Tag Archives: mac

The iPad mini

iPad mini white

I have this weird thing where I’ll keep a tab open for days, weeks, even months, if there’s something even potentially interesting that I can’t deal with right now, but want to do something with eventually. Before you ask, yes, I have heard of bookmarks, but ask any nerd and they’ll tell you they do a similar thing with their browser tabs. It’s not uncommon to have umpteen tabs open at any one time — and of all the stuff I have backed up, I’d be pretty devastated if I lost all my tabs. I could potentially get them back, but that involves trawling through days, maybe even weeks of internet history.  When you visit as many websites as I do, it’s hard to tell what you had open as a tab and what you were merely browsing out of curiosity.

But I digress. I’ve had two tabs open for close to a year now, and as much as I’ve wanted to write something substantial about the iPad mini, there just isn’t anything worth writing about. Not because the iPad mini is boring or anything, but because I just haven’t been inspired to write anything worth publishing. Because when it comes down to it, the iPad just isn’t as interesting as the HP TouchPad was, back in the day. WebOS was just so bad and so good at the same time, you know?

I’ve owned an iPad mini since it was first released around this time last year. It wasn’t my first tablet, but it is my first iPad. I honestly don’t have anything else to say about it that hasn’t been said elsewhere, but with the new iPad Air coming out riding on the coat tails of the iPad mini, I thought I’d take a moment to write about how I’ve been using it.

I think the most telling thing about the iPad is that it hasn’t replaced my computer. That’s telling because I see a lot of older, mature folk replace their clunky Dells with futuristic, touch-enabled iPads, even if they don’t run the same programs as their old computer used to. Why? I’m not sure, exactly, but at a guess, it has something to do with how intuitive Apple has made iOS (and then turned everything upside down with iOS 7, but that’s for another time).

But as much as I enjoy using the iPad, it hasn’t replaced my computer. If all I’m doing is light web browsing and catching up on my Instapaper backlog, then sure, I’ll pick up the iPad over the MacBook Pro any day; the iPad is lighter, has a much longer battery life, and lets me concentrate on one thing at a time, for the most part. It’s kind of like the Kindle, in that regard. For everything else, there’s the Mac: for switching between any of my umpteen open tabs, writing content into browser text boxes, and doing any other kind of serious work.

I tried writing one of the MacTalk daily news posts on my iPad mini one time, and while it was OK, the software keyboard really hindered the process by needing to switch between the various keyboards to access special characters. I could have worked around the issue by using a hardware keyboard or using an app that offered an extra row of characters, but that would have required a little extra preparation on my part, something I wasn’t able to do at the time.

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Apple: iPhone, iPad, Mac are better products for most users

The reason I love my iPhone isn’t because it’s made by Apple, it’s simply because I think it’s the best mobile device ever made. And that’s where I’m going with all this — just hang in there, I know there’s probably some cute kitten with overlaid capitalized text on Facebook you’re thinking about checking out. The reason I compare every device to an iPhone is not because it’s an Apple product, it’s because Apple has done something that no other manufacturer in the world has done. Apple has created a product that isn’t a product. It’s a seamless, effortless, enjoyable extension of your computer and your life. In fact, you could now argue that a computer is just an extension of your phone, and you’d be right.

via Apple: iPhone, iPad, Mac are better products for most users.

Guy complains about something on the internet, gets shot down.

David Chartier:
The sites are called “The Finer Things,” a play on the phrase “finer things in life.” We’re interested in the little details, handy features, and appreciated bits of UI polish that we find in software and hardware. Sometimes they’re deep, hidden, and lesser-known features, sometimes they’re more obvious but appreciated polish. It’s hard to please everyone, but we try.

via DVD Player has a hidden scrub bar | Finer Things in Mac.

Lego My Apple

Lego Mac

This little guy isn’t going to let go.

Let this vinyl decal bring out your inner child. It measures 4″x7″ fits right on your Macbook. *Please note: this decal will definitely make you the coolest kid in the library.

via Lego My Apple by MacSlaps on Etsy.

Speaking of Lego, I’m considering getting something similar for my Mac.

Namely, the black version of the Snow White one available on Etsy. Hawt.

The Potion Factory have failed to deliver an iPhone client for The Hit List.

Not a moment too soon? Sad to say it — I do like the app — but it’s months and months too late. The pace of progress has been so glacial that it’s impossible to have faith in its future development; I can’t let myself become dependent on an app without that.

via the comments in TUAW’s “Potion Factory seeking beta testers for The Hit List iPhone”.

Also another favourite:

Is that a joke? after all this time of waiting… and it’s not even in beta? he hasn’t update the desktop program for quite a while saying he was working on the iphone app, and only now it’s ready for beta…

To further add insult to injury, The Potion Factory (the guys behind The Hit List) say that beta invites are open until September 21. FOR. TEN. PLACES.

I’m currently undecided as to how I should apply…

Dear Potion Factory,

So, how do I use The Hit List?

Put simply, I don’t.

And why would I, when any software development can only be described as “glacial”, the beta invites are frankly, a joke, and there’s not even a leaked screenshot to show for any progress that may or may not have been made?

Sure, I can understand that you’re a one-man team. If you’re willing to make such a great application and then pretty much stall any development, don’t promise things without delivering. Last Google Group interaction was months ago. The iPhone app promise has been out there for at least as long as THL Mac has been out there, and yet there’s nothing to show?

I now use Things on my iPhone, and am seriously considering switching to Things on the Mac as well, and I’m sure that there are countless others like me who have done the same.

It’s one thing to promise. As I’ve found out, it’s entirely another to deliver – underpromise and overdeliver is the name of the game, and you’ve clearly failed. First mistake was promising an iPhone app. Second was not delivering said iPhone app within a reasonable time frame.

I’m sorry, but for a getting things done client, you clearly don’t.