My Thoughts After A Week with the New iPad

There seems to be no end to online reviews and posts regarding the new iPad. If you are expecting me to add another proverbial piece of digital paper to the pile, you are likely to be disappointed. I have read more than a dozen reviews from various sites and bloggers whom I respect. Rather than attempt to compete with large and well healed sites who seem to have literally reviewed every nut, bolt, and chip of the new iPad, I am going to share a few specific thoughts and impressions from my week living with the new device.



I marvel at some reviews which showed up in my in-basket even before my UPS driver delivered my unit at 10:30 AM (CST) on March 16 (release day). Engadget, and others, managed to get a unit and dissect it through the miracle of time zone shifting on March 15! Since I live and work in Nashville, TN. and don't have any friends living on the other side of the world, Music Row Tech isn't in a position to provide breaking news on an event of truly global magnitude. Nor am I one of the anointed such as the inimitable Walter Mossberg who has access to the who's who of technology, and often their products, before the rest of the world. As is typical, Mossberg's review was wonderfully written, focused for "average users," and includes only critical stats which mainstream users may find valuable in making an informed buying or upgrade decision. I invite you to read his thoughts through the nearby link, I agree with his comments and conclusions. (The fact that his review was published in the Wall Street Journal the day before the national release date is a testimony to the enormous respect given this writer and the power of his opinion in the mainstream universe.)

Before I can give an assessment of any new device, application or service, I need to spend a week or so in  "real life" conditions.  Specs are all well and good, but they never tell the entire story. In fact, specs can obfuscate the real value, or lack thereof, of a device. After a week with the new iPad, here are my informal observations:

The focal point of the new iPad and virtually every review to date is the enhanced screen. Perhaps because of  my experience with the iPhone 4 and 4S retina screen graphics, my less than perfect vision (even with corrective contacts), my inflated expectations, or some combination thereof, I was initially underwhelmed by this feature. I say initially because after several days, my appreciation of the "better than HD" screen, has been greatly enhanced. I can't honestly say what the tipping point was, perhaps it was editing some photos using Apple's new iPhoto Application which shows off the new iPad's screen and improved graphic processing speed. In fact, this iPad is a wonderful tool for photographic (and video) editing and viewing! The color saturation and detail is unparalleled. I don't own a single HDTV, computer monitor or screen (with the exception of the iPhone 4S display) which comes close to the quality of this new display. A side by side comparison of a digital photo will let you truly appreciate this change of perspective and detail.

Extended reading sessions are a pleasure; the improvement in text quality is dramatic but becomes really noticeable over time. Amazon's Kindle App was among the earliest to offer an improved, "retina screen," version. Of course, Apple's iBook App also takes advantage of the iPad's higher resolution. My favorite three news and social media reader apps, Zite, Pulse and FlipBoard all have upgraded retina screen capabilities.Apps Love or hate him, I have to credit Rush Limbaugh with the same observations I have regarding the new iPad's screen. He too was "underwhelmed" initially. Whatever the reasons, after a few days I am apostle of the resolutionary experience.

The rear camera has been upgraded. I used the iPad 2's camera merely as a novelty or demo. Frankly, it was a marginal addition at best on this unit. The new iPad creates crisp photos and stunning 1080p video. While holding a tablet up for photo and video shots doesn't feel natural to me, the screen provides "real time" viewing and the video is "what you see is what you get 1080p!" In other words, the screen reproduces an actual 1080p screen experience which is unprecedented. I envision using the iPad, along with iPhoto, much more extensively in the future. (I will still be lugging my Nikon DSLR and lenses with me on vacations. For many a contemporary smartphone camera and iPad will be more than adequate companions to capture your next family reunion or trip south.) Capturing HD video is another compelling reason to eschew the 16 Gigabyte model for at least one of the 32 Gigabyte versions.

Some of the new iPad features I expect will ultimately make the biggest impact on consumer use are under the hood. Apple has aggressively supported Bluetooth 4.0 in the new iPad (and iPhone 4S). This technology offers much more than faster throughput for  use with  wireless headsets. The potential for very low power peripherals such as keyboards, speakers and more, will change your computing ecosystem. Power consumption is so low, and the "wake up" mode promises such fast access,  new peripherals can go many weeks, and possibly months, between charging. Including this new  bluetooth standard promises more "Apple magic" for new iPad owners over the product's lifetime.

Dictation. While the new iPad doesn't include full Siri support (not because of any hardware or software deficiencies), the built in dictation mode is surprisingly fluid and accurate. You may not envision yourself talking to your iPad in full sentences and paragraphs, but after a bit of experimentation, I believe you will learn to rely upon this feature.

Increased App file size makes a bigger difference than I envisioned  in my earlier post on iPad purchase considerations. While I maintain that the 32 Gigabyte model is more than adequate for most users, the increased App sizes needed to support the great retina/HD display will make the 16 Gigabyte models seem cramped for many.

The New Apple TV ($99) which was introduced at the time of the iPad's launch. The most notable difference between this model and its predecessor is the ability to drive 1080p video (versus 720p). The iTV software was also updated (this upgrade effects both the new iTV and the iTV 2). Enhanced 1080p video looks great on the new iPad but will be less noticable for users watching content on HDTV's of 42" or less at typical viewing distances. In fact, you may have difficulty discerning any image improvement on televisions of this size.

The new software interface looks identical on the iTV 2 and new iTV. This App centric model actually is a step backward in my mind from aesthetic and usability perspectives. (Apparently, my apathy for this change is in good company, it has been reported Steve Jobs rejected this design five years ago.)

I didn't activate my 4G cellular service for the first five days for the simple reason AT&T  made the carrier decision (needlessly) confusing. As I commented in several earlier posts, AT&T decided to eliminate unlimited data plan support for all grandfathered users in the weeks leading up to the new iPad release. On the day I placed my online order for the new iPad I was working under the assumption tiered pricing would be enforced for BOTH iPhone and iPad users. Since this time, AT&T has "clarified," some would argue, changed their position, on this policy.

The cellular giant is honoring grandfathered unlimited data plans for iPad users only (iPhone users are still out of luck). As a result, I reluctantly swapped my Verizon model for AT&T at the local Apple Store. (Apple has a "no questions asked" fourteen (14) day return policy.I am happy to report Apple's vaunted customer service lives up to the hype. Few questions asked (and none beyond common sensical ownership issues), my engraved 64 Gig Verizon iPad was transformed to an AT&T equivalent (sans engraving) with a bare minimum of fuss. The process was as painless as any exchange you may imagine. Apple may deal with the devils (AT&T, Verizon) but it leads and knows how to dance.

I never activated Verizon's service for this area so I cannot speak toward their 4G offering other than anecdotally. I met a new iPad user familiar with Verizon's coverage in this area. He said that the 4G network was faster but "only marginally." He based this not on formal testing, but perception during the limited time he has had access with his new iPad. While I have only been on AT&T's cellular service for a few hours since trading in my iPad and transferring my cellular account, I can say it "feels" much faster, but I haven't yet performed any formal speed tests.

It has been reported through reputable channels that 4G service is well received but early adopters are using monthly allotments in a matter of days. In fact, PC Magazine has scientifically determined that you can run through a 5 Gigabyte monthly data allotment on Verizon in as little as 32 minutes!! (To read about this testing as well as several useful data conserving tips, click this link.) Tip: Minimize video downloading and streaming. If you want to download video to your device, use wi-fi. There are many ways to do this, but here's a link to a post I wrote a while back on the subject. Based on numerous comments, I am convinced keeping my grandfathered unlimited data status with AT&T for as long as possible is worth the effort. Reluctantly, I have to say that the additional gigabyte of data this company offers for the mid-tier $30/month price makes this company a better choice for anyone living in coverage areas with LTE data.

Heat. The hype about new iPads adding to global warming (ha) have a germ of truth.
This applies to my new iPad and I suspect others. Beyond the initial charge and restore which was painful (see below), the temperature change in everyday use has been no bother and a perceived 10% increase from the iPad2. In other words, a non issue in my daily use. Charging time, not one of the iPad 2's strengths, has lengthened. While the purported ten hour battery life seems accurate, your new iPad will need an even longer recovery time than its predecessor to fully recharge.

I am not sure where the epiphany will create the "aha moment" but using a screen of this resolution, forget the specs, in the palm of your hands will change your life. Leo Loporte may again be prophetic. He said, "To those who have waited to buy a tablet, you're right. This is the first iPad truly ready to transform your life." I believe history (and to a far lesser degree Leo and I) will prove just how prophetic this observation is with the benefit of hindsight. All one has to do is walk an Apple Store to see how central the iPad, and tablet computing in general is to the company's vision and our everyday life. The iPad has become the retail proxy for the company's line of laptops and computers. Beside each model  lies an iPad patiently waiting to explain and detail the model's place in the Apple ecosystem. You can even use a free in store App to make genius free purchases of selected goods while at the store!  Apple wants your life to be tablet focused and I believe you will too after spending time with this device.


The new iPad's dimensions fall between the original and iPad 2 in thickness and weight (the width and height are virtually identical). For those of you upgrading, cases for earlier iPads should work fine. This doesn't mean that you can't easily find an excuse to buy a stylish new cover, only that you can't automatically justify the purchase to your spouse, significant other, or even yourself. One interesting aside, apparently some smart covers (the hinged, magnetic, design introduced with the iPad 2)  sold by Apple and third parties prior to mid-2011 don't work as you would expect. The problem lies with a design change affecting the magnetic polarity. Apple is offering free replacements at their retail stores for those with dysfunctional covers. If you are having issues with covers manufactured by Otterbox or others, you should explore possible exchange options with them directly.

I can recommend the new iPad as a "must have" upgrade for those still holding onto the original. If you haven't yet joined the tablet revolution, the new iPad provides a compelling platform to begin your journey. There may well be Android tablets entering the market at similar price points in the next few months, but it is doubtful they will have a screen capable of matching the new iPad and they certainly won't have access to a half million (and growing) Apps!


Enjoy! If you find this post of interest, please share through Google+, Twitter and Facebook! We welcome your comments  below! We welcome your comments (which you can provide via the comment form below).

 
I currently participate in Associate Programs and certain item links included within this post may tie to these affiliate programs. By using these links, you help support Music Row Tech, I appreciate your support.

Companies:   Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Verizon,

I have a long position in $AAPL, $AMZN

This commentary is not meant as an endorsement of any company or to provide financial advice.  If the author has any financial interest in any company mentioned at the time of this article’s posting, it will be explicitly noted. I welcome feedback and comments. 

Music Row Tech will never sell, give away or use your personal information with third parties. 

All rights reserved @2012, Music Row Tech (MRT). Any reproduction without the author's consent is prohibited.

iPad News Which May Have Not Hit Your Radar....

As I scanned my favorite information streams last night, I ran across a variety of interesting articles relating to the release of the new iPad (aka the iPad 3 or iPad HD).

While I don't completely agree with this Op Ed piece published on VB News, I  agree there were a few noticable, very un-Applian (what a mouthful of a non-word), elements to this week's choreographed product announcement. While there is much to like about the hardware itself, there appear to be some changes in direction.

I find it hard to believe the late Steve Jobs, would have endorsed calling this third generation product "the new iPad."   I am perplexed by the naming convention, or lack thereof, for this product. The departure has the blogosphere writing and I suspect more importantly, average consumers shaking their heads. I presume in a few weeks, tech journalists and commentators can drop the "new" and it will simply be "the iPad." (As opposed to the original iPad three years ago....)

I also don't think the cheesey "Resolutionary" moniker would have gotten out the front door, much less to the front of the company's web site! I don't see Apple losing all of its mojo in this very early post-Jobsian era, but I completely agree that Cook and his top aides have very big shoes to fill and the company may lose some of the sophisticated, clean, veneer and focus which has made the company and its products iconic. There was likely a three year pipeline of products in various stages of design and production when Jobs left us. It will take at least that long in my opinion to see how the company's culture evolves without his mercurial influence..... Interesting read.....


The great web site Gigaom has written about an important byproduct of the new iPad's roll out, small business network administration and security. Their article entitled, "The new iPad has CIOs quaking in their cubicles"  exposes some of the very real issues the exponential use of personal, mobile, devices, is having on small business networks. Many of these devices are finding their way into office space without ITs formal blessing. The new iPads superior graphic capabilities drives increased data usage, not to mention a host of other data and network security issues, which were all but non-existent three years ago. If you have a small business, there are issues you need to address now, not after a catastrophic network failure or data loss. If your company is in or around middle Tennessee and you would like help with these issues, Music Row Tech is here. Please contact us by telephone or through our contact form.

Apple's always churning the waters. A recent patent award gives insight into at least one future direction the folks at Infinity Circle are considering for upcoming mobile platforms, the iWallet. For all the details, I direct you to the Patently Apple blog on this subject. Near field technology is already available in other mobile devices but isn't in wide use or distribution. Google and others would love to create an infrastructure which turns your smartphone into your primary means of payment (credit and/or debit).  The stakes are high and the company first out the gate with a secure, polished, solution, will be rewarded with financial gain and at least as importantly, a goldmine of consumer data!

Reading through Apple's application, adding NFC (near field communication) to iDevices is just the hook; the real intellectual property this patent is designed to protect revolves around handling rules and transactions between primary and secondary financial accounts. (As an example, think about adding your college age child to your credit card account. This may be a responsible decision to protect him or her in an emergency situation. However, it goes without saying, my definition of an "emergency" on spring break may be wildly different than my daughter's thoughts on the matter! Apple proposes that we be able to set up rules, or triggers, which manage these financial processes and relationships. For the record, I think this concept has great potential value.

I wonder why they haven't enacted something similar already in iTunes! Letting kids download songs, music, and apps at will can be very expensive! Giving gift cards out, isn't the best solution.... My other concern, Apple proposes to use iTunes as the repository for this financial transaction activity and mechanism! This makes me nervous! iTunes needs a major overhaul and adding this part of my life to this behemoth, makes me nervous!

Here's a summary of the patent taken from the above mentioned post. (Be sure to click through to the post if you want to explore this idea in much more depth!)

Summary of the Key Points of this Patent

Apple's patent figures associated with Apple's invention generally relate to techniques for implementing and defining financial transaction rules for controlling a subsidiary financial account. By way of example, the relationship between the primary financial account holder and the subsidiary account holder may be that of a parent-child relationship, employer-employee relationship, or the like.

The processor-based device may be additionally configured to transmit the financial transaction rules defined by the primary account holder to a designated financial institution that manages the subsidiary account. For instance, where the subsidiary financial account is a credit card account, the financial institution may include an issuing bank and/or a card association. The financial institution may store a record of user preferences associated with the primary and subsidiary financial accounts, and may update these account holder preferences based on the received financial transaction rules.

More news on the AT&T gone wild bandwagon! After a string of controversial moves including abandoning unlimited data plans for all,  proposing what appears to be a net neutrality breaking new source of income by providing preferential treatment to App developers willing to pay "1-800" like services making access to their data "free" to the consumer (Stacey Higginbotham , GigaOhm, wrote a  great piece on this subject a few days ago!) and still not responding to my plea for roll over data!, AT&T has managed to muddy the water further with the help of Apple.

After the release of  iOS 5.1 this week, iPhone 4S users on AT&T's network  may now see a "4G" symbol on their phone. Problem is, AT&T's network didn't suddenly morph into an LTE capable network overnight! This is a marketing ploy and nothing more. (TNW may not be the first to bring this issue to light, but this is where I heard of the issue and you can read their commentary by following this link). Yet another reason my new iPad will be Verizon driven using their true 4G network. AT&T seems hellbent on alienating and confusing every level of consumer and the App Developer world all in one month! To the extent it is happening, I hate to see Apple, whose reputation for "customer first" has long been a hallmark, be contributory in these activities.


On a related note,  MacRumors announced yesterday that Verizon is including mobile hotspot use (a feature available on the new iPad if the carrier supports it) at no incremental charge!  If you travel with multiple devices, or with associates, friends, or family, with wi-fi devices, sharing your Verizon 4G network can be a great productivity enhancer! I just wish Verizon was willing to take AT&T on with a true $10 Gig/month mid-tier plan! If I could get 3 gigabytes of data for $30 a month (rather than the current 2 Gigabytes) through Verizon, I could give the company a complete "thumbs up" for iPad 4G use. One last point, hotspot use currently carries an incremental charge through SmartPhones on the Verizon network. Oh, AT&T is saying "no comment" at the moment!

All of the new features of the iPad-- retina display; 4G cellular; hotspot support-- takes energy. To keep the ten hours of battery life iPad users have come to love and expect, a bigger battery is the only solution. 9to5Mac indicates the new battery has a 42.5-watt-hour capacity and it physically spans almost the entire iPad case. This power source is about 70% bigger than that found in the iPad2. They ask, as do I, will recharge cycles also grow by 70%!? If so, I will be putting the new iPad to bed even earlier than me most nights! It already takes a good six hours or so to fully charge my iPad2! I also suspect, I won't need a blanket while surfing this winter, this thing could actually throw off some heat. More after March 16.

By the way, it may be nothing, but Apple has sent me an email stating that my new iPad has shipped! Could they actually surprise the earliest round of purchasers with a pre-sixteenth delivery!!? I will keep you informed!

On another side note, this week's iOS 5.1 update actually seems to have (finally) improved my iPhone 4S battery life! Has anyone else noticed a difference! If so, let me know in the comment section. I should also mention that the 1.1 upgrade to the Windows iCloud Manager seems to have eliminated the nagging "403 Forbidden Access" error I have been experiencing for many weeks! I need to see what, if any, other iCloud issues this software release may solve. More to follow.... As faithful followers know, I have had several issues with the initial iCloud introduction and have been free with my criticism. In fairness, I want to evaluate any solutions Apple may release to the public.



Enjoy! If you find this post of interest, please share through Google+, Twitter and Facebook! We welcome your comments  below! We welcome your comments (which you can provide via the comment form below).




I currently participate in Associate Programs and certain item links included within this post may tie to these affiliate programs. By using these links, you help support Music Row Tech, I appreciate your support

Companies:   Google, Apple, Verizon

I have a long position in $AAPL; $GOOG

This commentary is not meant as an endorsement of any company or to provide financial advice.  If the author has any financial interest in any company mentioned at the time of this article’s posting, it will be explicitly noted. I welcome feedback and comments. 

Music Row Tech will never sell, give away or use your personal information with third parties. 

All rights reserved @2012, Music Row Tech (MRT). Any reproduction without the author's consent is prohibited.