Thoughts On iPad Event

Apple has announced the new iPad, which they’re calling iPad Air, to bring the naming convention in line with their Macbook Air laptops.  No real surprises-it’s thinner, lighter (1 lb.), and faster than the iPad 4. Apple has opted to not include the TouchID found in the iPhone 5s, presumably because the context for it doesn’t make as much sense for an iPad as it does for an iPhone, at least not yet. iPads are considered mobile devices of course, but not to the extent that an iPhone is. So personally, this isn’t a big deal and may have lowered supply anyway. In any case, price point and battery life remain the same, which is great. The iPad mini 2 was also announced, and despite some doubters, it does indeed have that glorious Retina display.

What was disappointing is that Apple did not mention iOS 7.1 at all, or even 7.0.3, as many were hoping it would, as there have been a number of bugs that need to be fixed ASAP. That being said, it’s still likely the new iPads will ship with 7.1 out of the box, and given that the iPad Air ships Nov. 1st, the 7.1 OTA update could very well be coming soon. At the very least, we should absolutely see 7.0.3 released in the next week or so. Also a little bit of a bummer is the fact that there was no mention of an Apple TV update, either software or hardware, which Apple has done during past fall events. That type of announcement would have fit in nicely with a Steve Jobs-type “one more thing” encore.

Once I manage to grab one of those shiny new Airs, I’ll post my thoughts on it as compared to the iPad 2, since that’s my only real frame of reference.

About

Hello there! Thanks for visiting our blog. My name is Greg Walker. I am a lover of all things technology, but I do have a soft spot for Apple, Nintendo (hang in there!), and Xbox. I also enjoy writing, so I figured blogging would be a natural cohesion of the two.

Posted in iPad, Technology
2 comments on “Thoughts On iPad Event
  1. Alan says:

    Doesnt sound like these announcements about the iPads were any surprise , almost a ” ho hum”. And some lapses in mentioning iOS updates is kinda disappointing. I think the new system is big improvement , made even better by some fixes. Samsung doing a lot if oroduct releases – would like to hear your opinion on them

    • Greg says:

      The new iPads were not surprising by any means, and yeah, a lot of people will consider them just that-ho hum. But a couple things to remember-one, Apple gave everyone what they wanted, which was a lighter, thinner full sized iPad, and a Retina display iPad mini. The mini in particular will sell in droves. The other thing to keep in mind is that the rumors were all pretty accurate, and so many Apple followers like you and I knew what to expect. I guess at this point we just need to set our expectations with these announcements, and assume that what we’ve heard is what we’ll see.

      That being said, the lack of iOS update announcements was disappointing, and I can’t figure out why they wouldn’t have said anything, unless they really don’t have an update ready to go yet. Let’s hope that’s not true.

      Samsung’s product strategy is push, push, push. That’s how they stay competitive with Apple. You will never see Apple take on that kind of philosophy. They are a patient, calculated company that releases new products only if and when they’re satisfied with them. It’s why Samsung released its Galaxy Gear “smartwatch” but we haven’t seen the iWatch yet. Apple’s working on it, no doubt about that. But it’s not ready. When it is ready, it will be good, and 10 times better than what the Galaxy Gear offers. It will be a true smartwatch, not just a “companion” device that works with one phone/phablet. Read some reviews and you’ll see why, although it’s a neat product in some respects, Samsung took it out of the oven too soon. Apple won’t make that mistake.

      Overall, Apple is all about providing a best-in-class user experience, and seamlessly integrating software, hardware, and services to create the best products. Android is all about customization and options, none of which, in my opinion, eschew the same high quality you get from an Apple product.

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