Apple and Macs: New products, iMacs, iWork, iLife

[pk500]

I just tend to really enjoy the accessibility of the iPad. It really was evident this past week when we were on vacation with my parents, sisters and their families, etc. Both my brother-in-laws had their bulky laptop pcs. Watching as they started them up, plug the power cord in to the wall, just to check email and surf the web was rather amusing. Meanwhile, they and everyone else used the iPad for the bulk of web browsing because of the ease of use.

I'll admit that the idea of a tablet appeals to me, for its ease of use, portability and long battery life. My laptop is in my office at home, and I already spend enough damn time in there every day. But I return there nearly every night to browse the Web and read, and I sometimes feel like I live in an 6' x 12' area of my house about 16 hours per day.

I have no interest in an iPad due to the lack of Flash, USB, etc. But the glowing reviews of the Samsung Tab 10.1 have me thinking.

But you know me: I'll never pull the trigger. We need a new (used) car this summer, and the kids are playing travel lacrosse, soccer and hockey. Those are priorities.

[Rodster]

But the glowing reviews of the Samsung Tab 10.1 have me thinking.

I'm seriously leaning on one but the inner cheap voice keeps saying I already have a 13" laptop I can do the same with BUT I love new tech.

[Murph]

I have to say the iPad 2 is one of the best purchases i've made in a long time. The lack of flash really seems to be a non-issue (for me) so far. Granted, you notice it a bit more than you would on iPhone simply because you tend to use the browser more on the larger iPad, but overall, a great device!

[JRod]

I don't understand why people still need flash and a USB drive.

What exactly are you doing on the tablet that you need a USB drive. With all the cloud stuff, not just from Apple, I doubt we'll need a hard drive in 2-3 years.

[dbdynsty25]

I don't understand why people still need flash and a USB drive.

What exactly are you doing on the tablet that you need a USB drive. With all the cloud stuff, not just from Apple, I doubt we'll need a hard drive in 2-3 years.

Some people want to have access to more music than their tablet would allow. I will enjoy hooking up my external HD to my Galaxy Tab and having access to all 190gb of music I've got on my computer so I can listen to whatever I want whenever I want.

And there are still some sites that use a lot of flash...watching porn on the couch is fun.

[greggsand]

I just stream 100 gigs+ of music from my pc thru my iPad. No need for a USB or whatever. the lack of flash deal pops-up every once in a while, but it's usually an older web page or some goofball video a friend emails me.

[dbdynsty25]

I just stream 100 gigs+ of music from my pc thru my iPad. No need for a USB or whatever. the lack of flash deal pops-up every once in a while, but it's usually an older web page or some goofball video a friend emails me.

You can do that on an airplane or while travelling outside of your home?

[dougb]

Not sure, given all the problems with hackers, why people are so excited about the prospect of cloud computing. Not only that, but what to do you do if the vendor happens to 'adjust' the terms and conditions of use. Pretty much would have users over the barrel.

I like having control over my software applications and files.

Best wishes,

Doug

[wco81]

Do you need access to 190 GB of music for a plane flight?

Well with in-flight Wifi on domestic flights and various streaming services, you might be able to access more music than you could possibly listen to on a flight.

As for cloud services, it's a buzz word and hyped up at the moment. There is a certain convenience with things like Evernote and Dropbox. But I would certainly not upload private info., not necessarily because of fears of being hacked. There's no real advantage to having that data everywhere. I don't have to have my bank account numbers or passport number be ubiquitous online, for instance.

One of the best apps. I use is 1Password, in which I store all my passwords and things like account numbers. So if I lose a credit card or passport, I know where to call to cancel (can't look on the back of the credit card obviously). 1Password stores all this data encrypted on the iPhone as well as my MacBook Pro.

Now I could certainly upload the encrypted database that 1Password maintains to a storage locker, in case both my iPhone and MacBook Pro are stolen. But I also have local backups of both iPhone and MacBook Pro so I can retrieve that database much more easily than pulling it down from a cloud service.

One could argue that if there's a fire that burns everything, it would be impossible to recover any of that data. But that goes more to recovery strategy. Professional photographers will back up their photo files, which are their livelihood, not just to local drives but then store physical drives in a safe deposit or some offsite. Some will use some cloud services but they stay away from services like Flickr as a backup site.

You have to weigh the probability of your home going up in flames vs. an online backup service being hacked.

[greggsand]

I just stream 100 gigs+ of music from my pc thru my iPad. No need for a USB or whatever. the lack of flash deal pops-up every once in a while, but it's usually an older web page or some goofball video a friend emails me.

You can do that on an airplane or while travelling outside of your home?

You need a 190 gigs of music on a flight or in a Marriott? That's hardcore.

[dbdynsty25]

I just stream 100 gigs+ of music from my pc thru my iPad. No need for a USB or whatever. the lack of flash deal pops-up every once in a while, but it's usually an older web page or some goofball video a friend emails me.

You can do that on an airplane or while travelling outside of your home?

You need a 190 gigs of music on a flight or in a Marriott? That's hardcore.

No, it was a serious question? Can you stream from your PC at home to your iPad? And no, of course you don't need 190 gigs, that's ridiculous, but it's nice to have the option if I want. Along with any other document I need to view on the road that I don't want to have to connect my sh*t to iTunes to sync my tablet up. It's like you guys don't think a USB connection would be useful at all. It is.

[Murph]

Skype optimized for iPad app drops Tuesday. This is long overdue and very welcomed (by me).

http://www.iphonedownloadblog.com/2011/ ... s-tuesday/

[WillHunting]

No, it was a serious question? Can you stream from your PC at home to your iPad? And no, of course you don't need 190 gigs, that's ridiculous, but it's nice to have the option if I want. Along with any other document I need to view on the road that I don't want to have to connect my sh*t to iTunes to sync my tablet up. It's like you guys don't think a USB connection would be useful at all. It is.

I love streaming videos from my home PC to iPad (Airvideo). I don't listen to music too much but I am sure there is a program like that too (Audiogalaxy? I use this for Android).

[Murph]

This is inevitable. Paying for a separate data plan on each device makes no sense to me.

http://www.cultofmac.com/att-verizon-ar ... ore-102561

[JRod]

This is inevitable. Paying for a separate data plan on each device makes no sense to me.

http://www.cultofmac.com/att-verizon-ar ... ore-102561

How would this work if you have one of the original unlimited data plans?

[Murph]

This is inevitable. Paying for a separate data plan on each device makes no sense to me.

http://www.cultofmac.com/att-verizon-ar ... ore-102561

How would this work if you have one of the original unlimited data plans?

That's the rub. I'm also grandfathered on an unlimited plan and I bet the carriers will force you into one one the capped tiers if you want this option.

[Brando70]

The missus us thinking about getting an iPad 2. We're going to get the 3G/wifi version, and I'm wondering about memory. Is 64 gigs overkill for this thing? Originally I thought she'd need the space for music, but I suspect she'll want to spend $25 to do the iTunes match instead of manually adding things. That leaves memory for apps, Word docs, photos and maybe some video, although I think she'll stick with her Droid for video.

It's only $100 more than the 32 gig version, but figure why pay more if I probably won't use that memory.

[dbdynsty25]

You won't need it. 32gb is plenty for a tablet IMO...hell, 16 is even enough.

[Murph]

You won't need it. 32gb is plenty for a tablet IMO...hell, 16 is even enough.

This. I have a 64g and I won"t ever come close to filling it...even if I had db"s entire pr0n collection.

[wco81]

Could also save money by not getting the 3G unless you definitely plan to use it.

Good for traveling if the hotels you stay at charge some exorbitant fees for Wifi, assuming you can get a good signal in the hotel.

[dbdynsty25]

You won't need it. 32gb is plenty for a tablet IMO...hell, 16 is even enough.

This. I have a 64g and I won"t ever come close to filling it...even if I had db"s entire pr0n collection.

My entire porn collection is now streamed. Gone are the days of taking up internal storage with 10 second clips and pictures. You should know this by now.

[sportdan30]

Go with the 32GB. I have a 16GB and I have very few photos, no music, but quite a few apps and I currently have 7 GB remaining. I'd much rather load a lot more photos and put a couple hundred songs on the iPad and not have to worry about space. The apps are getting bigger in size and taking up that much more room. 32 GB is a happy medium.

[Murph]

You won't need it. 32gb is plenty for a tablet IMO...hell, 16 is even enough.

This. I have a 64g and I won"t ever come close to filling it...even if I had db"s entire pr0n collection.

My entire porn collection is now streamed. Gone are the days of taking up internal storage with 10 second clips and pictures. You should know this by now.

Oh I may have accidentally bumped into a site or two of questionable material. The journalist in me compelled me to stop and investigate what all the hype was about for a bit.

The sites in question also played nice with the lack of flash too. No problems there, so far.

[Brando70]

Thanks for the quick response. I was trying to decide between 32 and 64. I would go with 64 because I would want to store my music locally as I have my doubts about the sound quality of Apple's streaming, but she definitely wants the convenience of not having to keep music files on the iPad. 32 sounds like it will be ample.

Definitely want the 3G version as we travel a fair amount and she also commutes by train a couple days a week.

[10spro]

Thanks for the quick response. I was trying to decide between 32 and 64. I would go with 64 because I would want to store my music locally as I have my doubts about the sound quality of Apple's streaming, but she definitely wants the convenience of not having to keep music files on the iPad. 32 sounds like it will be ample.

We got a 64BG version. I convert a lot of movies and use 'imovie' a lot to edit our videos. It's plenty of space but if you intend to add all your music and eventually buy games and apps, it fills up quickly. For $100 bucks more it's a good deal.