And for my next Apple purchase....the Airport Extreme!

I've had a Dlink wireless router for about four years now. During the past few months I've had all kinds of intermittent problems with my wifi connections and broadband speeds to Comcast. I knew the router was the culprit, but didn't really want to spend the money. After my level of frustration crossed my desired to not spend money I decided to purchase a new wireless router. I looked at lots of vendors and checked out reviews from various web sites and ultimately went with the Airport Extreme. I agree the the Airport Extreme is not the most configurable router. You won't find Quality of Service and most advanced wireless features, but I don't need them so why does it matter? The Airport Extreme drew me, in part, because of its really nice and basic design. I also liked the configuration tool that Apple has. Technical reviewers are always critical of Apple for not having a web interface, but seriously, it's not a big deal. The performance and reliability has been great so far so no complaints. I could have been just as happy with another Dlink router, but the Airport Extreme just felt like the right decision when considering everything.

Retired Mac Mini Replaced by MacBook Air

Over the past few years I have been on two iterations of the Mac Mini. The Mac Mini is a great product. In my situation the price was right and it fit right in with my current monitor. Sure it wasn't as fast as others in the Mac lineup, but it did it's job.

Over time the Mac Mini began to feel slow. I was also frustrated with my Mac Mini after I found it couldn't run Lion well. Those two things alone were not enough to compel me to purchase a new computer. However, a loud and malfunctioning DVD player pushed me towards a new purchase decision.

While I liked the iMacs I wanted my next computer to be a laptop. I already had an external larger monitor I was happy with so the iMacs large screens weren't really a draw. The portability of a laptop was appealing. Lucky for me that the new MacBook Air was announced one month prior to my decision. I knew the old model and wasn't impressed with the specs. The old model was my three year old Mac Mini in a thin case. However, the new models were much faster with an i5 processor. So I pulled the trigger and purchased my new MacBook Air and have been loving it ever since. Very pleased with the performance and the decision. There are lots of sites to find reviews on the Air, but I can tell you I'm really happy with it.

New iPad a Winner

I purchased my iPad on April 3rd at the Michigan Avenue Apple Store. I didn't expect the lines to be very long and they weren't. I arrived around 9:20 AM and found my place in the "reserved line". After about five minutes, I was led in to the store with dozens of Apple employees cheering for me. I thought that was ridiculous. Cheering for people who are spending upward of $500 on a personal technology device? Really? I think Apple needs to rethink this approach. I'd much rather see big signs saying "thank you for supporting Apple!" along with enthusiastic clapping. That's just me...

After thinking through my space needs a few weeks back I opted for the 32 GB wifi only iPad. 16 GB wasn't enough and 64 GB seemed like overkill for an extra $100 over the 32 GB. I also picked up a dock and case. The store was setup so each customer purchasing an iPad could work one-on-one with an Apple staff member. The Apple staff did a GREAT job of getting me registered, giving me a quick tour and answering some of the questions I had that were still unknowns prior to the device going public. I had already watched the iPad videos on the Apple web site on Friday and I've used an iPhone and Touch so the learning curve was already low.

I wanted to share some of my thoughts after using it for a day and a half. The device is absolutely all it was made out to be. All of the critics who say the iPad is simply a larger iPhone just can't appreciate how an increase in screen size can dramatically change a user experience. I think in time those voices will die down as people begin to use the device and see the potential. The colors produced by the screen are bright and vivid. The screen size combined with the dramatic screen colors are a joy to experience. Besides the screen's color it is incredibly responsive. I was actually surprised by how responsive the screen is to "pinch" and "expand" type gestures. The iPad is also very fast compared to an iPhone or Touch. The processing speed provided by the iPad is remarkable.

I'm working my way through a number of applications. In the builtin application arena, Safari has a nice Expose like view of all of your open Safari windows. iTunes, the App Store, Mail, Photos, etc all look great. The Calendar looks fantastic with a week view that's incredibly valuable. Hopefully we'll see a week view on the iPhone one day. The absence of a Weather and Stock program is more than made up for by third party applications. On the third party side I've tried a number of news, productivity and weather applications and they do a great job of showing off the device's potential. Not much of a gamer so I won’t comment on those. As with any device, some applications are better than others. One of the things Apple mentioned since announcing the iPad was the device's ability to use iPhone and Touch applications. Be aware that the experience of "expanding" the iPhone and Touch applications using the "2x" option is terrible. I remember when I first switched over to an HD TV. I couldn't stand to watch non HD after that. I'm having the same experience with the iPad. If I can't use an iPad specific app then I'm not using it. In the short term, the library of iPad applications remains small relatively speaking. That will change over the next few months and I think those developers who held out will want to get on board quickly.

Many have made an issue of Flash not being on the device and I have to say I think it's all about nothing. Multiple web sites are already moving over to HTML5 to play video. Apple has a page dedicated to "showing off" those web sites. Lots of big names are on board. True, some Flash based sites won't be along for the ride, but oh well.

There's also been a lot of criticism for the iPad not including a camera. While this wasn't a deal breaker for me I do think that a camera absolutely has a place on the device. It would have been nice to have a front facing camera for video conferencing.

One thing I'm very pleased about was the ability to use wireless bluetooth keyboards with the iPad. I'm typing this entry on a bluetooth keyboard while my iPad is sitting upright in an iPad dock. I happened to be using the Apple wireless keyboard from my Mac Mini. I can control brightness, iTunes controls (including volume) from the keyboard. I feel like I'm working on my keyboard. Awesome. I would like to see more keyboard shortcuts added to programs such as Mail, etc so hopefully those will come. The onscreen keyboard is more than adequate for basic needs. It is a bit awkward to use sometimes and my wrists are complaining a little about the typing angle.

My biggest complaint so far has been the weight. Even at a pound and a half I still found the device heavy to hold after five or ten minutes. I don’t know what’s needed to take some weight off this thing, but that should be a high priority for Apple. The device’s weight is its number one setback. Considering the weight, I would not recommend an iPad as a primary book reading device.

And speaking of books, after trying iBooks and the Kindle's iPad application I would still prefer to use Amazon's Kindle environment where I know I have all my purchased books available on multiple devices from different hardware vendors.

I'm still annoyed by the lack of multitasking, the inability to customize home screens and the inability to group programs under "folders". All of these, and many other issues on my list, are all software related and we're likely to learn more from Apple this summer on what the future of the iPad's OS changes will be.

Overall, even with the weight's toll on regular usage, the device is fantastic. The battery life so far has been superior and I've experienced few problems if any. The iPad isn't perfect and has some refinements throughout that can be made, but for anyone looking for a tablet like device the iPad is a winner.

Despite the Criticism, the iPad is Revolutionary

For the last two days, I've ready countless reviews about the iPad. They are all extremely critical of the device for not multitasking, lacking Adobe Flash and not having a camera. The problem with all of these reviews is that they focus purely on the technical merits. The criticism comes from a bunch of techy bloggers and journalist who get totally lost in the technical specifications and forget the devices merit on function. While I agree that Flash and multitasking would be ideal they in no way detract from the value of the iPad. There are multiple millions of iPhone and iPod Touch users today who love their devices without Flash and multitasking. Reviewers seem overly harsh and almost angry at Apple for not bringing a “revolutionary” device. The rhetoric has reached the point of advocacy against purchasing the device. A comment from Nucleus Research Tech Watch declared “Just say noPad”. The overly critical reaction is an overreaction to a device that does transform mobile technology. No other device today provides the same experience the iPad does. The iPad is the one device where you can sit on your couch or in your bed and experience the Internet and media without the bulkiness of a keyboard or the limited screen space of a mobile device. The iPad is revolutionary in a way that every publisher in the world was spending their Thursday morning thinking about how they transform their product to the iPad format. The iPad will eliminate stacks of magazines next to people’s bed. It will reinvent the newspaper. The iPad is just as much or more about the form factor than the features. Time will tell how the device is received by the public, but I wouldn’t look to the pundits for purchasing advice on this one. Even technical people sometimes don’t understand the next “big thing”.

"The holiday lineup is set."

For all of you eager to see what Apple might have up its sleeve before the end of the year don't get too excited. Apple executive Phil Schiller confirmed that the Apple product lineup is what it is through the rest of 2009. Apple recently introduced a new iMac, a mouse called the Magic Mouse and a newly redesigned entry level MacBook laptop. While those were nice adds I think all of us were looking for some kind of new shiny toy. So much for buying an iPod Touch with a camera for the holidays!

AT&T Opens the Door for Google Voice and Skype on 3G

AT&T announced it will now allow voice over IP technologies on their 3G network. This opens the door for applications like Google Voice and Skype to be used on the iPhone on 3G as well as Wifi. This announcement is long overdue and comes a few weeks after AT&T opened the door to MMS on the iPhone. AT&T must be feeling more confident in their network these days even though cities like Chicago still have large pockets of missing 3G coverage as well as saturated networks. There's certainly been pressure and frustration from Apple for AT&T's handicapping of the device for all these months. AT&T has not been the partner Apple was hoping they would be. Yesterday's news of the end of the Rogers exclusivity arrangement in Canada shows that AT&T's iPhone dominance could end within a year.

For The Love of Money

On Tuesday, AppleInsider reports on Microsoft's attempt to hire Apple staff away from the Apple retail stores and over to Microsoft's new retail operation. I've always found Apple employees to be extremely loyal to the Apple cause. It's hard to imagine Apple staff would sell their soul to the "other side". Apple staff are being tempted with much higher salaries and, most likely, other perks (i.e. stock options). All hail the mighty dollar!

Lower priced Apple laptop on the way?

Apple has long felt the need to not compete with the low end Windows PC market. I've always been frustrated by this. Not competing in the low end market has caused Apple to delay market share gains. Now, if you're not a shareholder or Apple evangelist that may not matter much to you. The fact is, many consumers can't look beyond price. They look at a $500 PC laptop and compare it to a $999 Mac and it all looks the same. So the customer goes with the lower priced machine. Computer store employees recommending PCs, know nothing about Macs and slam Apple for offering overpriced computers without understanding the value of OS X, iLife, etc... Apple needs to move beyond, or actually below, their minimum standard. They need to compete, or at least be competitive, with the low end PC market in some way. True, the profit margins are slim on the low end, but a low end Mac is like a gateway drug to even greater and more powerful Macs. The trick is just getting people in the door and exposing them to some Apple goodness. The research firm Wedge Partners is predicting that Apple may get into the low end space. No one knows if that's true or what the endeavor would look like, but it's one I would welcome! What do you think?

iPhone/Touch 3.1 and iTunes 9 Released

Apple released the iPhone and Touch 3.1 software upgrade today. A number of minor enhancements that will be sure to please the niche groups who will likely notice. The App Store Top 25 now includes a "Top Paid" vs "Top Grossing" to address those developers who felt slighted by those applications that were down at the $.99 price point. The App Store Genius feature provides suggestions for applications you might like. While not perfect for now (the suggestions will improve over time based on uploaded results), it does a good job of showing which of your installed applications was the basis for the recommendation. And finally, Apple added the ability to use Voice Control over Bluetooth. Other minor items you can check out via the link above. The team at The iPhone Blog provide a good walkthrough of the changes.

iTunes 9.0 was released today and hosts a number of new and noteworthy features. Genius Mixes are a new feature to help you "rediscover" music in your collection. It's like a prepackaged selection of songs based on a genre. The iTunes 9.0 syncing options have really improved with a new level of granularity all users will appreciate. There's a new Home Sharing option that allows you to not only stream iTunes content from other computers on your network, but you can also copy the content from the other computer as well (up to five authorized computers). It can even be configured to sync content automatically provided the content is purchased content. The iTunes store was resigned and the jury is out on how much it actually improved. I like the menu bars across the top as they seem to improve navigation. A new iTunes LP feature provides artist/album content previously found in vinyl albums and CD booklets that have been lost in the digital era. There's also Facebook integration and Wish List capabilities. Not addressed is the issue of how to address the growing number of items along the left hand navigational bar. Playlists are still difficult to manage. Navigation seems clunky. Does anyone else feel that way? The real win for me out of iTunes 9 is the improved ability to manage iPhone and Touch applications. There's also a new interface that allows you access to modify your iPhone or Touch icon screens without the pain of performing the same steps on the device. The ability to modify iPhone and Touch application icons and screens is a great addition, but I ran in to one or two bugs while moving icons and screens around. There's no option to name pages such as "Sports" or "Games". That would be a helpful way to manage the screen instead of using the current numbering system.

iPhone, iPod, App Store and iTunes Statistics

Apple's "It's Only Rock and Roll" media event provided an update on a number of Apple statistics. Here's a quick review:

• 30 million iPhones sold to date
• 20 million iPod Touches sold to date
• 220 million iPods (all types) sold to date
• 75,000 applications in the App Store just within the first year
• 28%, or 21,178, of the applications in the App Store are games and entertainment related
• 1.8 billion applications downloaded to date (not including updates which would have represented a number a few times more than that)
• 8.5 billion iTunes songs sold
• 100 million iTunes accounts
• The #1 music retailer in the world

Many of these stats are jaw dropping considering how long the products have been around. The iPod Touch numbers are a real stand out. The Touch is an amazing product and Apple should continue to do everything it can to provide it with every feature the iPhone has, but the phone, of course. Also interesting to note how almost 1/3 of all iPhone and Touch applications are game based. I'm not sure how the percentage of this category would compare with other platforms, but there's clearly no shortage of any application type. The application numbers don't address quality so while there may be 20K+ applications many are average at best. All in all, impressive numbers that will only grow.

Jobs Returns to the Apple Stage

With a sincere thanks to his staff and a public pitch for organ donations, Steve Jobs returned to the stage today at Apple's latest media event. Steve looked good, but I wouldn't put him at 100%. It's comforting to see him steering the ship again after a long and serious illness. While I have confidence in many of the Apple senior staff, there's no one like Steve. Glad to see he's back. Full speed ahead!

AT&T Responds (Poorly) to iPhone Data Issues

What do you do when you're AT&T and you're experiencing one of the worst backlashes in corporate history related to your network's performance? Apparently, you bring the creepiest guy you can find who's neither a credible geek or corporate "friendly" and you make a YouTube video. That's exactly what AT&T did last week to explain why they've totally screwed up on providing the appropriate level of data capacity on their network. AT&T just recently issued a press release committing to network improvements in a few cities throughout the country within a specific timeline. AT&T continues to botch up how they communicate with customers. You would think that the partnership with Apple would teach them a few things about marketing, PR and communication. The network improvements can't come soon enough to Chicago.

Apple Tablet Destined for Greatness

Media hype continues for the upcoming Apple Tablet and I'm as anxious as any other Apple fan. While pictures have been seen in the wild there have been no official announcements. I'm more excited about the Apple Tablet than any other Apple product right now It's the perfect fit between a laptop and an iPod Touch. I frequently use the Touch as a mobile personal computer around my house for email, Facebook, browsing, etc but find that the size isn't big enough. I wouldn't want to carry a laptop around my house with me due to its size, weight and the need to type. Windows tablets are out because they are basically laptops with a touch screen. Netbooks are light and small, but too keyboard dependent. The Apple Tablet will fit nicely between all of these options. Apple's implementation has the chance of becoming a household standard in the next ten years for many markets. I'm anxious to see what the keyboard experience is like and how it will interact with other devices on my network. Outside of the house, I'm interested to see what type of traveling companion it might become. Trying to imagine how people will use it in Starbucks. It would be great to see a camera on the front side! The product release could still be months away, but no reason not to get excited about it now!

Why AT&T is Holding Back The iPhone

If the iPhone has any achilles heel it rests firmly with AT&T. AT&T hasn't turned out to be the best in class partner that Apple thought they were buying in to for a multitude of reasons. The AT&T 3G network has been a major disappointment. The quality of coverage in many parts of the country is inadequate. In downtown Chicago my phone switches between 3G and EDGE constantly in multiple locations. The 3G network, when you're on it, continues to be slow. AT&T has gone on record multiple times about their efforts to upgrade their network. No official word so far that I know of. The data and phone plans are expensive. I know many people that stay away from AT&T because they can't compete with vendors like Tmobile who offer much more competitive rate plans. AT&T was also behind in providing MMS support with the release of iPhone 3.0. Other carriers around the world were ready to support MMS upon its release while AT&T was left delivering promises of future MMS support. Your mileage with AT&T may very, but the stories of disconnect with AT&T are fairly common. Come on AT&T... Step up to the plate!

Poor service

Expensive data and phone plans

Network terrible

MyTouch and Pre No Match for iPhone

I've had an opportunity over the past few weeks to try the Google MyTouch and Palm Pre. They are both great smart phones with fantastic features, but they don't come close to the iPhone. Both phones seem more unfinished than Apple's first iPhone two years ago. All of these new product sales for Google and Palm are driven in part by exclusive agreements. The MyTouch and Pre users I know made their purchasing decisions strictly on their desire to stay with their carrier. It would be very interesting to see how the MyTouch and Pre would complete with Apple if all vendors offered all three phones.

Apple Software Box Set Staged For Upgrade

Recent evidence has pointed to an upcoming release of the Snow Leopard Box Set. The set includes Mac OS X 10.6 with iLife '09 and iWork '09 for what is expected to be $169. Many of you may not be aware that there's already a box set like this that includes 10.5 along with iLife and iWork. The box set is a great value compared to the $287 you would spend on the products individually. Awesome value for any of you who have yet to upgrade. The deal breaker for most people is the lack of interest in the iWork software. However, if the shoe fits, the box set is a great deal. If the leaked 10.6 box set information is correct I believe it confirms we're unlikely to see any major updates to iLife for at least eight to twelve months. It also confirms that Apple is very motivated to move people to the 10.5/10.6 platforms.

Desire for iTunes Playlist Tip

Apple likes to talk about how their software "just works". Use any product long enough and you'll know that's not true. Apple is no exception. For years I've been frustrated about not being able to delete a song from my playlist as well as from my iTunes library. I thought to myself, "how can Apple not include a delete feature like that?" Well, it turns out there is a keystroke to perform that exact task. I like to think of myself as a Mac power user, but you can't know every tip and trick and this is one I never learned. To remove a song from your iTunes library when in a playlist, select the song, hold option and hit delete. Relief!

iPhone and Touch App Store Addiction

Are you one of the growing numbers of those obsessed with installing applications on your Touch or iPhone? Free and $.99 apps have created app addicts who are nothing short of compulsive about trying new applications. The insatiable appetite for applications demonstrates the ease of finding and installing applications mixed with the human curiosity and fun of trying something new. Blackberry users can only be in envy of the App Store compared to Blackberry's App World! The experience isn't the same....

The $.99 iPhone App Deliberation

If you're like most iPhone and Touch users, the next best thing to a free application is one for $.99. Consumers flock to low priced apps. I have pages of them! The value oriented applications subsequently rank high on sites that track app sales due to their high volume. While shoppers are drawn to the lower priced applications many have found the quality is equal to the price they paid. Now that's not always true and there are some excellent applications for $.99. However, vendors who feel they produce an excellent quality product feel a tremendous amount of pressure to price towards the lower end just to compete with the sheer volume of $.99 applications. For a developer, an apps revenue stream can be greatly diminished by the low end pricing pressure. In a world with thousands of applications, how does one complete with $.99? Apple is discussing if it makes sense to reorganize their categorization in an attempt to address this. It does make sense for "top" applications to have additional dimensions other than just volume of sales. Ratings should certainly be part of the equation. More expensive applications need a way to stay competitive on "top 10" and "top 100" lists. Perhaps "top" lists by price point is the way to go. Any ideas?

Marketing Machine Moderation for Snow Leopard

Apple continues down the development path with Snow Leopard by issuing another "seed" to developers this week. The public release of OS X Snow Leopard isn't due until September, but what we do know so far is that it will be a very modest release in terms of end user features. This must create quite the quandary for Apple's Marketing team. Apple OS releases are typically given center stage and attract Apple users at all levels. This release doesn't generate that level of excitement as with other releases. Would Apple want to place the same marketing effort in Snow Leopard as they've done in the past with other OS releases? Does Apple run the risk of too much hype and setting expectations too high? Perhaps the $29 upgrade fee speaks for itself. It will be interesting to see how Snow Leopard is marketed as we approach the Fall.

A iPhone 3GS Fan Favorite - The Oleophobic screen

Who would have thought that one of the fan favorites of the new iPhone 3GS would be the oleophobic screen. iPhone and Touches are notorious for building up oils from fingers and body parts. The 3GS oleophobic screen makes it much easier to wipe off oils and smudges. Hopefully the oil obsessive compulsives can get some sleep now.

Steve Jobs Back at Apple - Does it Matter?

Although not confirmed by Apple, CNBC is confirming that Jobs is back on Apple's campus. As far as Apple goes does it really matter? The depth of Apple's talent runs so deep that the company's vision is no longer dependent on one man. During the last few conferences and media updates without Steve we've seen a very impressive lineup of Apple product managers. Apple's CFO, Peter Oppenheimer, who has run the ship from the top is a smart and savvy corporate executive. Steve is absolutely a positive figure at Apple, but if there's one thing his leave has shown us is that Apple is poised for success with or without Steve.

Apple Expert Improves Apple Support Experience

I recently contacted AppleCare for a support issue related to Boot Camp. Creating new problem tickets with any vendor is always a frustrating experience. Calling any vendor regarding an issue typically involves going through a half dozen voice prompts. If, and that's an if, the vendor's automated system understands your voice or touch tone response the first time (or at all) you may get routed to the correct location. Apple now has a new process for opening support issues that I found to be very easy and straightforward. The new service is called Apple Expert. It allows you to open a technical issue online and then have Apple call you at the time you desire to speak to a representative. You can have them call you immediately or wait until a later time. The call is routed to the appropriate team to address your issue based on the information you provide. Apple is not the only vendor to use call back technology like this, but it is great to Apple bringing the service forward for users.

AT&T Becomes the Laughing Stock at Apple’s Developer Conference

In today’s keynote at the Apple Developer Conference the new tethering and MMS features of 3.0 were discussed. While dozens of countries around the world will have the ability to take advantage of both at the launch of 3.0 in a few weeks the US will not be one of them. That’s because AT&T won’t be ready to launch these services until the end of the summer. This further fuels the fire that AT&T’s 3G network is bottlenecked by iPhone users. Users across the country have complained of slow 3G speeds as well as switching between 3G and EDGE. When conference attendees were told AT&T would not be ready until the summer there was a flood of laughter. It seems preposterous that Apple would release features their major US carrier could not support at launch. Tethering I can understand, but MMS? Give me a break. Apple didn’t even provide a good reason why there would be a delay on AT&T’s behalf. If you don’t have a reason there is nothing to say. AT&T looked bad today.

Apple Releases iPhone 3GS

Apple’s latest phone, the iPhone 3GS, was announced at the 2009 WWDC today. The S stands for speed. The design is the same as the first 3G, but there are major speed improvements. Launching applications, viewing attachments and viewing web pages has improved. The phone is ready to deliver speeds of 7.2 Mbps once carriers are ready. The phone ships with a new 3 megapixel auto focus, white balance and exposure camera. To improve picture taking you can tap on the screen to force the phone to focus on specific areas (i.e. like a face for flower). The ability to take pictures in low light settings has improved and an auto macro feature can take picture of objects up to 10 cm away. One of the long awaited announcements was the ability to capture video. Video capture is at 30 frames per second VGA with audio. No HD quality videos on this phone. Once videos are captured there is a way to “scrub” and trim the video to just the content you want. Videos can then be shared via Email, MobileMe, YouTube and MMS. Hey! What about Facebook? It will be interesting to see how video capture will be built into applications. Another new feature available only on the 3GS is Voice Control. You can use your voice to make calls based on the names of people in your address book as well as control your music. Battery life, the nemesis of the iPhone, was also improved. The phone will be available on June 19^th.

Features like video capture, voice dialing, longer battery life are what I call “about time” features. Other smartphones have had these features for some time now. I was disappointed to not see a camera on the front of the device. Face to face conversations will become pervasive in the future and the lack of second camera is likely a cost issue as well as a bandwidth concern for AT&T. Other than the video capability I don’t see existing 3G iPhone users trading up to this device. It’s not compelling enough. If you are an original 2G user from the first generation ending your 2 year contract the timing couldn’t be better.