Even without using the device, I can already feel Jeff Bezos squirming in his chair at Amazon. I wonder what Apple's play will be this fall now that the new price point is $199! Because of Google Now, I'm even intrigued to give it a shot.
Joshua Topolsky on The Verge
"The Nexus 7 delivers way more functionality than I expected, and it delivers it in a package that’s sleek, smart, and affordably priced. Believe it or not, the last time I was surprised by a product with those same qualities, it was called the iPad."
One of the most comprehensive reviews EVER of the next-generation MacBook Pro with Retina display by a trusted source we have all come to know and love since the early 90s. I actually like the abbreviation rMBP too!
After using it for the past two weeks I can honestly say it’s the best Mac Apple has ever built. And there’s a lot more to it than hardware.
Yes, I have upgraded my MacBook Pro 5,1 (late '08 unibody) by increasing the RAM and changing out the hard drive. I did that about one and half years into ownership because I could. Have I ever wanted to upgrade the memory on my iPhone or iPad? Yes, but instead I select the device that I feel will max out my experience for the given life. Am I sad that I can't upgrade the new MacBook Pro with Retina display? Maybe just a tad because I cannot purchase a model with 16GB at the store unless I select the highest model. I can't just buy the one with 8GB and upgrade it myself but boo who, I'll just spec it out myself online and be at peace. Rafe pretty much sums its up beautifully.
"...I was very pleased to be able to take it apart and replace that hard drive myself. That being said, I’d rather have one of the new MacBook Pros with Retina Display than that old MacBook any day of the week." -Rafe Colburn
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.
