Apple
iPad to MacBook Air
36At the end of May I bought an iPad 32GB WiFi for £499. I’d been looking forward to having the perfect machine for web browsing, email, apps and games from the sofa and bed – filling the gap between my iMac and iPhone. After the repeated delays in the iPad being released in the UK, it just made my excitement and anticipation grow for when it finally did arrive in my hands, knowing it would be worth the wait.
I wanted to love the iPad. To feel like it was the one can’t-live-without-gadget. But I couldn’t love it no matter how hard I tried. And I tried, especially as I’d just spent my hard earned £500 on it. I just kept feeling that something was missing and it certainly didn’t feel like the magical device that Apple were touting it to be.
I had been asked by many people to write a review of the iPad shortly after I bought it. You may have noted the absence of an iPad review here, simply because I was still trying to figure out where this was fitting into my life and why. And somehow putting it all into words would have made me realise that the iPad just wasn’t for me. Quite hard to admit to for my own sake, believe me. But, I wanted to give it time. Time to see what apps would come along to improve it, to see whether UK magazines would finally start coming to it and the arrival of books I’m interested in, in iBooks. It deserved a chance to prove itself.
The iPad, sadly, was starting to feel like an oversized iPod touch, to me. It also felt extremely limited. I’d bought some iPad versions of apps that I already had on the iPhone, thinking that the larger screen estate would make them more enjoyable. Yet I found playing games much more comfortable on the iPhone, particularly driving games. Navigating twists and turns on the heavy iPad was not ideal infact it was awkward. One of the reasons I wanted the iPad was for full size games, so this was a heavy disappointment.
I gave it 6 months to see whether I would start to see it as a gadget I couldn’t do without. But there were just too many shortfalls – some websites automatically reverting to their mobile versions rather than standard with no way of changing it. I know this is down to the individual site developer rather than the iPad itself, but it still meant I was having to run to the iMac to view the site(s) as intended. The inability to log into some sites on the iPad was also a huge frustration and defeated the entire purpose of being able to browse the internet and buy things from my favourite online stores from my sofa and bed.
Once the new MacBook Air was revealed at the October Apple Keynote, the future of my iPad was sealed; it had to find a new home. I was lucky enough to sell it very quickly for £429, meaning a loss of just £70 compared to what I paid for it. I couldn’t ask for more than that.
Today I headed to the Apple Store Metrocentre and walked away with the new 11″ MacBook Air 64GB, costing £849. I am absolutely thrilled with it. I have hardly been able to wipe the huge grin from my face eversince I opened the box. It’s fast – open the lid after sleeping and it’s there, good to go – no delay. It’s cool and absolutely silent. The screen size is perfect as is the clarity – and the keyboard feels so very comfortable to type on, infact this entire review has been typed on it. I can see this being much more comfortable when using it in bed, compared to the iPad.
Do I regret buying the iPad? No, not one bit. I feel fully qualified to give my own honest and unbiased opinion on it after using it for 6 months, not just a five minute fumble with it in the Apple Store only to instantly declare it a piece of rubbish or the best thing since sliced bread. It’s not a piece of rubbish, it’s just not for me.
It’s far too early to cover everything and give a full intensive review after such a short period of time with it, but I will say I am absolutely blown away by the Air – it was definitely love at first touch! If you have any questions then fire away in the comments and I’m sure I’ll be writing more on the MacBook Air soon 
The Genius is Reinstated
2In the last iTunes 10 update, the wonderful and ever accurate Genius Sidebar was replaced with Ping, showing me what my friends were liking and buying. No more could the Genius give me frighteningly accurate recommendations based on music I’d already purchased. A huge miss for someone like me who regularly discovered new music in this way.
However, I discovered today that that the Genius sidebar was reinstated when selecting some tracks to keep me entertained as I played worked. After tweeting this, it became clear that many of my friends had also missed the Genius Recommendations and are very pleased to hear of it’s reinstatement.
I’m so glad this useful feature was switched back on by Apple. I have been using iTunes Genius on the iPad regularly, but use my Mac version with much more regularity and I expect will be spending quite a bit more on music now that it’s back.
Noir Luxe case for iPhone 4
2A few weeks ago my Apple Bumper arrived as part of the free Case Program from Apple for iPhone 4 customers. I chose the Bumper as I didn’t want my iPhone completely covered by a case. However, I wasn’t impressed with the way it made my iPhone look – bulky and very un-iPhone-like.
Up until today I had been using my old Proporta Maya sleeve from my iPhone 3G. Because iPhone 4 is slimmer, the sleeve was very sloppy on it and easily slid out. But, it was enough to protect it in my pocket for the short term while I shopped around for replacement sleeves specifically for iPhone 4.
A few days ago I was browsing AmazonUK and found a Noir Luxe leather sleeve for less than £12. Here are some photos…
It’s hand stiched fine quality leather and has a soft protective interior – and a pull tab to get the iPhone in and out easily.
If, like me, you prefer your tech naked in your hand but fully protected when it’s in your bag and pocket then I’d recommend the Noir Luxe leather sleeve for iPhone 4.
[rating:5/5]
2 Weeks with iPhone 4
11Little over two weeks ago I took delivery of a 32GB iPhone 4, having ordered the SIM free version direct from Apple. I was out of contract, making me fully available for an upgrade from o2, but the lure of my current £15 o2 iPhone Simplicity tariff with 300 mins and unlimited texts was too much to ignore and I decided to buy the handset outright and stay on the Simplicity plan with a 12 month contract.
I have been totally blown away by the speed and beauty of iPhone 4. The screen is just beautiful – turn it to any angle and it just stands out, looking like the icons are painted ON the screen. That’s the first thing you notice. The second thing is the speed. Coming from a laggy iPhone 3G, it is a real treat to use something that loads games much easier and switches between apps that much quicker.
The 5MP camera on the iPhone is wonderful. I am truly stunned at the beautiful shots it produces and the tap to focus is a dream. Coming from a 2MP on my 3G is a huge upgrade and I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be needing a separate digital camera for my photography needs anymore. The iPhone 4 camera has taken it’s place. Here’s a photo straight from the iPhone, no editing…
One question I have been asked the most over the past two weeks is what my signal strength and reception is like, given that many are experiencing issues due to the antenna placement. I have not experienced a single dropped call. I know many people personally who have the iPhone 4 and none of them have experienced any significant issues with regards to signal, nor are they regretting their upgrade in any way. There’s now a rumour of an iPhone 4 recall. It’s interesting to note that of the people I follow on Twitter, those who appear gleeful of a possible (though unlikely) recall are the ones that don’t have an iPhone 4 or any interest in Apple. Make of that what you will.
I have made several phone calls and all of them have been clear and constant, no dropouts. Infact recently I was on a call and not paying attention to how I was holding the phone. When I looked, one of my fingers was near the ‘death grip’ corner and yet my bars were full. I’m pleased to say that the signal issue isn’t affecting me to the extent that it’s reportedly affecting others. However, talk to my Brother and he will tell you a different story with his handset – but then again he’s using a Nokia and gets repeated drops with every call he makes 
Have you bought iPhone 4? What are your thoughts and experiences thus far?
[rating:5/5]
UK iPad Shipping begins
89Today my 32GB iPad was shipped, 7 days exactly before the official UK release date of Friday 28th May. I was a little surprised as I wasn’t anticipating shipping until early next week.
Yesterday ‘cancel order’ was greyed out on my iPad order page which made me suspect something was happening, but didn’t expect it to have started to make it’s way to me. As yet it’s not giving me any details of carrier other than Fast Ship (EMEA) and there’s no estimated delivery date available. I imagine that info will become available soon and a ‘item despatched’ email to follow.
If you’re in the UK or other countries expecting the iPad on May 28th, has yours shipped yet?
UK iPad Pricing details released
5With just a few days left before the UK can finally pre-order the Apple iPad, the pricing and availability details were announced not only for UK but also Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland.
The pricing structure is as follows…
WiFi
16GB: £429
32GB: £499
64GB: £599
WiFi + 3G
16GB: £529
32GB: £599
64GB: £699
There’s no doubt that UK iPad fans knew that we were going to pay more than our friends across the pond, but I’m personally a little disappointed in the price of the 64GB WiFi model as I was hoping for a £529-£549 pricetag. An extra £100 between the 32GB and 64GB has killed the deal for me and I’ll be settling for the 32GB WiFi model. The largest capacity would have been preferred, but since I’m someone who always has 4GB free on her 8GB iPhone then I think it’s a safe bet that I won’t be going anywhere near filling up 32GB, let alone 64GB. I plan on buying the official case and Camera Connection kit so the £100 I save will be used for the accessories.
Pre-ordering begins Monday 10th May and will be available on Friday 28th May.
What capacity are you going for?
Switching to o2 iPhone Simplicity
112 years ago
Today my 18 month iPhone 3G contract with o2 came to an end. For a few months I’ve heard some fellow o2-iPhone friends talk about moving to an iPhone Simplicity tariff with a 30-day rolling contract, leaving them free and single to sign a new contract when the newest and shiniest iPhone hits the streets, possibly in the summer.
So, looking to save myself £10 a month, I called o2 today and switched from iPhone 30 (£30 per month) which gave me 75 mins/125 texts, to iPhone Simplicity 20 (£20 per month) which gives you…
- 300 mins
- Unlimited texts
- Unlimited data and wifi
- Visual Voicemail
The phonecall to 2302 from my iPhone took just a few minutes. Shortly after making the switch I checked Visual Voicemail on my iPhone which was showing as ‘Currently Unavailable’. I assumed that this feature wasn’t available on iPhone Simplicity until a few friends confirmed that it was. 3G was also failing on my iPhone, so I called o2 again and spoke with a girl who really confused matters.
I was told to change the network settings on my iPhone so that I could get 3G and MMS. She also repeatedly insisted that Visual Voicemail does not come with the iPhone Simplicity tariffs. However, it appears she was confusing regular Simplicity with iPhone Simplicity, so there was no need to alter any settings on my phone. I can confirm that you DO get Visual Voicemail on iPhone Simplicity and there is no need to manually change any network settings. Simply reboot your iPhone once you’ve moved to iPhone Simplicity which will bring back 3G and all your current data settings will work correctly without any amendment.
The Apple iPad
For weeks the rumour mill has been in full swing with regards to a tablet device on it’s way from Apple. While excited to officially hear about the new creation, I was unusually tired of the speculation and delusion from many big unofficial Apple news sites, giving us random bits of detail from non-reliable sources – all of which, predictably, ended up being untrue.
So, after shutting down NewsFire RSS for days, I decided to leave it until the big man himself, Steve Jobs, got up on stage yesterday and unveiled this magical new product: the iPad. I didn’t have any huge expectations about what it would do but for me the iPad is the perfect bridge between the iPhone and iMac. No question.
For the longest time I have wanted something with a bigger screen that I could use for sofa and bed browsing and the ability to watch TV shows and Movies that I have purchased/rented through iTunes. With the absence of an AppleTV which I’m still not entirely sold on, I never do get around to watching the media I have bought. The idea of watching on the iPhone’s 3.5 inch screen is a nice one, but really not practical for doing so comfortably. The 10inches of the iPad = perfection.
I’ve been asked by various people today what I am going to use the iPad for…
- Browsing the internet/sending e-mails from the sofa and bed
- Buying and reading books from the Apple iBookstore
- The beautiful Classics app which will be so much more comfortable to read on a 10 inch screen
- Watching TV shows and Movies purchased through iTunes
- Showing personal photos to friends/family on a comfortable size screen when visiting them
- Games. Oh, the games!
- Arty drawing and painting apps such as Brushes
and the fabulous Charadium
- Apps in general, bigger screen, beauty.
- Goodness knows what else!
My PowerBook did a good job of bridging the gap between my iPhone and iMac for a while, but never gets booted up thesedays and needs to be connected to the mains permanently as battery lasts approximately 3 minutes. I have zero interest in buying a laptop as it’s overkill for my needs (see above). I know the iPad isn’t for everyone’s needs, but there’ll be a big market for this I’m sure
The iPad prices have not yet been announced on the Apple UK site, but Macworld UK have estimated the prices as follows…
iPad WiFi
16GB – £388
32GB – £510
64GB – £591
iPad WiFi + 3G
16GB – £490
32GB – £612
64GB – £693
Many of those don’t sound like Apple-ish prices to me, but again are just an estimate. I would take a guess at the 16GB WiFi starting at £379, with the 32GB coming in at £479. But, we’ll have to wait and see when Apple release the prices in GBP. I’ll update this post with the correct pricing when it’s been announced.
I have decided to go for the iPad 32GB WiFi model, at $599. I simply don’t need 3G as I have my iPhone for that. I actually saved up twice the US asking price as I’d heard that the tablet was expected to cost around $1k. So, I can now happily afford the little accessories such as case and dock! Roll on 60 days time. I’ll have a little review up for you when I get my hands on it.
See the indepth spec review of the iPad over at my friends blog, techese.
Quick Look: New Apple Remote
9When I ordered the Magic Mouse from Apple Store online a couple of weeks ago, I popped the new Apple Remote into my shopping cart. Then a day later the shipping dates changed on the remote which would have held my mouse up for at least another 36 days. So, I removed the remote and decided to buy at a later date when stock was in.
After doing a Twitter search for ‘new apple remote’ a few days ago, some were reporting that their Remote was now being shipped, despite the availability still showing as 2-4 weeks on the store listing at the time of ordering. (now changed to 1-2 weeks). But, I decided to pop in my order on Monday and just sit it out. Less than 48 hours later the remote had shipped.
Delivery method showed as ‘Postal’ on my invoice, so because of the Royal Mail strikes across the UK recently I wasn’t expecting it to arrive anytime soon. However, it seems Apple are now using a different courier service to get their goods to customers in the wake of these RM strikes, so it arrived in a timely manner by UK Mail this afternoon. Apple packaged it very well, in a shoe-box sized box!
Check out more photos of the New Apple Remote on Flickr.
I unpaired my old Apple Remote and paired up the new one by holding down the right and menu buttons together for 5 seconds, then a link icon appeared on the screen to show I’d successfully paired it with my iMac. I’ve been asked a few questions around the internet about the remote already, so here’s a little summary.
It’s slightly heavier than the white plastic remote. It’s also a lot colder to the touch, being all aluminium. Even though the play/pause button has been moved from the centre, the centre still acts as a play/pause button. This is good news as I’ve become rather accustomed to clicking the centre for that and I’m sure it would take a while to re-program that action.
There isn’t a great deal more one can say about a Remote Control, but if you do have any questions then fire away in the comments.
It’s A Kind Of Magic
11The Apple Magic Mouse arrived at Fruit Bytes HQ late this afternoon, courtesy of UPS. Having ordered it direct from Apple Store online 9 days ago, I was very much looking forward to receiving it and having a bit of a play to see how it compared to it’s older sibling, the Mighty Mouse.
When I unpacked the mouse I was expecting it to come in the cardboard packaging like the Mighty Mouse, but instead it’s a plastic box much like the ones that the iPod range come in nowadays (below). The batteries were already inside of the mouse, so all I needed to do was flick the switch underneath, browse for a new Bluetooth device and within a few moments the Magic Mouse was ready for business.
The back of the box shows all the various actions such as the two-finger swipe and screen zoom. But, I know you’re keen to know how it feels compared to the bigger Mighty Mouse…
Because it’s so much thinner and flatter, you will notice the difference in your hand right away. A couple of my fingers felt like they didn’t quite know where to be, mostly my ring finger which ordinarily would be hugging the side of the Mighty Mouse. I sometimes found myself using my index finger to scroll rather than my middle finger. I didn’t expect anything other than an alien feeling to begin with and it would be silly to say otherwise. The more I’m using it, the more intuitive and natural it’s starting to become and I know for sure that the Mighty Mouse would feel big and chunky in my hand now.
I’ve had a play with just some of the functions of the Magic Mouse in the short time I’ve had it. Obviously vertical scroll is particularly enjoyable and the thought of no more scroll ball getting clogged up is a sweet one. I have scrolled through my iTunes music library (cover flow view) using one-finger horizontal scrolling. This was just to test this feature out but doubt it will be an action I use regularly as I never browse my library in Cover Flow view. Similarly, two-finger swiping for going back or forward in Safari may not be something I use much, but it works and works well.
These are my Magic Mouse preferences…
I increased the Scrolling up one notch from it’s default and it feels perfect for me. Aside from it’s functionality, it’s a beautifully designed piece of hardware as one comes to expect from Apple. Underneath the mouse is almost as gorgeous as the top of it. No doubt I will take further pictures to show off it’s slim profile soon and put them up on Flickr.
I know there have been quite a few questions on Twitter about the particular functioning of the Magic Mouse which I have been unable to answer due to being away from the device at the time. But, I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have, in the comments. My Mighty Mouse is currently being packed up and will hopefully be off to a new home very soon. The Magic Mouse is here to stay.
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