I’ve got tons of retail management experience. I was managing computer retail stores between the ages of 16 – 18. I’ve been a gadget geek all my life.
One of the things that I usually advise people against when purchasing electronics, though is purchasing an extended warranty. Unless you are going to be taking said electronics into a somewhat less than hospitable environment (like my family room, with my boys and most of their toys), the only thing that purchasing an extended warranty plan does is increase margin dollars for the store. Most products, if they fail, usually fail during the warranty period, and the manufacturer’s warranty is usually sufficient to cover the loss or needed repairs.
Is AppleCare worth the price..?
All of that changed when I started buying Apple products, though.
AppleCare is more than an extended warranty program. Its an engraved invitation to a better customer service experience should you have trouble with your Apple stuff. Depending on what Apple product I am purchasing (and who I’m buying it for), I won’t buy it without AppleCare.
Here’s what I’d purchase AppleCare for:
MacBook/MacBook Air/MacBook Pro – Yes, during purchase
iMac/Mac Mini/Mac Pro – Yes, during purchase
Apple Display – Yes, during purchase
iPhone – Yes, during first year
iPod Touch/Classic/Nano – Depends on who its for; but if not necessarily during purchase
Apple Tablet – Yes, during purchase
Please take notice of the last bullet there. If Apple does release a tablet, AND it is available for purchase immediately following the press event. The first thing you should buy for it is AppleCare. I don’t expect things to be problematic for the product, BUT as this is a new product class, and as no one is certain how successful it will be, having a care plan for it for the next 3 years will be key in insuring that your investment is protected.
Aside from hardware and software replacement for the contents of the box, you also get preferred treatment from Apple Geniuses and customer service when you call for help. As this is going to be a new product class for Apple, having preferred status on your side when you bump into problems won’t hurt. I don’t expect it to have problems, but as its untried, I think its going to “more prone” to “issues” and “opportunities for improvement” than other well established products like the iPod (in all variations).
If Apple does release a tablet tomorrow, will AppleCare be the first thing you buy for it? Why not chime in and let us know!
There’s a great deal of speculation about what is going to be revealed at Apple’s press event on Wednesday 27-Jan-10. I saw an interesting article early this morning, and wasn’t quite sure how to take it. I started poking around the internet a little and found other articles supporting it and still other articles mentioning it. While that certainly doesn’t make the article either news or the truth, it certainly is reason to scratch your head.
I wrote a cool article about today's Apple Event and AT&T over at JAMM that you might find interesting. Will Apple and AT&T part ways today? Time will tell, but until the cat's out of the bag, it might be cool to speculate before the fireworks kick off later this morning.
I've got a nifty little write up on JAMM regarding the recent release of Apple's Boot Camp 3.1 with specific updates for Windows 7. If you haven't read it yet, you really need to check it out!
The "via" link above will take you right to the article.
Updates can be seen at the end of the original article.
A mocked up version of Apple’s rumored tablet PC…
There’s been a great deal of speculation over the past few months regarding the existence of an Apple tablet PC. Will it have the same form factor as a traditional convertible tablet, with its swivel screen or will it be like a giant iPhone? Will it run the iPhone OS, or a full version of MacOS X? Does it even exist? Best question ever – will you buy one?
There are a lot of people who say that an Apple tablet is going to be an eBook winner and an Amazon Kindle killer. I however am not convinced and it goes back to the EXACT same thing I said just over 18 months ago on Gear Diary regarding the iPhone 3G, unless the cell coverage is there, its not going to make a bit of difference what kind of device and what kind of features it has. The iTablet (or iSlate, as its rumored to be called) isn’t going to kill anything if it sits on AT&T’s 3G network, especially here in the Chicago-land area.
Devices like the Amazon Kindle with WhisperNet (which runs on Sprint’s wireless network), the Nook, and yes even the iPhone 3G/3G S, aren’t successful unless there’s network coverage around to make them usable as a wireless device. While I hate to say it, there IS a map for that, and there IS something to what Verizon is saying – coverage and the reliability of that coverage make, or break a wireless device.
Apple’s new tablet device is supposed to function as an eBook reader, and as a portable touch-based computer. In other words, simply a 10 inch version of the iPhone. Will it have more Mac like functionality? Good question. Will it just be a bigger and perhaps clunkier iPhone? Another good question. Will it also run on AT&T’s network? Man, the good questions just keep on coming! Let’s tackle those one at a time.
Will Apple’s tablet be a Mac like computer? There’s been a great deal of speculation on what the next Apple device would be – netbook, tablet, eBook reader, perhaps all three. The jury is still out on what the device will actually do, (or if it will even be introduced at all) though there’s a great deal of speculation out there.
Will it be a larger version of the iPhone? This is, in my opinion possible, but very unlikely. The device WILL be cellular based like the iPhone, but its not going to be a “giant” iPhone. Apple is too smart to create confusion with its products and introducing a tablet device that is simply a giant iPhone with a $400-$600 price tag will do nothing more than flop. The unlocked iPhone is in that price range, and Apple isn’t in the habit of introducing products/devices with overlapping feature sets.
Will Apple partner with AT&T for the iTablet/iSlate? Again, this is possible, but very unlikely in my opinion. Amazon chose Sprint for WhisperNet for a specific reason – Sprint rides on a lot of Verizon’s 3G towers through roaming agreements, and they’re cheaper than Verizon itself. AT&T has taken a great deal of bad press recently claiming that they’re going to charge large bandwidth consumers a higher data plan rate. They’ve also been rumored to have stopped selling the iPhone 3G S in the New York area because of complaints and problems with their network coverage. AT&T has taken a huge hit with their network, the bad press, etc., and Apple would do very well to rethink their partnership with the number 2 wireless carrier in The States.
There’s supposed to be an Apple event some time in January where the tablet will be officially introduced. Many of us are watching for some kind of official announcement from Apple on the event; but nothing has been set in stone as of this writing. I’ll get keeping my eyes and ears open; and if something does turn up, you’ll see something here as well as at iTechGear.org.
Apple’s official event graphic for 1/27/10…
UPDATE: Apple has scheduled a media event for Wednesday January 27, 2010. The title of the event, “Come see our latest creation!,” really begs the existence of the Apple Tablet. Recently, Fox News let the cat out of the bag right after Apple announced the event. The Boy Genius Report recently posted on what they thought were going to be four big announcements related to the tablet. We commented on this on JAMM -
There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
“A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.
Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed home screen, etc.
The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the Smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.
There are rumors of a few different names for the device – the iPad, the iTablet and the iSlate. Apple seems to be behind most, if not all, of the copyright and patent applications behind the names here in The States and worldwide. So it will be interesting to see what happens next week.
As far as what iPhone OS 4.0 will include, I’m actually not surprised with anything that BGR cited. If a tablet is going to be introduced (and no official information has come out EITHER WAY, supporting or refuting the rumor) it would have to support multi-touch throughout the operating system. There isn’t going to be a built in touchpad. The screen’s the thing…
Apple has pushed pretty hard against the idea of native multitasking in the iPhone from the word go. Their take – it takes away from the overall device experience, and we’ve given you multitasking capabilities on everything we feel it should multitask. For Apple to turn around now, and reverse that decision and enable OS-wide multitasking would be a huge surprise. Its unusual for Apple to back track on its publically announced decisions (including the denial of a netbook or a tablet…) so go figure.
The last bullet, specifically related to a new synching ability for contacts and calendar apps really points to Apple’s licensing of Exchange ActiveSync in Snow Leopard. Have they really embraced Exchange ActiveSync at the OS level? Will OSX 10.6.3 bring updates to this ability for everyone? Will iPhone OS 4.x enable the use of the iPhone 3G (S) as a business tool, or will there still be holes to fill?
Yesterday, I was asked to be a guest on the TechVi Bottom Line, hosted by Iyaz Atkhar. I was joined by Dana Wollman from Laptop Magazine and was representing JAMM. The topic for the show..? You guessed it – the Apple press event on 1/27. Specifically, will there be an Apple tablet or not. You can see the video show below.
I love working with Iyaz and Randall Bennett. TechVi shows are short, sweet, very informative, and usually cover some very topical issues. I was thrilled to be contacted on Monday and asked to represent JAMM for the show! The thing I liked the most about THIS particular show was some of the behind the scene discussions that we had before and after the taping.
While I won’t assign specific comments to any one person, suffice it to say that no one REALLY knows just what Apple is going to introduce as its” latest creation.” There’s a great deal of speculation out there. Will it be a giant iPhone (a GiPhone, as I like to call it), a tablet PC with Bluetooth so that it can connect with Apple’s wireless keyboard (effectively adopting a true slate tablet PC form factor)? Will it have e-ink support and allow the user to write on the screen (like a standard tablet PC)? Will it run OS-X, iPhone OS (OS 3.x, OS 4.x??), dual boot both so it can couple with Amazon’s Kindle software for the iPhone/iPod Touch and be an Amazon enabled, Macintosh-esque eBook reader as well as a tablet PC?
All of these are great questions; and NO ONE in the industry is willing to say definitively what will happen, as official word from Apple hasn’t leaked, and won’t come before the event on the 27th. This one has the potential to be huge, and no one, myself included, wants to be wrong.
I also saw an interesting article on Apple Insider related to AT&T’s needed investment to make its wireless network equivalent to Verizon’s. The cost – a mind numbing $5-7 BILLION dollars (yes, that’s Carl Sagan “Billions”). In Chicago-land, this is key and critical.
Even though Chicago is already covered by 3G service, the coverage, well…well, it sucks. Not only would they have to cover more of the country, but AT&T would have to even out and plug holes in their coverage to insure tower hand-offs didn’t kill calls and data connections (a chronic problem experienced by me and nearly EVERY iPhone user here in Chi-town).
AT&T should have been reinvesting in its wireless infrastructure during its iPhone exclusivity. If it had, bringing the GiPhone or Apple Tablet to AT&T could have been a no-brainer. Now, because there *IS* a map for that, not only is Verizon Wireless (or nearly any other major US carrier) a better choice, AT&T is so far behind, that this Herculean effort will not only be costly, but painful for employees and customers alike.
What do YOU think? Will Apple announce its tablet on January 27th? Will it be tethered to AT&T? If not, will it be VzW, some other carrier or truly unlocked(GSM/CDMA/LTE compatible)? Why not join me in the discussion below, and give me your thoughts?
This Holiday, with the economy in the tentative state that its in, I’ve had a number of people approach me with similar questions about techie gifts for their loved ones. What should I get? How much is too much to spend? Where do I start?
Those are all great questions. I’ve got a couple of suggestions for the technology minded. Let’s take a quick look at what’s available and you can make the best decisions for you, your family, and your budget…and don’t worry. This really isn’t as difficult as you think it is. Oh; and by the way. Just for the record, I am NOT an Apple fan boy… You’ll understand why in a moment.
Mobile Devices Yes, kids…its a Smartphone kind of year. HTC is tearing it up with introductions in the Windows Phone and Android platforms, on nearly all four major wireless carriers. However, before you can get started, you need to pick a wireless carrier. If you have a regional carrier (like US Cellular, here in the Chicago-land area) with a killer deal, look at it long and hard before passing it up for one of the majors. However, here’s my quick set of guidelines for the major carriers:
Verizon Wireless – If you do a lot of travelling, go with them. They have signal everywhere (there IS a map for that). However, be prepared to pay a premium for the better coverage. They have to make up the cost of implementing their network somehow, and they’ve passed it on to their customers. Their phone choices are getting better with the Motorola Droid, but they generally suck.
Recommended Device – The Moto Droid. This iPhone competitor won’t replace the iPhone, and its not without its own challenges, but by all accounts, its a great device.
The Motorola Droid on Verizon Wireless…
AT&T Wireless – Depending on your geographic location, your coverage may be better than what we have here in Chicago-land. For me, the coverage is WAY less than desirable; but they have decent phones, including the iPhone. Pick AT&T (generally) if you’re looking for the latest devices, or if you gift of choice this Holiday Season is the iPhone. Its going to exist nowhere else until June 2010 at the earliest.
Recommended Device – The Apple iPhone (obviously). If you’re looking for the iPhone experience, NOTHING out there on any other carrier is going to be able to replace it.
The Apple iPhone is THE quintessential Smartphone…
Sprint – Sprint shares some (but not all) towers with Verizon Wireless. They are a middle of the ground carrier when it comes to service, rate plans and phone choices. Be careful when looking at Sprint, their retention rates are low, and there’s rumors that they are being looked at by Deutch Telekom (they own T-Mobile).
Recommend Device – The HTC Touch Pro 2. This Windows Phone is one of the best on the market, made by the darling of the Smartphone arena.
The HTC Touch Pro 2 is a great Windows Phone…
T-Mobile – They have the best rate plans in town. Period. Their coverage generally stinks so if you’re budget minded and looking for a phone for a loved one this Holiday Season, check T-Mobile’s coverage map first. Travelers will be out of luck with T-Mo, as their National coverage tends to stick to about 1500 yards either side of a nearby interstate highway. Here in Chicago-land however, their coverage is better than AT&T. Their phone choices are also not too bad, with at least two new Windows Phones and three Android phones.
Recommended Device – The Moto CLIQ. This Android powered phone is a social network junkie’s dream, bringing all of your favorite networks down into one convenient interface. Watch for my review of the device on Just Another Mobile Monday.
The Moto CLIQ’s strengths lie in social networking…
MP3 Players Despite what Microsoft is trying to do with the Zune and the Zune HD, Apple really wrote the book on the portable music player. If you’re looking to get a loved one an MP3 player, in my mind the question to ask yourself is what kind of iPod to get, and how big. In my mind, there are really two choices – iPod Shuffle, the iPod Nano, or the iPod Touch.
No…I didn’t miscount. The Apple iPod is the quintessential music player. Its form, function and unfortunately, its price point singularly distinguish it as the multimedia player to have.
iPod Shuffle The Shuffle is the entry level iPod, giving you random playback of selected songs. If budget is an issue for you, this is the way to get the iPod experience at under $100. Its a difficult deal to pass up; and the iTunes experience is worth the cost.
Starting at just $59, the Shuffle just may be the iPod for you…
iPod Nano
The Nano, with its new video camera offers video (obviously…movies and TV shows), pictures, and music for under $200 bucks. With the inclusion of the aforementioned video camera, it takes social to a whole new level. This is the iPod that most teens and tweens want. Its small, offers varying color choices and gives them a creative outlet with its internal video camera. Starting at $150 bucks, this is a really nice holiday gift, one that most everyone would like.
Starting at $159, the iPod Nano with video is a teen’s holiday dream come true…
iPod Touch While Apple will tell you that the Touch is for everyone, its really a high end device, targeted at gamers and geeks. Starting at $199 for a meager 8GB, this device is the next portable, handheld gaming platform of choice, provided Apple doesn’t annoy all of their developers out of the business.
Starting at $199 for just 8Gb, the Touch is a high end gaming device…
Laptops Without getting into a netbook, because some of them are just too small in size for some people, basic laptops can cost anywhere from $299.99 to $499.99. Be careful here. If you’re in the market for a new portable PC, get something that provides anywhere from 1.5-2.0gHz of speed and at least 1GB of RAM. Any speed CD/DVD writer will work, and any size hard drive 160GB or higher will provide adequate storage for a reasonable price. RAM and hard drives are easy upgrades for notebooks later, and with prices on both coming down, you can add extra life later to a purchase today.
Desktops Refurbished or used Mac desktops can be a GREAT value. Macs tend to hold their value longer than Windows PC’s; and used or refurbished Macs are WONDERFUL media PC’s when hooked to an HDTV or HT monitor. They also make a great first PC for young kids and educational software, especially if the desktop you find is an Intel based Mac (so it can run Windows in a Boot Camp partition). Check eBay or Craig’s List for these kinds of deals.
I hope this buyer’s guide has given you some ideas. Buying tech-toys or gifts isn’t hard when you understand what’s out there and what their limitations are.
Apple is unsurprisingly already at work on the next version of its operating system, according to a new technical message that references Mac OS X 10.7.
As first discovered by MacRumors, a new database entry for the open source "launchd" framework responsible for booting Mac OS X references "11A47" with a new error message. Based on Apple's numbering scheme, the numerical prefix of a Mac OS X build determines the version number, and 11A47 would suggest a reference to the next version of the operating system, Mac OS X 10.7.
When it shipped, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard carried the build number 10A432, and subsequent updates 10.6.1 and 10.6.2 had the prefixes 10B and 10C, respectively. For Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, 10.5.0 builds leading up to launch were represented by the prefix 9A.
I saw this on AppleInsider today and was intriguied by it. The staff there indicate that they aren't surprised that work on 10.7 has already begun. As a software quality professional I agree. As a consumer, I was a bit surprised. the bits for 10.6.2 are still cooling, and Apple is pressing ahead with 10.7. I wonder what it will include..?
Apple's Boot Camp will not Support Windows 7 on some 2006 Macs
In a memo to retail partners, Apple has announced that it will deliver support for Windows 7 in Mac OS X Snow Leopard's Boot Camp utility by the end of the year via a software update, but exclude support for some Macs sold in 2006...
...According to the announcement, a series of Mac models "will not be supported for use with Windows 7 using Boot Camp," specifically:
• iMac (17-inch, Early 2006) • iMac (17-inch, Late 2006) • iMac (20-inch, Early 2006) • iMac (20-inch, Late 2006) • MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2006) • MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006) • MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006) • MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006) • Mac Pro (Mid 2006, Intel Xeon Dual-core 2.66GHz or 3GHz)
I bumped into this problem and it really ticked me off. I can't get my early 2009 13" Aluminum unibody MacBook to correctly run the 64bit version of Windows 7, and according to my experience with the Win7 RC, and this list, it should be supported. However, Boot Camp x64 won't install as of right now.
It looks like Apple will support Windows 7 via Boot Camp on my Mac, but Mac users like me will have to wait until the end of the year for official support to be released via a Software Update from Apple.
It may be hard to wait until then, but I'm not going to screw up my PC while waiting for it by trying to muscle x64bit Boot Camp support into my MB. I'll just use the 32bit version until then.
Six days in and first Snow Leopard update seeded to devs
Snow Leopard is only six days old but an update is already in the pipeline.
Word has it that a private pool of developers have already been seeded with the 10.6.1 update (build 10B503) which contains numerous stability and security fixes:
compatibility with some Sierra Wireless 3G modems
an issue that might cause DVD playback to stop unexpectedly
some printer compatibility drivers not appearing properly in the add printer browser
an issue that might make it difficult to remove an item from the Dock
instances where automatic account setup in Mail might not work
an issue where pressing cmd-opt-t in Mail brings up the special characters menu instead of moving a message
Motion 4 becoming unresponsive
Network Diagnostics now offers to remove manually-entered DNS values for DHCP configurations
Software Update for printer drivers of Bonjour/USB printers
HICocoaView double-redraw during live resize
Bluetooth connection to nearby printers on startup
libdispatch object use after deallocation
Sending of messages with Mail where the SMTP server response has no text
Upgraded email accounts and SMTP servers that require authentication on port 587 but not port 25
Printer custom keywords added/edited by auto setup tool are now migrated after software update
Generic drivers are now visible in printer driver list
WWAN devices that use the AppleWWANSupport2 component
Updated to Flash 10.0.32.18
No word on when end users will see this update, but given the seriousness (not to mention boneheadedness) of shipping the OS with an out-of-date vulnerable Flash plugin, I don’t think it will be long.
News of an update to Snow Leopard has been running around the internet since its initial release just over a week ago. While some are calling this new OS, "Apple's Vista;" or likening the update to one of Microsofts most abysmal techical and marketing flops this side of WindowsME, I think its WAY too early to "release the hounds" just yet.
Yes, Apple wanted to get SL out to the public before Windows 7 hit the street. Yes, it may be a tad rough around the edges in some areas like application compatibility, some drivers and their malware (what malware??) scanner; but its NOT Vista, by a long shot.
If Apple is smart, they'll come out with 1-2 OS updates that will address most, if not ALL of these issues in the next 3-4 weeks, and quietly put these issues behind them. The more press the get on this, the worse things are for them and Snow Leopard...
It seems that Apple has been busy lately with the software updates. They’ve released yet another update to another OS component before they release their newest OS, Snow Leopard.
