OK I wasn’t going to write a review on Windows Phone 7 because I am not interested in getting in to a debate about which phone is better iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7 etc. But alas I felt compelled to fill the blogging drought again so here we are. You will either like Windows Phone [...]
Posts under ‘iPad’
iPad and iPhone 4.0 Parodies
These are just too good not have on my blog. Enjoy. I laughed my butt off. iPhone 4.0 Promo iPad Promo BondiGeek
The Australian
On the dawn of my birthday I find myself sitting on a houseboat on the Hawksbury River in NSW reading the Australian Newspaper. Not in the standard broadsheet format though, covering my fingers in ink which is one of my pet peeves. I think I was traumatized at an early age when I used to [...]
theGuardian eyewitness
Although I have my days of complaining about the missing features of the iPad and I still can’t believe the draconian lengths Apple are going too forcing C,C++ and Objective-C ONLY on developers I still come across something I love about the iPad most days. Today I am loving what a great experience viewing photos [...]
Amazon has nothing to learn from Apple…
…when it comes to eBook readers. I read this article today on ZDNet and I felt so strongly about it that rather than just post a reply it has formed my blog post today. Five iPad lessons Apple could teach Amazon to save the Kindle I could not disagree with this article more. I purchased [...]
iPad = iWow!
Well I have to say I was a doubting Thomas and I still can’t stand Steve Jobs but Apple have pulled it off with the iPad. This finally is a device from Apple that has the Wow factor that lives up to the hype. It’s fast, the web browsing experience is great (apart from the [...]
HP Slate, Adobe and Windows 7. Bring it on!
That’s what I’m talking about, none of this iPad, No Flash, Costs Too Much, Your locked in to Apple crapolla. Looks great and it runs Flash! They have certainly timed the release of this well to coincide with the iPad tvc last night. Kudos to you HP and Adobe Kudos, that reminds me, it must [...]
The Phil Collins Effect
I have had a couple of days off from the walking and biking (which I am not all that happy about) due to work commitments and the lack of sleep due to the heat so today I will be writing about something a little off topic that I feel the need to get off my chest.
But, Mel and I did go for a lovely walk on Bondi Beach last night, I think we walked for around an hour. It was nice to dip our toes in the sand and the water and just stroll together on the beach. It was such a balmy night 
So what the heck am I talking about with the Phil Collins Effect?
I am referring to the fate that befell our diminutive bald friend from Genesis and then later Phil Collins the solo artist. Check out some of the vids below.
In the Air Tonight
Drum Duet
Back in NYC – Genesis and Peter Gabriel
A classic if ever there was one. Aaahhhh the days of the drum solo Also covered by the late great Jeff Buckley
For the real die hard fans you may also remember him beating the skins in Brand X. Phil is an awesome drummer and having seen Genesis several times live I have very fond memories of the inevitable drum solo between Phil Collins and Chester Thompson…also an exceptional drummer.
I digress though with my musical trivia.
When I refer to the Phil Collins Effect I am talking about the massive over exposure that Phil Collins received through the late 80’s and early 90’s. Eventually he became so over exposed it was a contributing factor to the downturn in his career. Entertainment Weekly reviewed one of his last solo albums as follows: “(e)ven Phil Collins must know that we all grew weary of Phil Collins.”
Could it be that Apple is headed in the same direction?
As I noted on my Facebook status today I am OVER hearing about the Apple tablet device and it’s not even released yet. We don’t even know what it is. Could it be that Apple has now peaked and we are just getting sick of all the hype? Do we really care anymore? My iPhone grows weary and now seems somewhat dated. New devices are popping up all the time and I am no longer riding the JesusPhone wave.
Apple is busy suing people left right and centre (and being sued) and just don’t look like the good guys anymore. In fact they are starting to look less and less like the answer to that evil monster Microsoft (yeh right, I don’t and never did believe that for one minute) and more and more like the proprietary, monopolistic, egomaniacs that they have told us for years Microsoft are.
Now don’t get me wrong, Apple do make some good products. But let’s not kid ourselves, they are not the Golden Boys that they make themselves out to be…and that’s what I find so annoying.
So all you Mac Lemmings out there, take a look at what is REALLY going on here and not what Apple tell you or you try and tell yourselves. Be a little more objective a little less pretentious and…
“don’t believe the hypeâ€
Flashpoint as Jobs takes aim at Adobe
Lets take a look at the content of the article below shall we:
Flashpoint as Jobs takes aim at Adobe
First off I am not keen on the use of the phrase “deep seated hatredâ€, hatred is a very strong word. But, it sure does look like Apple are trying to screw anyone and everyone out of a penny and make sure it all goes in to their coffers. Every year we here how Jobs salary is only $1 (or something like that) but that just sounds like ridiculous propaganda to me. Perhaps he sleeps better at night having that message broadcast to the masses but I think we all know full well he isn’t suffering or skipping meals.
Secondly, I think what we are seeing here from Apple is a classic case of get yourself firmly embedded in the market, with the help of some very faithful fans, and then slowly cut the competition out. Of course the Mac Faithful will willingly follow were ever Jobs leads them, as to admit that their religion is flawed would be admitting they were wrong.
I know, I know I am being rather sarcastic and somewhat negative and this is something I swore off doing this year. Unfortunately I feel as passionate about the wool being pulled over peoples eyes with regards to Macs as I do about the next seasons of Dexter, Californication and True Blood all combined.
I really don’t care if Steve Jobs calls Adobe or Google names; that is irrelevant. But I do care if consumers are being taken for a ride and I think that is exactly what is happening here.
The article goes on to say:
“Adobe has called the iPad restricted and Jobs has fired back with claims that Adobe is lazy and its software causes the Mac to crash.â€
Well if that is true then why is Flash supported by Safari on the Mac? Is it because you don’t have an App Store Monopoly for the MacBook like you do for the iPhone and impending iPad Steve? Hmmm something doesn’t ad up here me thinks???
It will be interesting to see how many people actually buy the entry point iPad at $500? I would say it will be tiny in comparison to the numbers that will shell out top dollar for the model that’s actually only 50% of the way too being functional. The only reason they have that model is to make it appear like they are price competitive with Netbooks. Apple are counting on their flock to shell out the $’s now and then again in 12-18 months when they release the model with 75% of the required functionality.
On the Surface the iPad looks like a sweet enticing little package that you gotta have. I am sure you can justify it in your mind. But can you….really?
I think the more interesting news article today however is how Apple is likely to confuse the e-book market over on Yahoo news here. Looks like rather than it “Just Working†Apple are trying to make it “Just not Workâ€â€¦.unless you own an Apple Device and buy your content through Apple…which is exactly what Mr Jobs want you to do.
But there is some good news out of all this for Microsoft. All that hard work that Apple has done with the catchy Mac Ads is slowing being undone by Steve and making the likes of Microsoft (who do have an open system that makes room for all the other software and hardware makers in the market) look good, they are looking real good.
If WinMo 7 is anything like the about face Microsoft have done with Windows 7 I think we are in for a fun ride the next few years.
BondiGeek
The iPad
Ok first of all when my wife was staring in to her MacBook this morning at 6am and asked me had I read the news today, that was the real major event of the day…that she was up at 6am and coherent. I love ya babe, just having a chuckle
So she gleefully asked me if I had read the news story on the iPad. I really thought she was joking at first with the name as I immediately thought ‘feminine hygiene’
product. But she was serious. Ok so I am over that little laugh now and I have had a chance to read the headlines.
I am not going to poo poo the product, as until you have held one in your hands it’s kinda hard to get the real experience. But these are what I see as the pluses and minus on first look.
On the plus side:
The pricing appears ok
The apps are compatible with iPhone
It is thin and light
It sports the apple look and feel
On the Minus side:
It’s not a real eReader
It appears to be just a giant iPhone with nothing really new or groundbreaking
No Flash support
It’s another (US)$500-(US)$829 I have to spend (but I am not going to)
Now my main point on the minus side here is that it is not an eReader. If (and I hope to one day) I buy a Slate/Pad/Tablet device to take with me it’s main purpose is going to be reading. I can already happily browse the net, catch up on news etc on the bus with my iPhone and when I get to work or home I can use a real computer with a nice large screen. Why would I want to give Apple another, lets face it (AU)$1000+ dollars (we get ripped off by Apple downunder), so I can move my music from my iPod to my iPad and lug around a larger device that doesn’t offer me the real advantages of an eReader? Why I ask you why? My wife would kill me for a start.
If I want to have my books on a device and I want to read for long periods of time it’s going to have to be an eInk device which you can read all about here. This is technology that is designed specifically to enable you to read for long periods of time in any type of lighting condition without causing eye strain and consumes a miniscule amount of power. The iPad claims 10 hours of continuous use. Compare this with 2 weeks of reading time for an Amazon Kindle. That’s enough to go away for an entire holiday to just relax and read by the pool sipping cocktails without ever having to charge the device.
That’s it for now as who knows, when I actually hold one in the flesh I might get caught up in the hype and find myself crying for one…but iDoubt it!
BondiGeek
