Category Archives: Reality Distortion Field
Apple and Mac related stuff.
iPhone 4
I’m eligible
Yep, looks like I’m already eligible to upgrade to the new iPhone 4 for the $200 base price. To upgrade or not to upgrade: that is the question. But a really easy one.
I really want an iPhone 4
Or should I say… iWant? It was just announced.
Why AT&T’s new data plans suck
By now you must have heard about AT&T’s new data plan pricing: Instead of paying $30 for unlimited data, you can pay:
- $15 per month for 200MB or
- $25 per month for 2GB
AT&T claims that 95% (but I can’t find the source) of their data users use less than 2 GB anyway, so most people will see savings! Sounds like a good deal, right?
Wrong. The problem with the new data plans is that, although most users will be fine with 2 GB a month today, they won’t be ok with it tomorrow. This explains the timing of the announcement: make it seem like they are loweing the prices, fully knowing that data intensive phones are right around the corner. Next week Apple is expected to release iPhone OS 4.0, which supports background services. Yes, people will be using Skype and Pandora for hours on their phone. And they are also expected to release a new iPhone model that will likely support video conferencing. These are data intensive applications that will eat through 2 GB very quickly. We should expect other smartphones to similarly steer toward more data intensive applications. It’s a ripoff: customers will be paying over $25 or will have to start carefully watching their habits.
And don’t get me started on that $20 charge to allow tethering (without providing any additional data)…
What is iPad/Newton
The resemblance between the old Newton ad and the new iPad ad is uncanny but not coincidental, a homage if you may. If you think the iPad is futuristic or ahead of its time – or magical even, then you probably didn’t get to play with a Newton when it first came out. My brother owned two and it was the coolest piece of technology. But it didn’t do as well: In it’s five years of existence, 200,000 Newtons were sold. In its first day, 300,000 iPads were sold.
iPad in the news
Above are some news items from the iPad launch day. Sure, you’ve seen it a hundred times. But if you look closer, you’ll see that the blonde bombshell in the photo and video is none other than Julieta Pessah Kirsch, my cousin and official representative of the Kirsch family at the iPad launch.
I was there only in spirit.
The Tablet
And here I am thinking that the tablets were supposed to be received in Shavuot, not Passover. Still, the image seemed appropriate. The iPad lands today. (image source)
iPad announcement summary
Apparently Apple has announced a new product called iPad. It’s like a big iPod touch. Having owned all three iPhone models I must admit I would probably enjoy owning an iPad, limitations and all.
As it is, I already use my iPhone more than I use my laptop anyway: when I wake up, I check my email on my iPhone, not on my laptop. When I want to see the weather, I check it on the iPhone, not on my laptop… The list goes on.
When I use my laptop, most of the time I use it to watch video or browse the internet in bed or in the living room couch. The iPad should do all these things more comfortably than my laptop. The only thing it’s really missing for me is a webcam for videoconferencing. I’m not saying that it will replace my laptop… but it may end up being an additional toy.
T-1
T is for Tablet.
