Mobiles Saving Lives By Deflecting Bullets: That's It, I'm Wearing My Tablets And Smartphones Now - Even My New Macbook Pro

Source:  TUAW, Twitter, CNN.

Earlier, we learned that a store clerk's life was saved when his HTC Android device saved his life by stopping the bullet of a robber.  Now, we learned that an iPhone cable saved the life of a Los Angeles sheriff deputy.  This isn't the first time we've heard of smartphones saving the lives of their owners.

Maybe I should start wearing my tablets and smartphones when I venture out.  Maybe the Google Glass will save someone from a head shot.  Who knows, right?

Back in 2007, an iPod saved the life of an US soldier when it stopped the bullet from an AK-47 fired by a terrorist.  Then again last year, another soldier who was hit in the leg was lifted away for medical attention.  The iPhone in his pocket deflected the bullet's trajectory away from his femoral artery.  Had it been severed, he would most likely have died.

By the way, supposedly HTC will replace the clerk's damaged phone with an HTC One.  Now how I'd want to get a new phone but I'm glad in all instances, the victims were all able to get away with their lives if not walk immediately away from it.

Australians Prefer PS4 By A Large Margin To Xbox One

Accords to CNET, Australians prefer the Playstation 4 from Sony by a 2-1 margin over Microsoft's Xbox One.

Personally, I've already preordered an Xbox One and plan on keeping it despite some uncertainties and favorable views from the media for the PS4.

For Microsoft, making sure the Xbox brand stays on top is very important. It's one of their bright spots outside of the business and Windows divisions.

Lose the next gen console badly, Microsoft can kiss the consumer market good-bye.

Remember, in the coming years, the incumbent players in the console market may have to contend with dark horses like media boxes running Google's Android. There are at least half a dozen media boxes running Android that might have potential to serve as a media box and as a gaming console like the Nvidia Shield.

Heck, maybe even the Apple TV. I don't know if Apple has TV hardware aspirations but I do know they've got their eyes on gaming in the living room.


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Prediction: iPad mini With Retina Display Will Go On Sale On...

I think the iPad mini with the new Retina Display will go on sale on November 15th, two weeks after the iPad Air goes on sale.  That's my own prediction and nothing more.  I think I have a perfectly logical explanation for thinking it'll be on the 15th, and not any other Fridays in November - that being the 8th, 22nd, or the 29th.

And obviously, we can forget about November 1st, this Friday since that's the date Apple picked to start selling the iPad Air.

So, what makes me think that Apple will begin selling the new iPad mini with the new Retina Display?  Just some common sense and picking the odds.  Obviously, it can't be the 29th, that is Black Friday.  Apple is not going to try to deal with a rush of Black Friday shoppers and the iPad mini crowd.  No way they'll do that.

That leaves the 8ths and 22nd.  I don't think it's the 8th because it'll only be a week after the Air goes on sale and, personally, if I run Apple, I would give the Air a bit of "air" to itself before releasing another product for sale.  And the rush to the website and the stores for the Air will continue to be fresh even a week later.  It'll continue to be quite busy for Apple employees.

Apple always has a crowd for the Christmas shopping days and it doesn't need to exacerbate needlessly the situation.

That leave the 15th and 22nd.  I don't think it'll be the 22nd because it's a week before the Thanksgiving week and Black Friday. For the nearly the identical reason why Apple will not sell the iPad mini on Black Friday, 22nd won't be either.  It's just cutting it too close.  Imagine the onslaught of the crowd and the online rush to try to get the new mini.

That leave the 15th.  It's two weeks after the Air has been on sale and two weeks before Black Friday.  And since Apple typically releases new products for sale on a Friday, the 3rd Friday of this November makes the best sense for the iPad mini with Retina Display to go on sale.

Apple can obviously break its mold and start selling the iPad mini on another day of the week but I find that unlikely at this time.  So, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it's the 15th.  Hey, I would not mind being wrong if it's the 8th but I hate for Apple to start selling the mini later in November.

Note:  I was right in my prediction about the iPad event date.  Think I can make it 2 for 2?

The Case For An iPad 2: Everyone Still Wants One

The iPad 2 will probably go down as one of the best iPad since the 2010 original iPad and, perhaps, along with this year's iPad Air.  Sorry, mini, you're, well, a mini.  It explains why Apple is still keep the iPad 2 around, at least for another year.  So, what makes the iPad 2 such a rocking indispensable tablet?

Let's get the Apple angle out of the way.  By now, the iPad 2, which from what I've been able to find out, is still in high demand.  And given that it's already more than 2.5 years old, Apple is making a hefty margin on it and adding to its growing pile of cash.

So, why are people still buying it?  It's $399.  And probably lower if they're bought on lots of hundreds or thousands.  Businesses and schools come to mind.  Tim Cook unveiled yesterday that Apple has an unprecedented 94% of the tablet share in education.  And schools are looking at the full sized iPad to give their students.  I'm willing to get a large number of those are iPad 2 tablets.  The only competition I see the iPad 2 has in the near future is from the iPad mini coming in at $299, which is essentially the iPad 2 with a 7.9" screen and a better camera.

Also, businesses are still buying iPad 2 for their workforce.  It's light, performs decently still, and, again, cheap.  If you want to use it as a transaction register (I didn't call it a cash register because the iPad 2 just doesn't take cash) along with a device like Square, it's cheaper than buying a big bulky and expensive cash register.  I've seen more and more businesses turn to iPad use in the manner.  There is no need to get a more powerful and expensive iPad 4 to do this simple task of swiping a credit card and taking money from it.

And on top of that, the iPad 2 does run iOS 7 which comes with it more features and better security which is a plus for enterprise,small biz, and schools (assuming Apple can find a way to keep resourceful elementary kids from hacking its lockdown system).

Want an example?  Check this out.  Southwest will be deploying the iPad 2 as an entertainment solution on its flights to let flyers watch shows on the Dish network. How awesome is that? (9to5mac). And how many thousands do you think the airline have bought from Apple?  And also, Dish is giving out a free iPad 2 if you sign up with it and get a Hopper too. (Dish)

The question is what happens next year?  Conceivably, Apple could make iOS 8 work on the iPad 2 and iPad mini with further limitations but it is also moving further down the road on the 64-bit roadmap.  We'll have to see how Apple deals with the $399 sweet spot that the iPad 2 as well as the $299 iPad mini sits on now.  But that's speculation for another day.

iPad Mini With Retina Display Ship Date Clue In Financial Call

There is an ongoing financial call between Apple and analysts right now.  One of them asked  a question about the iPad and Tim cook mentioned something about iPad mini with Retina Display shipping later in November.  He might have also mentioned late November.

I'll be listening in tonight to review the financial call. I'll check back if there is anything new about this.  I think we should get a definitive ship date from Apple next week, after the Air has had a full week of sale.

My guess would be 15th, two weeks after the iPad Air has gone on sale.

Spoiled Moronic Media/Pundits Who Are Not Wowed By Apple Events/Products Should Stop Reading Rumors And Spoiler Blogs

Remember the TV series, Lost?  Of course you do.  After the first season, I stopped watching it. And I didn't get into it until the whole series became available on Netflix.  And 24?  I waited until the DVD set is out every season and binge-watched it.  And these days, with movies or TV series that I wanted to avoid learning info about, I make sure I don't read the title or posts that have spoilers.  I did that with Star Trek Into Darkness and I had no idea what would happen going into the theater.  I was more blown away than most other fans.  And I also do with same with The Walking Dead.

And fans who go online and search for every bit of information about a movie or TV series before premieres end up not being as excited as they should be.  There's an element of a let-down.  That "wow" factor is no longer there when you know what to expect for the most part.

Well, that's the same thing for the Apple media events and products that they unveil.  The media, bloggers, and pundits all go online and read rumors and see pics of leaks of the next iPhone or iPad.  They join Apple's developer programs to get beta versions of the OS. And then when Apple finally unveils the finished products, they claim that they're bored.  That there is no longer a "one more thing" or claim that the "wow" factor is no longer there.

Well, those guys are morons.  It's the same thing in other media. If you jump to the end of a book, read how it ends and then go back and read it from the beginning, obviously, the reader won't be surprised when he knows how it all ends.

For Apple unveilings, when there are surprises like the A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, the media and pundits are too stupid to understand the implications of it.

So, for those who complain about how boring Apple is these days, try avoiding the rumor sites for a year and then sit through the live blogs next year and see how you react then.  Trust me, that wow factor will be back when you don't know what the ending is.

Why I'll Be Getting the Last Gen iPad Mini

Obviously, I'm not made of money.  I wish because I would not be writing posts like this: I’m thinking about getting an $299 iPad.  I rather be able to say I WILL BE GETTING an iPad mini.  Not the new one with the A7 chip but the one from last year at $299.

Yeah, that price point got me.  I know that it's essentially an iPad 2 in a smaller form factor and a smaller screen at 7.9" than the regular 9.7" iPad screen.  Why now and not at $329?

First of all, I will be getting a T-Mobile version of the 128 GB iPad Air to replace my 2010 32 GB iPad.  It's a big jump.  And with the iPad Air, a lot of it will be for work.  Be going a lot of work on there.  It'll essentially replace my Mac.  I'm still out on whether I'll be getting a new Macbook Pro.  I'm trying my best to hold off on that for another year.  My Air for a lot of entertainment use.

Second, that’s what the $299 iPad mini will be used for.  Entertainment.  Streaming video, gaming, and Facetime.

Third, having a second device seems insane.  Well, I’m a mobile fan.  I don’t see this as an issue.  Right now, I’ve got a 4th gen iPad, 2010 iPad, and a Nexus 7.  Oh, and I’ve also got Palm Touchpad as well.  After I get my iPad Air, I’ll be passing along my 4th gen iPad to my nephew.  On top of that, having two devices like this makes sense for mobile warriors.  Two devices with twenty hours of battery life.

The closest thing you can come to that is a reported 2013 13” Macbook Air running on Mavericks giving an estimated 15 hours of battery life.  Even then, that’s not the same thing as having two devices.  Sure, I’ve got only two hands and can really use just one device at a time.

Even so, I figure I’m going to be able to do get quite a bit done with this setup.  Imagine being able to do work on one iPad, the Air, and maybe read or do research with the other.  You can already do this with one iPad but, with AirDrop, I’m going to be able to send pictures, links, etc. from on device to another seamlessly.

But why the $299 and why not wait for the $399 iPad?  Well, money is an issue.  Otherwise, I would be getting a 128 GB iPad mini as well.  But alas, I’ve got to eat and have lots of bills to pay.