Apple Adds Two Items to My Christmas Wish List: iPad Air 2 and Mac Mini

I just finished watching the Apple Event this morning (it's 2 AM here in Manila) and I am stoked with two things that the guys in Cupertino unveiled today.  The company just released the latest models of their flagship iPhone last month and now, they released what could be the last of their gadgets for this year in time for the holidays.

Apple introduced this morning the iPad Air 2, which they say is the thinnest and most powerful iPad ever. In introducing the new iPad, Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing can't help gushing about the latest model of their gadget.  He described it as the thinnest tablet in the world and that two of the new gadget stacked on top of each other would still be thinner than the first generation iPad.  

fortune,com

iPad Air 2 has a new Retina display with anti-reflective coating, second generation 64-bit A8X chip, all-new iSight and FaceTime HD cameras, faster Wi-Fi and LTE wireless.  It also includes my favorite Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor.  

It's open for pre-order on the U.S. Apple Online Store starting later today. The Wi-Fi models are priced at $499, $599 and $699 for the 16, 64, and 128 GB capacities, respectively.  It will be available in gold, silver, and space gray.

Initial impressions of the new iPad Air 2 are very favorable.  Most are raving about how thin it is and the better screen resolution.  The Verge noted  the big improvement on the camera:

 "One thing that is definitively better is the new camera, which is now 8 megapixels; it's a lot faster and shots seemed a lot clearer, at least in Apple's hectic demo room. "

I am not yet sure how much iPad Air 2 will cost in the Philippines and when it will be available here but I hope just before the Christmas Season.  Apple also unveiled the iPad Mini 3 but I prefer the 9.7 inch iPad Air.  I am eyeing the 64GB wifi model owing to the experience of the on-air update of iOS a few months ago when I need to delete some files to get some space on my 16GB gadget.

Another good news at the event was that Apple has finally updated the Mac mini.   Nothing much change in the design of the  Mac mini, but many changes happened inside.  It now features fourth-generation Intel Core processors, faster integrated graphics, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Thunderbolt 2.  The new machine will be shipping with the latest iteration of OSX, Yosemite which was also released this morning and now available for download for free.  It also has a new lower starting price at $499, making Apple’s most affordable Mac an even better value.  Below is a screenshot from the Official Philippine Apple Store of the pricing for the new Mac mini.

I checked our online forum during the event and the most common complaint about the new Mac mini model is that it doesn't come with a quad core CPU. Nevertheless, I am glad there's a new Mac mini and that means I can change my hardworking Mac soon.

In fact, the new Mac mini is now available on the official Philippine Apple Store.  Shipping time is 2 to 3 weeks at the moment.

So these are too items on my Christmas wish list. I'm still thinking which of them I will finally get. I might get lucky though and ultimately get both of them. Happy Holidays, indeed!

PH Finally Gets its iTunes Store

Apple announced this week the launch of iTunes in several Asian countries including the Philippines.  This is good news for us who have an iOS device or two as we now have access to songs, apps and movies that were previously unavailable to us.  These include music from local artists, of course.  Not only that, we can now also shop for books under the iBookstore.

It is only about time that we have our own iTunes Store.  Before this, I can only populate my iPod through ripping my CD.  The only way I can download music and books from iTunes is to ask my sister to get me an iTunes Music Store prepaid card or buy one from an online seller at a higher price.  Now, I can use my local credit card to gain access to all of the goods.

Moreover, Asia is one of the fastest growing markets for Apple products.  Since many of their gadgets now come sans optical drives, Apple users here have no option but to download iOS and Mac OSX software from iTunes or the Appstore.  

iTunes music store has been online since 2003 and after almost ten years, it's here.  Well, better late than never.  Welcome to the Philippines iTunes!

Introducing the new iPad

Apple®  introduced earlier the new iPad®, the third generation of its category defining mobile device, featuring a stunning new Retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight® camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video. iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G connects to fast networks worldwide, including AT&T’s and Verizon’s 4G LTE networks, and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life  while remaining amazingly thin and light.

The new iPad’s Retina display delivers four times the number of pixels of iPad 2, so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when held at a normal distance, making web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic.

from apple.com

With iOS 5.1, the latest update to the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, the new iPad has a number of new features and enhancements including: a redesigned Camera app with video stabilization technology; the ability to delete photos from Photo Stream; support for dictation in English, French, German and Japanese; and Personal Hotspot.

The new iPad also supports dictation, another amazing way to get things done just using your voice. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard, then say what you want to say and the new iPad listens. Tap done, and iPad converts your words into text. You can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web and more.

iOS 5 is Here!

 

Apple released iOS 5 this morning, its most anticipated mobile operating system for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.  It brings 200 new features and enhancements including Notification Center, iMessage, Newsstand, Reminders, and systemwide Twitter integration.

The update requires iTune 10.5 which was released last Tuesday.  To download, connect your device to iTunes and you'll be prompted with the download.  If not, click on Check for Updates button.  iOS 5 is compatible with the iPad 2, original iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch.

A good number of fellow members of an online Mac users forum stayed all night to wait and be the first ones to download and run this new OS.  Some of them are reporting problems and difficulties with upgrading to iOS 5, as Apple's servers have been acting up perhaps due to high demand for the new release. I am downloading it right now and hopefully the glitches experienced by early adaptors have been addressed already.  I will make a more detailed post about it in the next few days.

Steve Jobs, 56

STEVE JOBS

1955-2011

Thanks for making computing fun. Your legacy will live forever.

Would you buy a wooden iPad or a paper laptop?

Two weird but very real stories on the Internet caught my attention last week.  One was about a woman who thought she got an iPad for a bargain at $180 only to find out later that it was made of wood and obviously a fake.  The other one was about another woman who bought a laptop for $250, which turned to be a bunch of papers wrapped in packaging tape accompanied by a power cord.

A wooden iPad? (source: google.com)

What made these stories even weirder is that it happened in the same city: Spartanburg, South Carolina.  The modus operandi was almost similar.  Victim was approached by two men who offered bargain priced laptops, iPad and other gadgets that were in a shipping box.  Both crimes happened in a parking lot, one in McDonald's and the other in a gas station.  Both women didn't open their package until they get home, only to find out that they've been bilked of their money.

My first reaction after reading these stories was that, these women could have been victimized by a budol-budol gang member.  For the uninitiated, this gang operates in the streets of Manila showing their would be victims a pile of money inside a bag.  The gang would ask the poor unsuspecting person for some cash or to  withdraw something from the ATM since they needed to buy something.  Upon getting the money, they would give the bag to their victim and promise to comeback for it after they bought what they needed.  They also promise the victim that they would give some of the money in the bag for helping them.  The victim could wait the whole day and they would never return, and when he opens the bag he finds a bundle of cut-up newspapers and no money.

Some of the victims would swear that they actually saw a thick bundle of money in one-hundred peso bills.  Others would report that they felt like they were hypnotized or seduced by the person who approached them that's why they willing handed them money or withdrew some from the ATM.  But many suspect that it was just the lure of easy money that got the better of these people and made them give up their cash.

So could it be that budol-budol gang has transferred their operations to South Carolina?  But wait, the report said that the women did not see the "merchandise" until they reached home and opened the box.  Perhaps it's just a case of two persons who thought they snagged a bargain that was too good to be true.   Unfortunately, it was really just like that: too good to be true.

Apple Releases iTunes Match on Beta for Developers (UPDATED)

Apple released today a developer beta version of its upcoming iTunes Match.  Steve Jobs already announced this service during his introduction of the iCloud at the WWDC in June.

As explained by Apple, the system "stores your complete music library in iCloud, allowing you to enjoy your collection anywhere, anytime, on any iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or computer."

from apple.com

iTunes Match will scan your iTunes music library and checks which of these songs are available in the iTunes Store.  It will include music you bought from the store, ripped from your CD collection, and even those obtained from other sources.

The company boasts of more than 18 million song titles in its catalog so most likely, the songs you have in your collection are already available.  Otherwise, you will have to unload those unavailable to iCloud.  You can then listen to your music anytime, anywhere at 256 kbps iTunes Plus quality,  as long as you are connected to the Internet.

At US$25 per year, the service will allow you to free a lot of space on your devices since you won't need to store your music on your iPad, iPod Touch, or MacBook to enjoy them.  At the moment, only developers have access to this feature and those who would participate in the beta testing will have a bonus of three months free access to iTunes Match.  It is set for release in the fall alongside iCloud.

UPDATE 9/1/11:  Apple vehemently denies that iTunes Match will stream music to your devices.  Initial reports from Beta testers seem to confirm this. It appears that once you listen to your music via iTunes Match, it automatically downloads and stores then to your iPad, iPod Touch or Mac.

iCloud: The Future in the Mac Friendly Skies

Along with the announcement of the coming MacOS X Lion last Monday, Apple announced its new service called iCloud, which is coming in Fall this year (around September).

The Mac community has been abuzzed with speculations about this new offering for months before the WWDC.  It was finally introduced by Steve Jobs himself at last Monday's event.

In his address, Jobs explained that ten years ago, their big idea was to make the PC/Mac the center of users' digital life where music, videos and photos are stored.  But all's that changed now because of the new devices that could also store and play music, video and photos.

So Apple's new big idea is to make the PC/Mac as just another device and put all media files in the cloud they named iCloud.  But this cloud is not just a harddisk in the sky, as Steve pointed out. iCloud automatically uploads, stores and pushes your contents to all of your devices. It is also completely integrated to all apps so everything happens automatically and there's nothing to learn.  As Steve puts it, "It just works."

Jobs said that they at Apple love iCloud so much that they're giving the service to their clients for free!  Everyone is given a 5GB space in the iCloud where you can store your Contacts, Mail, Calendar and yes, even your Documents.  No need to bring a USB drive to bring your Keynote presentation or Pages papers.

Of course everything you buy from the AppStore, iBookstore and iTunes store are automatically uploaded to your iCloud.  What more, your apps, books and music are not counted against your free space as long as they remain in their respective stores.

You can already try this service in beta.  If you are an iTunes user like me,  if you buy something from the store, you can make your other devices to download your purchase automatically at no extra cost.  Just go to the settings of your iPad or iPhone and make them automatically download your purchases.      Yes, it just works!

Has the iPhone been following you?

from apple.com

The biggest story among Apple fans last week was the report by two researchers that the iPhone could track the movements of its user through a secret file embedded within it.  The file, according to the researchers named Peter Warden and Allasdair Allen, is unencrypted and gives a detailed account of the comings and goings of the user.  

The initial reaction was fear and then indignation at the possible breach of security among iPhone users.  There was a lawsuit filed against Apple because of this.

After the initial outburst, however, people realized that the report was nothing new and is not something to lose sleep on.  One analyst even went to as far as using the same application that the researchers used and found its readings a bit off.  Steve Jobs, when asked through email by an iPhone owner, said in his usual brief reply that  "... The info circulating around is false."

Just this afternoon, someone gave me a link to an official statement from Apple that finally addresses the issue.  The statement is in Q and A form and on whether the iPhone and other iOS this is what the company has to say:

"Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so."

By the way, just as the dust on this issue starts to settle, Apple updated its site to announce that the White iPhone 4 is coming out today.

The iPad 2 is coming next week!

I woke up yesterday with the news the Apple has finally announced the new iPad.  No less than Steve Jobs who is on medical leave,  introduced the second generation of their wonder tablet.

photo from apple.com

So what's new with this baby?  Cameras! Two of them, one each in the front and back of the device.  This only means one thing: Face Time!  But aside from Face Time, the front camera can also be used for Photo Booth, the fun way to take a snapshot of yourself and be playful with it.

iPad 2 is also thinner and lighter and comes in two colors - black and white!  However, if you think that the changes are all cosmetic, Apple made sure that the inside of this tablet is also ground breaking.  It comes with Dual Core A5 chip that will make multi-tasking smoother and the apps load faster.

Apple also gave it a more powerful video chip to accomodate a new app for the iPad, iMovie (to be sold on the app store at US$4.95).  A separate accessory for this new device is a cable that connects to a TV or a projector.  They call it video mirroring because the image on the iPad screen will be magnified on an HDTV as seen on the tablet.  This will be great for presentations, watching videos created with the iMovie App and even playing games.

Apple also created a great looking cover for this iPad.  It's a magnetic cover for the front of the device.  When this cover is pulled off , the unit automatically wakes up from sleep and when it is reattached, it puts the iPad to sleep.  It can also be folded so that it becomes a stand when you're typing or surfing the Internet.

photo from apple.com

Faster, lighter and thinner.  The updates are so substantial that reportedly, some of Apple's competitors are rethinking their tablets.  Will I buy the new iPad?  Well my iPad will be one year old in May.  Admittedly, the updates on the iPad 2 will help me a lot especially at work, especially that video mirroring and airplay printing.  I love FaceTime but I already have an iPod Touch for that.  So may be I will pass on this one for now.  If the rumors were true that an iPad 3 is coming later this year, then I'll just wait for that.   My options are still open though.  Besides, the iPad 2 is coming out on March 11 in the U.S.  If past experience is a gauge, then I expect it will come to our shore after 3 to 4 months like its older sibling.  Still plenty of time to think about it.

Why I've Been Away

Whew... It's already February and I still have only one post for the year.  So many things have happened already and I've been silent.  Let's see why.

My sister gave me a Magnavox Blu Ray player last Christmas and I've been very busy with it.  The first Blu Ray Disc I bought was the Disney Pixar movie UP (4 disc set) and can't get over it.  I love this movie and all those added features.  The first disc contained the movie and some bonus features, including two short features.  The second contained documentaries about the making of the film.  The third is a DVD version of the film.  The fourth disc enabled me to download a digital copy of the movie through the iTunes store so now I have the movie in my iPod Touch and iPad.  Blu Ray is a thingamagig! The clarity of the image and the sound are superb that you wonder what you've been missing all these years.  By the way, to get the maximum effect, you must also have a good HD TV and of course, a HDMI cable.

Another gadget I've been busy with the last two months is my iPod Touch 4th generation.  Although I already have an iPad, I was enticed to get this baby because of FaceTime! I can't get over this app because now, not only can I talk with my sisters, I can even see them. One time, I was even speaking to my sister and her kids while they were having dinner.  It as almost like being there with them.  I am really excited what technology will come out this year.  There are already talks about the second generation iPad which will also have both front and back facing cameras.  Does this mean that we'll be able to do FaceTime on the iPad soon? I can't wait!

Favorite Apps

In one of our discussions, one of my fellow Mac fans asked us what iPad or iPhone Apps are our favorites and can't live without.  I told him I have a number of favorite apps but not necessarily I can't live without.  I downloaded some apps from the Apps Store to my iPad and use some of them more often than the others.

One of these is Pulse, a news aggregator developed by two Stanford students.  It combines the convenience of RSS feeds with the engaging interface of a web browser.  What I like about this app is that I can choose which news provider to subscribe to and place them in a grid.  I can access them anytime I want and get updated on current and tech news without leaving the app.

For making on the spot reports and other documents, I use Pages.  It is almost the same as the desktop version except that when sent through email, you will have to convert your work into a document that Pages could read.  Otherwise, it's the only app I need to make documents.

I use iBooks and Kindle for iPad alternately to read my e-books because I have books on both formats.  My only issue about reading on an iPad is eyestrain.  Yes, even with the adjustable brightness, I cannot read as much as I would with paper book.  This is one reason why I am contemplating on buying a Kindle.

Another favorite is Magic Piano. I can actually make music with this app even if I don't know how to play the instrument.  All I did was turn on one of it's auto modes and voila! I can play music from it's songbook by just following the falling dots on the screen.

If I have time to waste, which is very seldom, I play games on my iPad.  The big screen on this baby could sometimes make me waste more time than I should.

There's Angry Birds, the insanely addicting game that involves slinging birds to beat the green pigs that stole their eggs.  The game is so wicked because its levels become more and more challenging as you progress.

Also wicked is Zynga's Scramble. It looks easy because you only need to make words from random letters on a 4x4 board.  Try playing the online mode and compete with other players around the globe. The next thing you knew, hours have passed and the deadline you're trying to meet has come closer.

These are the apps that I use most of the time.  There are others on my iPad that are also worth mentioning and I would discuss on another post.