SSD Coming Along But Still Expensive

It's taken a while but solid state drives, SSD, are coming nicely. What I mean is that I see them more and more as an option from the major PC makers.

Everyone from Dell to HP to Apple, its MacBook Air being very popular over the Holidays and demand has not let up, are using them as a premium add-on.

Now we are seeing SSD sizes at more affordable prices. Not only that, the drives are bigger. Still, I am not quite ready to pluck down $1,500 to $2,000 for a 480GB drive.

For that kind of money, it would be more economical to get a whole new laptop. Say a MacBook Air with 256 GB or storage.

So what is in your laptop or MacBook? Have you moved onto a SSD or consider making the move in the near future?




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March 2nd: Day of Reckoning In The Tablet War, Or It'll Be A Dud

Okay, so we know that Apple will be unveiling the next version of the iPad on March 2nd.  And while I expect rumors about it to surface through the weekend, I fully expect them to be the "take it with a grain of salt" type.  

Already, Engadget is backtracking on some of their earlier "confirmations" about the iPad and there were more than a few "I told you so" from other blogs.  One source versus another.  One leak that seems to go contrary to another but just as juicy. However, after reading them, I find them a bit lacking.  

Sure, the Apple electrified the tablet market and we are on the verge of a bunch of competing tablets.  But a tablet is tablet.  Apple might add a camera or two to the next iPad.  Apple is likely to jazz things up a bit with faster processor and more memory but as far as hardware goes, I don't see much advances beyond what we can realistically expect.  

Take the Mac fans' collective reactions to the new Macbook Pro line-up unveiled yesterday.  Thunderbolt was nice as was the new and faster Sandy Bridge chips from Intel.  But the more extravagant predictions did not come to pass.  

And that is the feeling we are getting from around the Web on what new feature the next iPad will have.  No Retina display.  It's not possible for Apple to economically include them in this iPad or realistically have enough to satisfy demand.  Thinner sure but longer battery life to separate the iPad from the Xoom?  I would like that except remember this next iPad might be thinner and lighter.  

So you see, the expectation is that we will not be wowed.  If anything, Apple might have some cute iOS tricks here and there that might excite the audience will draw a collective applause but at the end of the day, bloggers will say that if not for these new iOS tricks, the expectations will just be par.

But make no mistake, Apple will improve the new iPad enough so that it will sell millions.  It's almost as if one of the best running rumors going around the iPad might be right.  Apple is poised to unleash another surprise this fall along side the iPod refresh.  

For me, I don't think this is just idle speculation or wishful thinking.  Apple has been to predictable.  I reckon that Apple will need to change things up a bit and catch people off guard.

So while I welcome the iPad event next week, I don't expect much more than what we already know - just enough for Apple to make the iPad a compelling buy until autumn.

Why I Am Close To Getting The New MacBook Pro

I am not 100% there yet but I am very close to getting the new MacBook Pro that was introduced to us today. And I cannot settle on the 15" or the 17". And just yesterday, I was still waiting to see when the Air will move to Sandy Bridge.

Here is are a couple reasons and why if you're in the market for a new laptop, you want to consider Apple's new mobile lineup.

Thunderbolt, the new tech offered that will serve as the future port for all accessories. And this is leap and bounds what is available - USB 2, FireWire, and what is not even out yet, USB 3.

And the CPU upgrade aside, which believe me is a big deal, we are talking a whole new dynamic of way to work.

So far, the benchmarks are showing Mac Pro like power. That means we are talking about a mobile workstation that lets you go away and do anything.

Whether this is about video work, coding the next Angry Bird, and writing that next great American novel, the freedom this power we are getting is really something to marvel.

I am at the end of my Macbook's battery life. And it is about time I look at upgrading my hard drive. In all, we are talking about $450-500 in upgrades.

I might as well spend that on a new MacBook.

Nothing has been made about this decision yet. I really want to see which size screen will work better for me. The 17" MBP is awesome but I am gonna see if I can do with a 15".

Who knows, with the economy the way it is, I can totally see this as wishful thinking and maybe I'll just hold off a bit longer.




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Are We Hours Away From New MacBooks?

I am on the west coast and that means as of the start of the writing of this post, I am two hours away from Thursday and, if the speculations hold, hours away from new MacBooks using Intel's latest and greatest mobile CPUs.

I got the first unibody Macbook when it came out the first time in late-2008. It's still chugging along and I've got no real complaints about it though I would like it to have a longer battery life.

So I eager wait and see if the newest mobile Macs what I need - speed and longer battery life than the current line of MacBooks.

And if things don't pan out, I will probably look to getting a new battery and a faster hard drive. Of course, I'll be getting Lion this summer.

Hmmm...that sounds like a lot of money already. The new MacBooks are beginning to look even better.


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Apple Verus Those Who Would Sell Our Information "To Serve" Us

Here is a good post on what the real issue, like I've been saying, is about with respect to Apple's subscription plan. Again, it's not about the 30% cut which Amazon and Google (the 10% cut is from Web subscribers, not in-app purchases - as far as I know, Apple doesn't plan to charge publishers for Web access) all fully plan on partaking.

At first, I was perplexed by the lack of defense from Apple and its defenders. I think as Apple stayed silent through much of the firestorm about nothing (which was absolutely brilliant), Apple gave folks nothing new to write about.

And many Apple supporters probably thought Apple's rates were harsh as well. That would explain the silence at the start. But as time passed, I started to see posts that genuinely examine the issue and many began to realized that Apple was not unfair. If anything, it was once again change how things were done.

No longer would publishers freely acquire user information and sell it to the highest bidders. And that is what all the angst is about.

And again, this post explains everything in plain English.

More at Counter Notions.


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Hey, Apple, How's iWork Coming Along

Though there is no official word from Apple, but it does seem like everyone is assuming that the MacBook updates will happen tomorrow. Let's assume that to be the case. Hey, Apple, where's iWork?

I passed on the last update but I am so ready for this one. There are a couple of features that I can sure use that are available in the current version but I like to see if the next one makes it even better.

One I am interested in very much is publication to iBooks and/or other ebook stores through Pages or another app. I am talking more that just ePub.

Also, I am hoping for a simple app dev program that I hope Apple release. You know, a fun sort of App-making for dummies.

Regardless, I eagerly await the next update. Hopefully, this will happen soon. Oh, and some tie-in with MobileMe would be great too.


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Mobile Payment Is Coming In A Big Way

The mainstream media has not caught on to it yet and I've talked about it here from time to time. But be prepared to be bombarded with tons of media reports, blogs, tweets, and e-mails about it in the coming weeks or months.

At week at the Mobile World Congress, near field communication, NFC, was being talked about as if it is the next holy grail of mobile. And to a follower of mobile happenings like myself, this is a big thing. In as few words as possible, NFC allows payments be made through mobile devices.

Think of this as what you can already do at Starbucks. You can order and pay through the app. Well, this will happen in a much much better way. There are a couple of devices on the market with NFC capability, specifically, Google's Nexus S. But as with some technology, being first doesn't mean much.

However, it is largely expected that Apple's next iOS hardware updates, including the next iPhone, will support mobile payment. And I expect an explosion of next generation Android devices to support this as well.

I really recommend reading up on it because just about everyone from your bank, credit card, wireless providers, and hardware companies will be getting in on this lucrative new business. Oh, and retailers would love this as well.

Also, there are also security concerns you'll need to be aware of.

So get ready media and ad blitz coming our way. I'll be devoting much much more attention than I have in the past. I started talking about almost two years ago, pointing the ease that the Japanese users have been able to enjoy with paying through their cell phones for years.

It'll be our turn soon.