No iPhone 4S Upgrade For Me

The iPhone 4 has been updated to the iPhone 4S with a faster dual-core A5 CPU (same as in the iPad 2), improved 8MP camera with 1080p video recording, and a neat new voice commanded assistant.  It's all good and well and it is more than a little impressive.  However I have to say I'm staying put with my trusty iPhone 4 on Verizon.  I can almost see those who know me nodding their heads and thinking, "Yeah, right."

See, for the first time in the more than three years I've been packing a smartphone device with me on a daily basis I'm quite content and happy with what I've got.  As hard as it is to believe I have no burning desire to upgrade right now.  If the new iPhone had a larger screen and a new form factor with some 4G LTE sauce thrown in I may have been tempted to jump on board but in all reality it's a minor spec bump and for what I use my iPhone for it's not at all neccessary for me.  The apps I use daily run just fine, the 5MP camera works for what I use it for, and I don't really see me needing a fancy new voice assistant.  I know that iOS 5 will run well on my current iPhone because I've been running the beta versions since the first release.

Another reason is that I would have to pay the full retail value for the new iPhone which for the 32GB version would run me $749.  Sure, I could get Best Buy to buy the phone back for $340 (they had a special on their buy back program when I got it so it cost me nothing) but I just can't see paying a little over $400 for a spec bump.  Further, the way my contract with Verizon is structured I'm all set for a subsidised upgrade come October of 2012 which is when we may expect the next version of the iPhone to come out.

All in all, I'm happy with what I have got right now and I'm going to enjoy this feeling.  That and I'll enjoy not plunking down hundreds of dollars for a new handset less than twelve months after buying one.

Serious iPad Competitor?

Yesterday MG Siegler of Tech Crunch posted a hands on account of the upcoming 7 inch tablet computer coming from Amazon later this year and it provides an interesting insight into how any company can compete with the iPad from Apple.  It's becoming obvious that Android still has a ways to go before it can seriously hope to eat into the iPad dominance that Apple has established.  Whether it is fragmentation from the various manufacturers customizing their offerings or shortfalls in the end user experience no one has yet come up with a formula that shouts out "iPad Killer".  HP formally threw in the towel a few weeks ago and now there are indications that the RIM Playbook may be heading down a similar path.  What will it take to dethrone the iPad and does Amazon have the secret sauce to pull it off?

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iOS 5 So Far

I've been running the iOS 5 betas on both my iPhone 4 and iPad 2 for a little over two weeks now and am currently running the second version of the beta on both devices.  Plenty of other web sites have been talking about the new version of iOS and have been concentrating on the various new features found within.  There's been talk about iCloud integration, wireless syncing via Wi-Fi, photo streaming, deep Twitter integration, the new notifications system, and lots of other odds and ends.  I deliberately avoided writing about it all for at least a couple of weeks so that I could provide something else, perhaps a different perspective on the new operating system.  

I first want to offer up a few caveats about this blog entry.  

First, iOS 5 is currently still in beta testing and as such it's to be expected that there will be glitches, performance issues, broken apps, and more than a few instances of just plain hinky stuff going on.  I've beta tested software before for various platforms so I knew what I was getting into here.  Unless you've beta tested software before it's one thing to read about stuff being broken on your devices and a completely different thing to have them break on your device.  It will frustrate you at times.  In other words don't try installing this stuff yourself unless you're willing to take all those problems into account.  Trust me on this one.  Besides all that you'll have to either pay to access the developer program Apple has set up, know someone who can get you in, or take a chance on one of the many sites that offer to give you access for a fee.

Second, all these opinions about the iOS 5 beta are mine and mine alone.  I did not set out to test or find every single new or improved feature in the OS.  Instead I've been using my devices as I normally would and this entry will reflect that point of view.

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Lower Priced Macs

I've had many people tell me that one of the biggest reasons they do not buy a Mac is the higher prices that go with them.  On one hand I can completely understand considering that for just around $300 you can get a Windows based desktop that will meet most needs or for around $400-$500 you can score a low end PC notebook computer.  For a lot of folks it just makes more sense to take the cheaper road and deal with Windows.  However, for just a bit more you can score a Mac on the cheap by looking at the refurbished models that Apple has for sale on their website.  Here is a link to their current refurbished lineup.

Last year when I was getting all set to purchase my iMac after saving up for it for the better part of a year I knew right away that I would be buying a refurbished model.  Apple provides the same warranty on their refurbished products as they do on their brand new ones AND offer some substantial savings to boot.  For instance, on my iMac I saved $450 by buying a refurbished model.  A part of that savings came from the fact that Apple refreshed their iMac line less than a week after I purchased mine and because it was within two weeks they refunded me the difference between the old price and the new one.  Originally I was only saving around $200.  My point is that if you shop smart and time it just right you can save almost a quarter of the purchase price of a new model.

That takes care of the upfront costs of buying a Mac on the cheap.  Now let's talk about backend costs of owning a Mac and the long term savings over buying a Windows PC.

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WWDC Roundup: iCloud

Out of the three things covered today at the WWDC by Apple the iCloud features announced was probably the biggest (OS X Lion and iOS 5 being the other two).  Steve Jobs himself handled that portion of the keynote by himself after leaving the other two portions to other top management of the company which clearly shows where Apple thought the "meat" of the show was.  After watching a live stream thanks to someone there risking the wrath of Apple by sneaking it out and following a couple of live blogs I have to agree.  The Lion portion actually bored me into not really paying attention and the iOS 5 part had some interesting, but expected, high notes but the iCloud part had me sitting up and paying close attention.  Rather close attention.

So, what exactly can we expect from the new iCloud?  

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