Here's a great video review of Apple's latest MacBook Pro with Retina display by Ross Miller at The Verge. It's short and sweet and gets right to the point. You can drool over the beautifully written review too!
It's been over three and half years since I bought a laptop, the first unibody 5,1 MacBook Pro, and I definitely think it's time to upgrade. If you ask me, I'm all for choosing the higher tiered model at $2,799 then upgrading to the faster 2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 because of the higher cache on chip = 8MB L3, and then going with 16GB RAM. Yes, it's an extra $450, but worth it since you can't upgrade later on. Spec it out now and be happy for the next couple of years. And no, I don't think that upgrading the hard drive to the 768 SSD is particularly worth another extra $500 as you can get a Thunderbolt drive for that kind of price. Spec it out!
"It is the most expensive MacBook Pro out there, one of the most expensive laptops out there, but… if budget is not an issue, this is the best laptop you can buy right now." - Ross Miller, The Verge
Here's picture of the Retina display up close. AMAZING!
Simply put, the latest and greatest MacBook Pro w/ Retina display is the hardest and most difficult laptop to have been ever torn apart. Of course, the guys at iFixit have done all the dirty work for you and neatly labeled and dictated their work in perfect form.
As in the MacBook Air, the RAM is soldered to the logic board. Max out at 16GB now, or forever hold your peace—you can't upgrade.
Couldn't have summarized Samsung's new device better myself.
The Siri-imitating S Voice, a quad-core SoC that's already been announced for the Meizu MX, a suite of camera enhancements that rips off HTC's ImageSense wholesale, and a signature animated lock screen that emulates interaction with water, something that's been a live wallpaper option on Android phones since 2010. Oh, and industrial design and build quality that you'll find on any anonymous South Korean MP3 player — Samsung seems to have tried trickling its design language up, never a good idea.
Samsung needed to jump the gun prior to Apple's 2012 WWDC to gain up support and anticipation but instead seems to have failed those that are some of most tech savvy.
At best, Samsung matched the HTC One X. At worst, it indulged in a two-month delay of an MWC-worthy device, stoked a frenzy of anticipation that was unjustified by the eventual product, and jeopardized the still fragile growth of its brand reputation among smartphone enthusiasts. I'll leave you to decide which extreme I'm gravitating toward.
Jason Snell over at Macworld wrote a great article yesterday stating the obvious flaws with the current syncing nightmare that iTunes has become. Not only does it want to delete your apps, shuffle them around or hinder the user from an elegant solution, it crashes, is buggy and houses a rather large library consuming gigabytes upon gigabytes of hard drive space. People all over the tech industry is in agreement and I've been known to call it the DLL hell of Apple.
He calls is for a time to simplify which entails creating separate distinct apps creating iOS apps, movies, music and syncing programs. I'll agree and say that a syncing app would make sense but then why would I want to open up another application? It seems "easy" enough to remove the syncing tab all together and create an app but the original picture was a set it and forget it method. In other words, one app to control all. Would this strategy be going backwards in time? Apple employees can't be happy with the current state of iTunes. What would you do?
I've been wearing glasses since I was eight years old; that's 22 years of a piece of glass that only allowed me to see a surface more clearly. Am I excited for something better...YES. Does it look dorky? When you have questions like what's the temperature and look at me weirdly, I'll let you pull out your phone and look it up yourself smiling back knowingly. If you're interested in the technology, it's truly wearable augmented reality coming soon!
If you think of the practical solutions, think of a nurse or doctor approaching a patient; the chart right there available with a blink of an eye complete with history and diagnosis. Prices or movie times without going into the theater. It's uses are infinite. I might not wait for Apple to come up with something better.
As of 2100 EDT on the 14th of March, the media embargo from Apple was lifted and the reviews are in. Everyone LOVES the Retina Display and LTE. I might as well reiterate it again; EVERYONE LOVES THE RETINA DISPLAY!!!
Truth also be told, I'm glad I went with the 32GB Verizon model and can't wait to pick mine up on Friday. Some have already asked and yes, I might end up asking if I can up it to the 64GB version being that applications are coming in weighing at at least 1.5 times the size and some even up to 5 times larger! Here are a couple of snippets from the sources that I believe run true to the way that I analyze new hardware, tech and software.
"...it just looks otherworldly; like a glowing piece of paper." - Joshua Topolsky; The Verge
" The new iPad is the most functional, usable, and beautiful tablet that any company has ever produced." - Joshua Topolsky; The Verge
"It has the most spectacular display I have ever seen in a mobile device. ... Using the new display is like getting a new eyeglasses prescription — you suddenly realize what you thought looked sharp before wasn’t nearly as sharp as it could be." - Walt Mossberg; WSJ: All Things D
"Since it launched in 2010, the iPad has been the best tablet on the planet. With the new, third-generation model, it still holds that crown." - Walt Mossberg; WSJ: All Things D
"Reading on the big retina display is pure joy." - Jon Gruber; Daring Fireball
Techcrunch has a great review with pictures detailing the difference in Tweetbots's iOS Twitter client; Retina vs. non-Retina.
Check it out:
Props out to Tapbots for hurrying up the development of Tweetbot for iPad and getting it rushed out into the Apple App Store Ecosystem! SWAG! (you'll be getting my donation in first thing on Friday!)
Here's another close up from The Verge on the difference in screens of non-Retina vs. Retina.
Update 1: One of the newest and one of my personal favorite sites, The Wirecutter, also just posted their tablet recommendation. I've also included The Loop's review as well.
"This is the tablet you want." - Brian X. Chen; The Wirecutter
"The bottom line is that it's the best tablet and everyone who reviews one agrees. And even people who love Android phones kind of can't say much about how Android tablets stack up against the iPad. And unlike with computers or stereos or cameras, you don't really need my help, or anyone else's help, to understand that. So, I will end here." - Brian X. Chen; The Wirecutter
"So, what did I like about the iPad? Simple — the experience. Nobody in the market today can touch the Apple experience." - Jim Dalrymple; The Loop
An interview with Apple's Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, Sir Jonathan Ive. (via This Is London)
...it’s not about price, schedule or a bizarre marketing goal to appear different - they are corporate goals with scant regard for people who use the product.
I've always thought the "others" had it wrong and Jony hits it precisely on the head.
Ryan Block intelligently argues why the next generation iPad (2012) is a buy. I agree 100%. The screen of every touch device is the experience. You see what you get and in this case, you fall in love.
via gdgt:
So when a device comes along like the iPad that doesn't just display the application, but actually becomes the application, radically improving its screen radically improves the experience. And when a device's screen is as radically improved as the display in the new iPad, the device itself is fundamentally changed.
Here's a new quote taken from Sir Jonathan Ive, Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple. (via This Is London)
Our goal is simple objects, objects that you can’t imagine any other way. Simplicity is not the absence of clutter. Get it right, and you become closer and more focused on the object. For instance, the iPhoto app we created for the new iPad, it completely consumes you and you forget you are using an iPad.
One of the biggest insights into today's tablet market can be read in this fine article by Slate's Farhad Manjoo.
It’s been two years since Apple’s tablet went on sale. Rivals have released dozens of alternatives, but the iPad still represents more than 60 percent of market share. Worse, the rest of the market is dominated by two devices that are being sold at a loss—Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.
Simply put, if you think about what people use as their MP3 players today and the last ten years combined, does anyone think of anything else besides an iPod?
With the release of Google's Galaxy Nexus by Samsung tomorrow on Verizon, I couldn't have pointed it out better myself than Daring Fireball's Mr. John Gruber:
...The 2008 G1 had a hardware keyboard; a hardware up/down/left/right controller for moving the insertion point in text and navigating menus; dedicated hardware buttons for Menu, Home, Search, and Back; and SD card storage expansion. All of these things were held up by some critics as advantages against the iPhone. Today’s Galaxy Nexus has none of these things.
vs
"A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."
- Steve Jobs (BusinessWeek / 25 May 1998)
Amongst my friends, some might call me an Apple Fanboy but at heart I know that I always take into consideration all the pros and cons of all technological devices. I really do try my best to be unbiased and after extensive research, I'll make an argument / recommendation for whatever device will fit your needs.
Someone told me last week that I like to be right (duh) but they're missing the bigger picture. It's not about being right or wrong. It's all about making sure that it fits the personality / requirements of that individual and from there I can claim success as long as they enjoy the product. But alas, affirmation from tech pundits always puts a smile on my face. As some of you might know, I like to be in the know and now!
Onto Google's first Android phone running Ice Cream Sandwich - Galaxy Nexus. Techcrunch editor MG Siegler just released his review and here are some key points:
...it feels like I’m Zack Morris holding his Gordon Gekko phone
still feels rather cheap and plastic-y
the camera is definitely worse than the iPhone 4S, both in megapixels (8 vs. 5), and in image quality
but of course MG Siegler does admit, "It’s important to emphasize the fact that the Galaxy Nexus is without a doubt the best phone I’ve ever used that’s not an iPhone."
Google also released a pretty cool commercial.
Update: It's official, you can purchase this phone tomorrow for $299.99 + two year contract on Verizon! (via BGR)
Flipboard just released their app on Apple's iTunes store and it's simply amazing! Download it, explore it and check it out! It's now a happy resident on my iPhone 4S homescreen.
