Mobile phones & tablets thread

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8th March 2012, 15:18
Mark

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave B

Nobody bothered mentioning the launch of the "new" iPad, I see. Higher res screen (although still not widescreen no matter how much they bang on about movies),

Yeah sure but do you really want it? I mean it's a massive resolution anyway.

Quote:

Siri (which needs a data connection, and used to be an app anyway),

Siri isn't there, at least not in the same way as the iPhone, it's only for dictation.

Quote:

terrible pricing once you get sensible memory size, and still lacking basics such as HDMI output.

Well we've been discussing these and people saying well you are going to need loads of storage, but my argument is that if you are just going to use it in the house you aren't gong to need as much as you would on a truly portable device such as an iPhone, so the 16GB model will be sufficient. Still; £400 is a lot of money, however you look at it.

As for HDMI, this has been posted before on this thread. Apple Digital AV Adapter - Apple Store (UK) What's the point in there being a permanently installed HDMI port when the majority of people aren't going to use it and when they are they'll be beside a TV, where they can keep the adapter anyway!

Quote:

What with the disappointing iPhone update, have Apple stalled without Jobs or do they still have a few aces up their sleeve?

Let's hope so, but I think the issue now is that the iFamily, iMac, iPod, iPad, iPhone et al are fairly mature products and we're into a state of evolution rather than revolution, which often isn't a bad thing - just look at Windows 8 if you want to see a way to balls things up for no good reason. Apple has been known in recent times for shaking things up in a big way so we're suprised when they don't.

It'll be interesting to see what they come up with for the iPhone 5, or will it be "The New iPhone"?
9th March 2012, 10:39
Andrewmcm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave B

Nobody bothered mentioning the launch of the "new" iPad, I see. Higher res screen (although still not widescreen no matter how much they bang on about movies), Siri (which needs a data connection, and used to be an app anyway), terrible pricing once you get sensible memory size, and still lacking basics such as HDMI output.

What with the disappointing iPhone update, have Apple stalled without Jobs or do they still have a few aces up their sleeve?

Perception, perception, perception, and subjectivity. I believe we had that comparison between an iPad and another computer which was of a similar spec, had loads of ports, and was available much earlier than the iPad. One sold in its millions and has defined a new form of computing, the other did not. As Mark pointed out, it does have HDMI via and adapter. Having all of these infrequently-used ports on the machine would substantially increase its size. Remember, modern tablet computing is about the user experience, not the amount of stuff you can have hanging from it.

My 32GB iPad2 has 18GB free, and I use it frequently. I use iTunes Match to store a lot of my music library in iCloud, and I can always download them should I want to have them for trips away.

The iPhone 4S update was disappointing in what respect? As we also talked about a long time ago in this thread, the amount of hype around Apple now means that their secrecy can sometimes work against them. Wild rumours fly about, people accept these as fact and then the actual announced product falls short of these expectations. Funnily enough, this "disappointing" update is doing rather well - iPhone 4S sales: Heading for the Guinness Book of Records - Forbes Apple earnings surge on blow-out iPhone sales - MarketWatch
9th March 2012, 12:06
Mark

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrewmcm

The iPhone 4S update was disappointing in what respect?

Mostly because it looked the same as the iPhone 4. I'll bet if they'd changed the case but kept the same innards as the iPhone 4S the reception would have been better. Indeed I might have bought one myself! But as you've said the 4S is working out very well for Apple.
9th March 2012, 15:32
Dave B

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark

Yeah sure but do you really want it? I mean it's a massive resolution anyway.

Yes! If you're watching media in WS on an iPad you'll have to put up with so much letterboxing that you'd actually be better off with a 7" tablet with the correct aspect ratio, with the added bonus that they're far more portable. The resolution is fantastic, for sure, but if you're going to lose a third of the picture there's little point.

Quote:

Siri isn't there, at least not in the same way as the iPhone, it's only for dictation.

My bad, but that's arguably worse. Dictation apps have been available on all platforms for ages, and it's baffling that Apple took Siri off the market but tout it as a new feature in the latest iPhone.

Quote:

Well we've been discussing these and people saying well you are going to need loads of storage, but my argument is that if you are just going to use it in the house you aren't gong to need as much as you would on a truly portable device such as an iPhone, so the 16GB model will be sufficient. Still; £400 is a lot of money, however you look at it.

If you intend to use this massive retina screen for media on the go you'll either need a decent memory or a fantastic data plan with reliable connectivity. My personal rule is however much memory you think you'll need when you purchase a device: treble it. I though the 8GB card in my phone would be more than enough when I bought it, a few months later it seemed laughable small. The cloud is all well and good, but isn't the answer to bulk storage just yet.

Quote:

As for HDMI, this has been posted before on this thread. Apple Digital AV Adapter - Apple Store (UK) What's the point in there being a permanently installed HDMI port when the majority of people aren't going to use it and when they are they'll be beside a TV, where they can keep the adapter anyway!

There are sub-£100 tablets which have mini-HDMI ports as standard, they don't add anything to the size. It just seems a bit of a strange omission from something touted as a media device, in my opinion.

Quote:

Apple has been known in recent times for shaking things up in a big way so we're suprised when they don't.

Which is why some of us find it baffling that much of the media give so much free publicity to Apple when their recent product launches haven't exactly been headline news.
9th March 2012, 15:34
Dave B

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark

Mostly because it looked the same as the iPhone 4. I'll bet if they'd changed the case but kept the same innards as the iPhone 4S the reception would have been better. Indeed I might have bought one myself! But as you've said the 4S is working out very well for Apple.

The screen on the iPhone is starting to look very quaint - in fact it was one of the reasons why I didn't buy one two years ago, it was already lagging behind rivals. I know Apple hate fragmentation but I really don't see what's wrong with offering a choice of two screen sizes which could very easily be given the same resolution. In my opinion the iPhone is too small and the iPad too big.

Obviously the sales of both are phenomenal, but I'd like to see what they could do with the options of a 4.5" iPhone and a 7" iPad.
9th March 2012, 16:33
Mark

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave B

The screen on the iPhone is starting to look very quaint - in fact it was one of the reasons why I didn't buy one two years ago, it was already lagging behind rivals. I know Apple hate fragmentation but I really don't see what's wrong with offering a choice of two screen sizes which could very easily be given the same resolution. In my opinion the iPhone is too small and the iPad too big.

Obviously the sales of both are phenomenal, but I'd like to see what they could do with the options of a 4.5" iPhone and a 7" iPad.

Completely agree there. I'd like a bigger iPhone and smaller iPad too. I think it would be a big mistake for Apple to stick with the 3.5" screen for the next iPhone, when as you say, almost all their competition has bigger screens. There is of course a limit of how big a screen can be on a phone before it stops being pocketable, but 3.5" is not it.

And yes, the iPad is too big, for what I want it for, sitting on the sofa browsing the web, it's complete overkill; whereas a 7" tablet would be ideal.
9th March 2012, 17:18
gloomyDAY

I'm really disappointed with Apple. The iPad is not a worthwhile investment. Why? Your iPhone can do all the same functions and is more compact. Also, the price for an iPad is stooooopidly expensive. I would much rather have gotten a HP tablet during the fire sale and used an Android OS.

What really pissed me off is that Apple is coming out with Mountain Lion. I just upgraded to Lion and now they're telling me that I have to pay more money in order to get their latest operating system. Git outta here! I still think that Snow Leopard is the best Apple OS, so I'm just going to revert my laptop and desktop back to Snow Leopard.
9th March 2012, 21:44
ioan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark

And yes, the iPad is too big, for what I want it for, sitting on the sofa browsing the web, it's complete overkill; whereas a 7" tablet would be ideal.

Get yourself a 7" Galaxy Tab or the smaller Galaxy Note.
IMO these are the right size.
10th March 2012, 22:01
Jag_Warrior

Quote:

Originally Posted by gloomyDAY

I'm really disappointed with Apple. The iPad is not a worthwhile investment. Why? Your iPhone can do all the same functions and is more compact. Also, the price for an iPad is stooooopidly expensive. I would much rather have gotten a HP tablet during the fire sale and used an Android OS.

Yes, but you're still young and your eyes can still focus on smaller print, I assume. I have an iPod Touch, and while I love it for what it is, if I was reading a manual or doing any sort of work that required me to use it for more than half an hour solid, I would definitely HAVE to have that larger screen/font size. But the portability of the iPod is one of the main reasons I haven't gotten an iPad yet. As for the Android tablets, Google needs to clean up the fragmentation before I would ever consider one. Some run this version of Android, but not that one. Some you can upgrade. Some you can't. Figuring out what can and cannot be upgraded to the next OS is just too confusing. Plus, there's the issue with security on the Android platform. It's bad enough on iOS. On Android, it's downright disturbing, IMO. Then you get into the issue of spotty build quality across different brands. I have a blood pressure issue. So I don't want to blow a gasket screwing around with that hit or miss ecosystem these days.

As for the price of the iPad, the market seems to be saying that it's priced about right. If demand falls, then I would agree with you. But considering the (non-subsidized) price of an iPhone or the iPod touch, I would say that the iPad is priced quite fairly.

Quote:

What really pissed me off is that Apple is coming out with Mountain Lion. I just upgraded to Lion and now they're telling me that I have to pay more money in order to get their latest operating system. Git outta here! I still think that Snow Leopard is the best Apple OS, so I'm just going to revert my laptop and desktop back to Snow Leopard.

I just bought this iMac in November. But since I came from the Wonderful World of Winders, no matter which Mac OS I chose, there would have been a learning curve. It took me several weeks to really get used to the Mac way of doing things. But I have to admit, it wasn't that bad and I actually like/prefer it now (in most instances - I still have to think sometimes, to do what I want to do). But no different than a Windows-only machine, if we want the next OS, we have to pay for it. If you don't... you don't HAVE to buy it. I've been satisfied enough with Windows XP SP3 for years. After seeing Vista and using Windows 7 at work, I haven't been even a little bit tempted to "upgrade" - and my girl's nephew will give me a free copy of Windows 7. But I have heard from people that had gotten used to Snow Leopard that they prefer it. I guess moving from Snow Leopard to Lion is different and has a learning curve. For me (Windows --> Mac), it was six in one hand, half dozen in the other... no biggie.
11th March 2012, 11:33
ioan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior

As for the Android tablets, Google needs to clean up the fragmentation before I would ever consider one. Some run this version of Android, but not that one. Some you can upgrade. Some you can't. Figuring out what can and cannot be upgraded to the next OS is just too confusing. Plus, there's the issue with security on the Android platform. It's bad enough on iOS. On Android, it's downright disturbing, IMO.

Why is there a need to upgrade anything in the first place?

IMO a device OS does not need upgrades every 6 months.
Apple are the ones who invented this marketing scam with getting a new iOS every other month, where the differences are minimal yet one believes that they get valuable upgrades and so on. Especially when you consider that every 2nd upgrade they bring has serious issues that only become obvious when you're in the middle of an update.

On any PC doing an update (new OS or even better a new SP) every 12 or 24 months is more than enough, which is about the lifespan of a tablet nowadays.

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