Tech Roundup

Thoughts on iPad Mini

When pre-orders for the iPad Mini opened up, the device quickly sold out as is normal with the latest and greatest Apple gadget. However, on the actual launch day, not many people turned up to Apple stores apparently.

I am always excited by an Apple keynote, but on this occasion once the dust settled, I didn't feel excited about this device. It boils down to this - £269.00 is expensive anyway, but £269.00 and no retina display? I think not! I'll wait until the next generation when they will figure out how to get the retina display into the device without making it thicker or compromising battery life.

Thoughts on the 4th Generation iPad

Why could they not either have released this model in April, or kept the iPad 2 as the current model until now? What they have done is not right!

I see what they are trying to do though. They want their iPad launches to be just before Christmas instead of in the Spring, and that makes total sense. So I don't expect to see another new iPad anytime before October 2013. As a 3rd generation iPad owner though, I'm still a little ticked off shall we say!

Thoughts on the Microsoft Surface

Apple timed their new iPad announcement and release date to perfection. No one is really talking much about the Surface that much as far as I can see.

I've not even seen one yet I must admit, but I know what to expect from a Windows 8 tablet experience as I've tried it on other devices. The price of the basic model itself seems reasonable at £399.00 for 32gb, but if you want the touch cover/keyboard, this is not included and you have to pay an unbelievable £79.00 for this.

Time will tell how well Windows 8 tablets do. This is an OS that seems to have a bit of an identity crisis however. I quite like it, but it does become boring quickly, and I think everyday consumers will find it confusing, whilst businesses will completely reject it and stay with Windows 7 for some time to come.

I sold my Google Nexus

I only got the Google Nexus 7 16gb in July, but after initially being very excited about this little device, it pretty much sat gathering dust in the sideboard for the next couple of months.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with this device other than the fact that it was an Android tablet, and this little experiment simply proved what I suspected all along - Android is not for me!

It's gone to a very good home though with someone who appreciates and enjoys Android devices, and who is already invested in their ecosystem as much as I am in Apples. I had thought I would spend the money on an iPad Mini, but as you already read above, those plans are on hold for now. You know me though, I'm fickle when it comes to technology. I may change my mind again next week!

Take care!
Peter

Weekly Tech Roundup

Windows 8 Release date

Microsoft have revealed that Windows 8 will be officially launched on October 26th. Existing Windows users will be able to upgrade (for a limited time) at a low cost which is rumoured to be around £25.00 here in the UK. In addition to this, users who have been testing the Release Preview Edition will also have the option of this low cost upgrade to the final edition.

No details on a release date for Microsofts Surface Tablet as yet - but expect this to be around the same time, along with a host of new Windows 8 tablet hardware from Microsofts OEM partners.

Office 2013 Preview

Whilst edging ever closer to the release of Windows 8, Microsoft also took the opportunity to introduce the latest version of Microsoft Office earlier this week. Unsurprisingly, the Office Suite of products gets a Windows 8 (metro style) makeover and there are some nice looking new features all optimized for touchscreen.

I will likely do a full review of Office 2013 once I have had the chance to work with the preview edition for a while, but one of the things that struck me as exciting is that they are making Excel a lot easier for everyone to use. Excel can be a very intimidating and confusing piece of software at times, but apparently even someone like me will be able to create a pivot table from now on!

iTunes in the cloud

When iOS 5 was announced by Steve Jobs at WWDC 2011 last June, one of the most exciting new features was the ability to download all of your purchased Music, TV shows and Films from the cloud. However, up until yesterday the ability to access your purchase history for Films was only available in the US. Finally Apple have given this to some other countries including the UK.

This means if you purchased a Film on iTunes, you will also be able to access it from the cloud on your Apple TV and iOS devices on demand and at no extra cost. It's about time too quite frankly!

iPad 7 inch rumours

More rumours this week that Apple will launch a 7 inch iPad sometime this year. The late Steve Jobs was apparently completely against this idea. However, Apples top brass have made a number of decisions that may not have sat well with their former visionary CEO since he resigned his position and sadly passed away.

I wonder if he would have approved of the iPhone 4S for example, and I seriously doubt he would have allowed the new iPad to be thicker, without an 8 megapixel camera, or Siri for that matter. I also question whether he would have named the voice assistant Siri either?

I'm by no means suggesting that Apple are getting everything wrong here though. The Retina MacBook is a truly stunning piece of kit, and iOS 6 looks like a step in the right direction too. As for a 7 inch iPad - my instinct tells me that we will indeed be seeing this soon!

Google Nexus 7 Tablet selling well

One of the reasons we may soon be seeing a 7 inch iPad is due to the popularity of the Amazon Kindle Fire, and the newly released Google Nexus 7. Googles new tablet is flying off the shelves and they have struggled to meet demand. My next door neighbour Simon has ordered one actually, and he seems absolutely consumed with excitement and anticipation at the arrival of this device.

It looks to be a really nice product actually and I hope to be able to check one out soon. I also hope Simons arrives today for him!!

And that's that for another week folks!

Take care!
Peter