So I finally broke down and decided to get an iPad. I decided that my netbook wasn’t cutting it anymore and I really don’t need to have a full computer for what I use my netbook for and in fact would be able to do more with an iPad. However, the new iPad 2 has already in short supply and after the disaster in Japan the wait time has gotten longer. So I thought about it and realized that the original iPad would serve my needs and would cost a lot less.

The new iPad is thinner and lighter but, it isn’t that much of a difference and really doesn’t make enough of an impact for it to be worth the extra price the original iPad is still thinner and lighter than my netbook. It is also faster but since, I am using it primarily to take notes and not game the faster processor, which I have heard isn’t significantly faster, is also not worth the price. After using the iPad several days in class, I have not had a problem with it yet! The new iPad also has a front and rear camera, but it is still the same quality as the camera on my  fourth generation iPod touch. But, I rarely if ever use the cameras on my iPod and never have used the front facing camera for Facetime. Also, I think using a ten-inch tablet as a camera or camcorder, is uncomfortable and I don’t really need it since I have a still photo camera and a video camera why would I really use the lower-quality cameras when I have the dedicated devices. The final major difference is that I can’t do video mirroring which would be nice, but it’s not important for how I plan to use it.

So, I got a device for half the price of the new iPad and it came with cases, the keyboard dock, a VGA adapter and some other accessories.If you are having the itch to buy the new iPad really think about whether you need the new features or if you would be better off saving money now and then buy a majorly updated version in the future.

Airplay is Apple’s technology that allows iOS users to play media on their iOS devices on to their TV, speaker systems and other Airplay devices. Right now this only applies to music and video. However, I think in the future Airplay will be used for much more and will let your iOS device stream many things. First I think you will be able to stream apps so that you can play games on a big screen controlled by your iOS device. This is very likely because the new Digital AV adapter allows the newest generation to have screen mirroring so everything on the iOS device screen can be displayed on the big screen. So why not further develop AirPlay and instead of having to have an adapter and running a cable, you can just do it all wirelessly and would be better for Apple in the long run because it would make more people buy Apple TV which are $100 instead of $30 adapter and AirPlay would be much more convient. I think this will happen within the next 2 years it will make Apple TV a much more useful product and give iOS users more ability to share their content!

Last Wednesday, Apple unveiled the new iPad. The iPad 2, has a lot of new features but didn’t have anything unexpected.  First, the iPad 2 has the A5 duel core processor making the iPad 2 much more powerful than the previous generation. Despite the significant power boost in the iPad 2, the iPad 2 still has the same amazing 10 hour battery life!  It is also 33% thinner and went from 1.5 pounds to 1.3 pounds making the iPad 2 that much more portable. The iPad 2 also has the much anticipated 2-camera system with a high-definition 720p camera on the rear of the device and then a VGA camera on the front of the iPad for Facetime. I don’t really know how many people are going to use their 10 inch tablet as a video camera or even a still photo camera because it seems too big. The new iPad also supports HDMI full 1080P video out using an adapter that costs $39 which allows you to mirror the iPad screen on monitors. This is great for both home theaters and presentations but, the only issue is that each application must individually turn on this function meaning certain apps might block this out.

They also unveiled “Smart Covers” which use magnets to cover the iPad screen and can be morphed into many types of stands such as a typing stand. The “Smart Covers” also automatically wake the iPad when the cover is removed and put into sleep when it is put over the screen.  This Smart Cover comes in multi-colored sillicon for $40 and leather for $70 which I think is very expensive for a cover! But I love the ability to use one cover for many things. There were also 3 new apps announced for iPad. The first, is Photobooth, so you can now have all the fun of Photobooth’s effects on your iPad and will come with the new iPads for free. This seems like an app that I would  use when I first get the device and then never use it again. Then they also announced a new version of iMovie for iPad as well as Garageband for iPad. Both apps look great but, I don’t think I would really use them a lot and the price is a bit high  at $4.99 a piece.

The iPad2 will be out March 11th, at the same price points as before. Although this generation didn’t have any huge changes, the changes that were made will make the iPad more compelling to people who don’t have an iPad already, and even to the people who already have an iPad and want the new features, more power and cameras.

After a long time without any events about that Mac, Apple will be holding a event Wednesday doing just that! The invitation has an Apple logo turned on it’s side with a Lion peaking out, so I think that Lion will be the name of the next operating system OS 10.7! Here is what I expect to happen at the event on Wednesday.

1. Mac OS 10.7 Lion- This is close to guaranteed although I don’t know if it will just be a preview or  will be release in the near future. After Snow Leopard being released a year and a half ago with only minor upgrades and a marginal price, I expect Lion to be the ‘king’ of the OSX line and add a lot of new features and improvements.
2. New Macs- Along with Lion, there will also be new Mac and I think these will be more than spec bumps. The Macbook Air is rumored to have an even thinner design and 2 models the current size, 13 inches as well as a more of a netbook size 11 inch computer. The other models have not had many rumors leaked about them although I think the rumored touch-screen iMac will not happen tomorrow or in the near future.
3. iLife ’11- This has already been leaked and is rumored to be replacing iDVD with a program that can easily make iOS Apps. There is also rumors of versions of the iLife suite being made for iOS.
4. iWork ’11- Along with iLife Apple usually releases iWork, once again no new feature speculation although native Microsoft Office file compatibility would make it much more compelling.

These are my four big predictions for the event. I don’t think there will be much mention of iOs except in the statistics usually given in the beginning of the keynote and possibly with the new versions of iWork and iLife. However, I think there is a chance that we may get a new iPad with cameras to take advantage of the new iOs 4.2 that is coming out in November. Remember to check back after the event for a summary of what happened and what I think about it all. That will most likely come out Wednesday night.