Got to say I was seriously underwhelmed by Apple’s news yesterday:
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Steve Jobs once mocked tablets with small screens, saying they would need to come with sandpaper so people could sand down their fingertips to use them. But that didn’t stop his company from shrinking the iPad.
Apple’s iPad Mini, which it unveiled at a press event here on Tuesday, weighs about two-thirds of a pound and has a screen that measures 7.9 inches diagonally, making its surface area significantly smaller than that of the 9.7-inch iPad. Philip W. Schiller, Apple’s vice president for marketing, said the smaller, lighter tablet would be a good fit for people who want something more portable than the 1.44-pound iPad.
The company is selling the lowest price Mini for $330, about $130 more than similar-size tablets from competitors…
So what burst of innovation will they come out with next — an iPad that’s between the iPhone and the mini in size, or one between the mini and the full-size? Or maybe a 60 inch, for that home-theater effect while you’re sitting in the coffee shop?
And in the WSJ in the same news cycle, Walter Mossberg was highly praising the new Microsoft tablet set to come out at the end of the week. Ouch, Apple.
All of this Apple angst brings to mind this hilarious sendup of the iPhone 5 complaints, from SNL a couple of weeks back…
Related Posts
My Kindle Fire (same size as iPad mini) is the perfect device for me.
I’ve been using technology sine 1978 when my parents bought me a Radio Shack TRS-80 and for the life of me, I can’t figure out what people do with their iPads that justifies the premium price. Beyond having a browser, email access, books, music, videos, what else do you do with it? I guess games if you have the time for that. Other than Words With Friends and Backgammon, I guess I grew out of my games phase when I was 18.
In my office, we refer to the iPad as the “iPod Jumbo”
Steve Jobs is dead. I think this may be why we’re seeing the iPad mini now.
Did any of y’all watch the video clip? Very funny take on the silliness of our effete, consumerist culture. I say that because I could see myself, just a bit, in the people being lampooned. I, too, am scandalized by the “disaster” of Apple Maps.
I actually meant to write a post about that a couple of weeks ago, but didn’t get to it. My point would have been to express my frustration with people who fail to leave well enough alone because they’re so determined to dominate EVERYTHING.
Apple should recognize the masterful job that Google has done with Maps — I think it’s one of the marvels of our age — and how well it works with the iPhone, and not wastefully try to duplicate it, ending with something that is inadequate… and all because of its desire to be completely proprietary and totally control the environment. Apple had a good thing with Google Maps in its phones, and should have worked to improve THAT experience — such as adding the functionality of Street View (which for some reason is lacking on my iPhone, though I had it on my old Blackberry).
In the paper this morning, there was a picture of a Google guy hiking the Grand Canyon with one of those 360 Google camera arrays mounted on his backpack, adding those foot trails to Street View. THAT’S how far, and how deep, Google has gotten into this thing. It’s years, and billions in investment, ahead of anyone in making Maps a comprehensive experience. It’s insane to try to duplicate that on the run, and as a result pass an inferior product off on your customers…
I saw the video when it aired on SNL, I thought it was one of their better recent efforts. It made a good point about 1st world problems vs. everyone else’s problems.