not this scheme that they’ve done). Battery life is claimed to be vastly improved, but we’ll see how that works. If battery life is stellar on this thing, expect it on my doorstep by next year. (also interesting to note that 13″ model has an SD slot, 11.6″ doesn’t. 13″ model much more suited for expansion of flash memory if necessary). (also, one of the criticisms of flash memory has been its long term longevity, aka: can SSD drives stay alive more than conventional ones do? This’ll be interesting to see).
• Apple also came out with iLife ’11 (interestingly no iWork ’11, yet). iPhoto is improved greatly with more of an iPad theme but also much better Facebook integration and better print/card options. iMovie basically is a kiddy Final Cut Pro, which it kind of always was, but it’s more feature-packed than before. GarageBand looks really cool and could aim to help someone like me to learn guitar better.
• Apple also previewed bits and pieces of Mac OS X Lion, due in Summer 2011. Basically, it’s not iOS, but it definitely has some more elements of iOS. Launchpad looks unnecessary and almost like an add-on layer rather than something that’s integrated. I fear for people like myself who are folder users how Launchpad could “ruin” file organization in the next few years. But at the same time, Mission Control (the way to control all your full-screen and windowed apps) looks phenomenal, even if it is just a gussied up Expose. The Mac App Store will be interesting…but at the same time I feel like Steve Jobs has put himself into a bind with this regard. Think about what he said on Monday in the earnings conference call, how iOS is closed but better. Mac OS X is now trying to head to a closed ecosystem…but it will still always be “open” because one can always side-load apps via CD/disk image/whatever. Hypocrisy anyone? I don’t mind that there’s a Mac App Store…as long as we can still install applications the way we want to, things like menu bar extras, TweetDeck, etc.
• Speaking of big kittehs, as seen in the Alligator, a Nevada feline is the longest cat in the world. big kitteh.
• Christine O’Donnell forgot that the Separation of Church and State existed in the Constitution. This coming from the lady who sponsored witchcraft some years ago. This coming from the lady who said “she would uphold the values of the Constitution”. She doesn’t even know the frickin first amendment! A 5th grader knows the first amendment for crying out loud. I can understand her not remembering the 14th or 16th amendments (I sure don’t remember them), but even then she’s going to be a politician and doesn’t even know the Amendments?! She said bluntly in response to her gaffe “I’m sorry I don’t carry a pocket-sized constitution around with me”. To those voters in Delaware planning to vote for her: ARE YOU FREAKING RETARDED?

Simply Because.

Simply because Stac has matched my record for most blog posts in a day (or at least “publicly advertised), I feel like I need to make some sort of attempt to blog today, especially because there some blogworthy articles.

Of course, keeping with the new tradition, it’s been 661 days since Steve Addazio was promoted to Offensive Coordinator. May someone up at UAA knock some sense into both him and Urban Meyer.

• Many of you think my car is the ultimate in geekery. Three Apple stickers apparently screams Apple fanboy. Well someone else has got me beat. I mean, I’m sorry, I can’t compete with a guy who has an Apple vanity license plate PLUS an Apple tire cover?! I mean, I don’t even have a tire mounted to the back of my car to be able to do that .
• There used to be another site that had “stupid things” that customers at tech stores would say. I’m sure my dad has said plenty of these though.
• I love mega-abstract or super-size art. I just wish I could see it in person. Like a big clothespin, pinching the earth.

All three links credit to Gizmodo.

Also, Apple’s “Back to the Mac” event is coming in just a matter of a few hours. I’m freakin excited…even though god knows I shouldn’t be buying any more stuff (I mean omg my camera is SOOOO SICK). Here are my predictions:

• Mac OS X 10.7 Preview (“Lion”). We probably won’t see public release until July 2010; WWDC will be finishing touches and Gold Master release.
• MacBook Air, both 11.6″ and 13.3″, both with the same display resolution. 11.6″ has 2GB RAM soldered, 13.3″ has 4GB soldered, $999 vs $1299.
• iLife ’11 and iWork ’11. iWork.com gets out of beta and becomes free to contend with Live Docs and Google Docs. iWork gains a standalone database app to contend with Bento.
• I know it’s a Mac event, but expect maybe an update on iOS 4.2.

Why do girls paint their nails?

JUST KIDDING. I’ve learnt not to ask stupid questions recently.

But if any girls I know paint their nails like either of these designs just ONCE…I’ll love you forever hahaah.

(Credit to Gizmodo and http://www.girlsocool.com/blog/makeover/20-geeky-painted-nail-designs/)

I <3 Amazon Prime

Sorry for lack of updates, I’ve been actually trying to, you know, have a life (with limited success I may add).

So, I FINALLY got a netbook! Yes, and I’m actually really loving it. It is a netbook that I really didn’t think I’d end up buying when I first started my netbook hunt about a year ago; it’s the ASUS 1001P (Blue). It doesn’t have a chiclet keyboard, or ION graphics, or even something better than Windows 7 Starter (and by better, XP Home qualifies as being better sadly enough). I mean, after all, what kind of Operating System doesn’t let you change your wallpaper for crying out loud…

(Bad picture, I took it on my dumbphone’s camera…and yes, I love koalas.)

But I really do like it. I have realized, for the most part, that I don’t need so much raw power when I’m out and about. I just need something where I can type up a quick e-mail, check Facebook, blog, etc. While the computer is a bit laggy at times, it’s nothing that’s totally reminiscent of my old Dell that I had that only carried 256MB of RAM when everyone else was on 512 or even 1GB. The annoying thing will be having to buy Office..I’m still not sure whether I even want to get Windows 7 Pro anymore; the limitations are really not that annoying to work around.

I haven’t been able to test battery life yet…but I am hoping it has superb battery life (anything past 5 hours = good to me).

Anyway, I’m enjoying my first week back at home…very relaxing for the most part, but also sadly very spendy (I’ve spent way too much on food and shit this past week, need to dial it down a notch…and yet of course I’m making two (or even three) major tech purchases in the next weeks, so that means more money out of me pockets. Ouch).

Anyway, here are some links to help you through this Sunday.

• Some Korean chicks decide to do a little gig with a Pizza Hut commercial. It’s so weird, Koreans frickin love Pizza Hut and hate Domino’s and I’m the exact opposite. Then again, I’ve never played a minute of Starcraft in my life…
• Awh, this is too cute: a bunny gets adopted by a cat (and you have to love the names, Snaggle Puss and Bubbles).
• A little panda escapes through some bars at (I think) a Chinese zoo. I mean, yeah, it has to be. No panda would ever be contained at an American Zoo?!
• What perfect timing…so yes, you know that Justin Bieber has decided to come out with a memoir of his many 16 years of life on this planet. Here are some possible titles that I really wish he would choose from. It also gives me great pleasure to tell you that I am indeed starting on a new book. I won’t tell any details of it yet, just that I hope to get it out by September, it’ll be relatively short, and it’ll be mostly about me (sadly).

Quick (Re)view: Barnes and Noble NOOKstudy

So you know I’ve been pleading and begging for a decent eBook reader that can finally catapult all of us college students into the cheap yet pleasant era of eTextbooks, right? I got really excited when the iPad came out…only to find out that not a single major textbook publisher was on board (and with a big school like UF, and the classes I’m taking, big publishers are key). The Kindle and Nook can’t do much, because of their black and white screens (most of my textbooks require some sort of graphics and preferrably in color…after all, in organic it’s hard to differentiate between black and gray).

When Barnes and Noble decided to come out with this program NOOKstudy, however, I thought OMG maybe this is the day publishers wake up and realize that we should go 100% mainstream with digital textbooks, let’s start a revolution, oh em gees. After all, the NOOKstudy can do all sorts of annotations, can download books on the fly, etc. etc. It can even serve as one-stop hub for all your class notes and stuff (you can add PDFs and ePub files to NOOKstudy and put your textbook and files for that course under one folder). While this is all version 1.0 and such, it’s still heading in the right direction, right?

Wrong.

Read on to find out why.

Updated Apple stuff = Christmas.

Man, it really is Christmas in July. Even if I’m not getting anything.

Apple just came out with an updated iMac, Mac Pro (kind of) and not ONE but TWO new products. The iMacs have been updated all across the board with newer processors (Apple finally broke the 3.0 GHz barrier across the entire iMac line…it only took, what, four or five years?) and interesting enough all come with ATI graphics cards. This actually might mean that the rumors of the Apple/Intel/nVidia love triangle coming to an end are true. Prices still remain the same for all the products across the board.

The Mac Pro high-end model got updated to have 12 cores, and since each core can hyper-thread you theoretically have 24 virtual cores. Way too much power for me to handle, but whatever.

The new products are related to each other…yet they might not seem that way. The first is Apple’s Magic Trackpad. You might be thinking to yourself “I like my mouse thank you” and that’s true. But some people, for whatever reason, want to bring the goodness of multi-touch to the desktop, so there you go. The Magic Trackpad. $69. It doesn’t come standard with any computer; you have to buy it separately.

The other product seems, well, not technology-like. Because it isn’t. It’s a freaking battery charger. Battery as in AA rechargeables. $29. But what makes this product interesting is that it has very little idle power draw (aka “phantom” or “vampire draw”), while most products when idle still draw a considerable amount of power (yes, just because your product is off doesn’t mean it’s not sucking power…took me a while to realize that too). Those rechargeable batteries? Used for your bluetooth keyboard or new Magic Trackpad.

Anyway, I do follow stuff other than Apple, so here ya go:

• A Justin Bieber wannabe? Say it ain’t so. But apparently yeah, some dude in Australia is making the rounds and being considered the next Bieber. He kind of looks…idk, weird. But then again I have a big head and squinty eyes, so I shouldn’t be talking. (BuzzFeed)
• Now I thought you COULD delete your Facebook…it just wasn’t easy. But apparently Facebook is beta testing a way to just, well, simply delete your Facebook with one click (via the deactivation feature).
• Everyone’s favorite Gator QB Timmy T is now the official spokesperson for Jockey underwear. Woop-de-doo.