by Keith Richardson
(Also published in Today’s Senior Newsmagazine, June 2012 edition)

Big computer-related events are scheduled for June—we’ll report on them here in due time. We’re alluding to the release of the preview for Windows 8 “sometime this month” and announcements from Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference June 11–15.

While we wait for real news, here’s two bits to reflect on.

Thinking of buying a notebook computer, an ultrabook, perchance? TechPinion’s Ben Barjarin observes (April 28) that “Notebooks are the Past, Tablets are the Future.” While some analysts still predict that touch tablets (iPad, Samsung Galaxy, etc.) ”…will evolve in form and function to look more like notebooks, ” Barjarin writes, “When I see notebooks I feel like I am looking at the past.” He argues that the “touch factor” of tablets will win the day over the more conventional form of the shrunken laptop, even though big desktop machines will continue to be used by many touchpad owners. .

Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Air

In March, reviewing the history of computing, Barjarin concluded that “we are entering the true era of personal computing….What we need to let go of is not the idea that {tablets] are not personal computers…[but] an archaic definition, assumption, and stereotype of the term “PC”. We are not in the post PC era [but] the post notebook form factor era. We are in the post traditional definition of a PC era… the [time] of truly personal computing. If Bill Gates’ vision was that every desk would have a computer then I offer up this: in this era, every pocket will have a personal computer.”

At the same time, Barjarin sees “desktops making a comeback due to a role change. Consumer all-in-one Desktops  are designed to be showcased prominently rather than stuck in the den or office. These computers will be very elegant, powerful, and affordable.”We’ll see, he claims, rather than the convergence of notebooks and tablets into some kind of hybrid laptop, the pairing of  a desktop all-in-one with a tablet. This would especially be interesting in consumer markets.

In this solution, when you want a big screen, keyboard, etc., you get it in a no compromise package with more processing power, graphics, memory, and storage than you would ever get in a converged tablet / notebook or a laptop. Then when you want a mobile computer you get a no-compromise-mobile-computer with a tablet.” He thinks this more sense than a converged notebook/tablet for the mass market.”

Certainly, everyone who calls MacSeniors for advice on what computer to buy is asked at least to consider a tablet in lieu of the traditional form factor. Those who’ve bought an iPad seem very happy with it. At home, we’re already in Bajarin’s scenario. We’re not alone as we’ve mentioned in previous accounts. We have several clients who, like us,have gone “Apple crazy” with (usually just one) iMac, MacBook (Pro), iPod(s), iPhone (s) and iPad(s) all in one household. We can justify the expense because we’re “in the business.” Otherwise, we’d have at least one less machine—probably the MBPro.

As indicated above, we’re very curious to see what will happen in the “non-Mac world” after the release this month of the preview of Windows 8. Not to be confused with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Demo video that has been available online since Feb. 29, 2012. If you haven’t viewed it yet, give it a look. If you’d never owned a computer before, how would it make you feel? If you haven’t upgraded since Windows XP, does it fill you with excitement?

Keep in mind, too, that Windows 8 will come in three flavours besides the Consumer version: of these the single real alternative is Windows 8 Pro for business users. As PC Advisor points out, the other two, Windows 8 Server and Windows 8 Enterprise “are special cases for niche scenarios,” but wishes that, like Apple, Microsoft would release a only one version—the W 8  Pro version with its extra features—and allow users to turn off the ones they don’t need initially.

No doubt there will be many younger computer enthusiasts who will quickly adopt the new system and love it.

Older folks? We’re not so sure….

On a very different tack, we always enjoy Shelly Fralic’s columns in the Vancouver Sun. Recently, she has been pondering questions like “When did we become so helpless?” In the column of that title, she observes: “We have, in these modern times, lost the ability, or perhaps more saliently, the will, to do the practical, the universal duties that became second nature the day that first cave dad made fire and fed the family:

• like knowing how to sew on a button;
• like being able to turn off the water to the house, or the gas to the hot water tank;
• like driving a stick shift, or changing the oil or a flat tire or a wonky windshield wiper;
• like making macaroni and cheese that doesn’t come in a cardboard box.

She asks us to “consider the Harris/Decima poll released [recently] out of Toronto that wags its finger in wonderment that Canadians have let the standard skills and knowledge of how things work, and of how to do and fix things, slip from our grip.

And how there seems little appetite for learning basic everyday tasks, for fending for ourselves.

The poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 Canadians last month, was conducted as part of an assessment for a national non-profit called Skills Canada, which charts the growing shortage of skilled workers in the workforce and found that, as the press release says, “almost half of all Canadians are not able to complete basic skills including installing a faucet or replacing a zipper with-out some help.”

It found that 28 per cent of those surveyed overall didn’t know how to change a tire, while nearly half of the women surveyed said they couldn’t.

There will be those who say good riddance to all of the above, and keep the technology and convenience coming.

We have better things to do with our time these days, they might counter, and are just too busy with work and other imperatives that are more important, and that’s why we hire strangers to mow our lawns, paint our bathrooms and care for our kids and dogs. That’s why we turned The Dangerous Book For Boys and The Daring Books For Girls, which nostalgically detail once-inherent childhood aptitudes like how to read a compass and how to play tag, into bestsellers. It’s why we invented cars that parallel park for us, and buy packaged, pre-washed salads.

After all, who needs to learn how to chop wood or iron a shirt or make lasagna when we can now spend our time fake finger painting on an iPad?

Can you believe April has passed already?

We like cartoons from The Joy of Tech. There are a couple of videos at their home page you might enjoy, too.

You’ll understand the cartoon below better if you’ve read “mid-April report” post….

“Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, we wonder where them MacBooks is!” Writing in mid-April, still no sign of the “new MacBookPro” we’ve been dreaming of. Rumours suggest it may be available by the end of May. Retailers have been reporting difficulty reordering existing models.

Seen the new iPad?

While it’s attractive and quick, we applaud you if you decided to save $100 and purchase the iPad2. Whether you bought a ‘Pad from Apple, or an Android tab from Asus, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, or Acer, you’ve joined the ranks of those  shunning “computers” for “tablets.” If you chose an Android, is it all that you’d hoped for? Let us know. For reviews of the “top 5 Android tablets,” check out CNET’s March 19th review: “best-5-android-tablets”.

Apple unveiled its “new iPad” (also dubbed by some, but NOT Apple, the iPadHD or the iPad3) on March 7 at a special event in San Francisco. Recent weeks have been rife with speculation about the device and the presentation.

Thanks to tech.xnepali.net (with a little help from us) for studying the event and preparing this report
on which rumours and assumptions played out correctly—or did not:

UPDATE: click here for MacWorld’s take on the new iPad.
.
Rumors confirmed:

1.  Apple special event to be held on March 7, 2012
2.  – Apple special event to be held in usual Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Calif.

 .
Incorrect assumptions:

1. Apple special event to be held on Setve Job’s birthday (February 24, 2012)
2. Apple event to be held in NYC (as claimed by CNBC)

.
More rumours (X = didn’t happen; ? = did happen; blank = still unclear):

1. New iPad to be named “iPad 3?
2. Quad-core processor in iPad
3. Faster dual core processor with enhanced graphics in iPad
4. New processor to be named A5X (faster performance)
5. New processor to be named A6
6.  Retina Display in iPad (a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels)
7. $80 premium to the price of iPad
8.  4G LTE connectivity in iPad
9. 5 MP camera in iPad
10. More tapered edge in new iPad (still unclear)
11. An 8-inch iPad
12.  Apple will also release updated Apple TV set top box (Macrumors)
13. new iPad to be 0.6 mm thicker (Apple.pro rumor)
14. Near immediate availability of announced product (9to5Mac)
15. Absence of home button (Gizmodo)
16. Will it be called iPadHD ?
17. New Smart Cover to include a rear cover to protect the iPad’s aluminum backside (Ars).
18. New iPad to be released in initial launch markets on March 16th (Fox News)
19. 1 GB RAM (last minute rumour, seems likely, however; if so, it’s twice as much RAM as in previous iPads)
20. $99 AppleCare plan (last minute rumour; pricing still unclear)
21. Continuation of 16GB iPad 2 with a reduced price ($100 below ‘new iPad’)

.
Not predicted:

1. Voice dictation (a la iPhone 4GS)

.
Apple also announced

• an immediate upgrade for iOS 5 from version 5.0.1 to 5.1
  (Upgrade through your iOS device’s Settings>General>Software update).
  . 

• new versions (for iOS devices only) of Garage Band, iMovie, and iPhoto available for download from the App Store. iPhoto ($5) was presented last, likely because it is the most widely used iLife app and is significantly better that the existing Photos app when it comes to editing. Some see it as being more sophisticated than the version of iPhoto 11 on the Mac OS X .
  . 

• upgrades to iOS 5 iWorks apps, Pages and Numbers
  . 

• an upgrade to Apple TV that now supports 1080p video and a new user interface (a free update for current Apple TV owners). The upgrade incorporates a more-powerful single-core A5 chip instead of Apple’s older A4 chip from the second-generation Apple TV. The new model will be available on March 16 at the same $99 price as before.
  . 

• iTunes 10.6, which adds support for 1080p video and address several issues with iTunes Match. Apple says iTunes 10.6 provides for improved song matching; improved album artwork handling, downloading, and display; and fixes an issue where songs may skip when playing from iCloud.

MacSeniors will be getting a new iPad: watch for our review in coming weeks.

In an article entitled 10 threats to the Golden Age of the Internet, February 3, 2012, Alan Norton writing in TechRepublic argues that “we might soon find ourselves reminiscing about the days of unfettered use and free access” of the Internet.

He concludes:

“Count your blessings
Without a doubt, the Internet as it exists in 2012 is a good thing. It would be sad if we didn’t realize how good we have it. Fortunately, important players like Wikipedia do “get it,” as evidenced by their response to the SOPA/PIPA acts [US Congressional  legislation to control Internet piracy and censorship]. [Wikipedia's stance] is heartening, since the single greatest threat to the Internet is apathy.”

10 threats Norton discusses:

1. Government regulations (recent legislation introduced in US Congress)
2. Censorship (exists already in some countries, and some of us want it—sort of)
3. Taxes (some laws exist already, often not being enforced)
4. Bandwidth limitations (already a fact in Canada)
5. Access charges (free Internet cafés may become a thing of the past)
6. Internet money (are Pay Pal and Google Wallet creating a “double-edged sword”?
7. Subscription-based income model (Apple’s Newsstand App: cutting edge?)
8. The end of free services like Skype (and the New York Times?)
9. Copyrighted material (piracy is a serious problem!)
10. Privacy abuse (and this goes wayyyy beyond fffffffFacebook!)

“The Golden Age of the Internet: 1995 –?
How long the Internet remains golden is anybody’s guess. It wouldn’t be too surprising to find ourselves just a few short years from now reminiscing about the good old days of the Internet, longing for the free days of Skype, and the many freedoms that now exist. ‘Too good to be true’ can’t last forever, can it? It is possible that most of it will last if we fight to keep it that way. But if that doesn’t work out, enjoy the Golden Age while it lasts.” Alan Norton

In this excerpted article from Computerworld, Ryan Faas examines
January’s big announcement from Apple
regarding iBooks texts, iBook Author, and iTunes U.

MacSeniors agrees with most of Mr. Faas’s assessment of Apple’s educational initiative.
We are already exploring for ourselves the joys of iTunes U.
So far, it presents a very attractive learning opportunity—one that we think
many of our clients devoted to life-long learning will greatly appreciate!

Read the rest of this entry »

meant savings for you from London Drugs!

This week, Apple quietly released a minor update to its MacBook Pro line, offering an upgraded processor, and in some cases graphics and/or storage options at the same price points as the previous models. For most of us, the improvements are scarcely noticeable.
Update November 21. Most of the stock backlog is now sold! Hope you were able to take advantage. (MacSeniors)

Slightly older models' prices at LD are discounted up to $400!

Retailers with a sizeable stock, however, are likely putting the older models on sale.
London Drugs, for example, has discounted its MacBook Pros from $150 to $400 depending upon the models. We think this provides an excellent opportunity for those of us who had been thinking about getting a new(er) Mac or a first time Mac portable and want to save enough to buy a Christmas present or two for the rest of the family.

London Drugs, by the way, right in your neighbourhood, is just a good a place to buy a Mac as the Apple Stores that are likely much farther away.

If you have been to an Apple Store lately, you know how busy they are, and how difficult it can be for neophytes to get the help they need….
We’re in no way disparaging the Apple Stores, but many of our clients have reported that they feel more comfortable shopping for computers in a less bustling environment.

We’re not implying that other retailers won’t also to offer discounted prices. We just passing along info we picked up today from the LD Lougheed Store. Thanks, Thomas!

HAVE A MEMORABLE MOVEMBER!

Big PUMPKMacMan

Yes, that’s MOvember, the month when we remember prostate cancer and the men who have had to deal with it. MacSeniors will be looking a little scruffy for the next few weeks as we try to train our facial hair to stand up and be noticed!

We’ll be contributing to Prostate Cancer (PC) research.
How about you?