> Ken's iPad is only obsolete inasmuch as he can't use new apps on it that
he would like; but it still connects to current networks, uses TCP/IP and
current browsing standards.
How about bug fixes, and other changes to support the ever changing
Internet landscape? It does support most CURRENT browsing standards
(somewhat).
Several years ago, we finally got rid of my really really nice typewriter.
It was a super-high end unit. The ability to type out letters and such on
it never went away. I could type whatever I wanted on it till the very end.
It always fulfilled it's original intended purpose.
So, here I have a $500 slab of aluminum and glass. Apple's attitude is that
they sell objects of desire, not objects of function. We buy Apple products
because we want to be cool. Their attitude is that we should be upgrading
to the latest/greatest anyway. If so, what becomes of the old one? It
eventually works it's way to the back of a drawer. I'm sorry, but that's
one expensive drawer filler. If you look closely at the product user
agreement you will see that Apple says that they sell objects with almost
no perceived or intended purpose. It's pretty clear that they are selling
"toys".
I can understand Apple's failure to support a product after a while, but
they barely let the warranty expire.
As to apps, I've got several paid apps that serve business purposes and
they link in with PC software for remote control or interactive
functionality. At some point the old apps won't work with the newer
computer software. Don't say to not upgrade that, because then you open up
a huge can of worms.
Honestly, the only things that I REALLY value out of the Apple ecosystem is
this: iTunesU and their CD ripping software and audio compression
algorithm. (I'm not quite as sold on it as Ken Rockwell--his ears must have
had an ear-wax buildup that day). Everything else is done better in the
Android ecosystem, or with a true tablet-pc solution.
Granted, my Android phone is a Google Nexus product, so I'm a little bit
better supported by software upgrades than the average bear, but seeing how
Apple has wholesale abandoned the iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads that got
them going just a very short time ago. Their product life cycle is
incredibly short.
I have no argument against Apple laptop computers. Andrew speaks highly of
Apple in his University environment where a one-button "PHD" product makes
a lot of sense. As to longevity, they are a little bit better constructed,
which helps a lot, but I don't think they are any better than an equivalent
product from Lenovo.
Last night I finally got around to doing something I've been putting off
for some time. Resetting and reloading my iPad. It had gotten so buggy that
I had to dump it down to factory default and restore the backup. That
cleared up most of my bugs all right. But I will say that the simple Apple
environment is not any simpler than that from Microsoft. And it induced no
less than three panic moments when I thought it dumped my backup. It also
tried destroying my backup. I had a power failure during the restore
process and when it reattached it went to create a new backup overwriting
my REAL backup. (Start to finish, the process was about 9 hours).
Seeing how Apple is currently falling in popularity as fast as Lance
Armstrong, I'm likely not alone in my analysis.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|