Mini Things to Discuss

•October 24, 2012 • Leave a Comment

It’s official. In an event held yesterday, Apple announced several new and updated products within the Mac and iPad lines. The Mac line received a new thirteen-inch MacBook Pro with a retina display, while the Mac Mini and iMac each earned a refresh. The iPad line expanded to include a new device – the iPad Mini – and also experienced a very surprising refresh of the flagship tablet.

I’m going to keep this post (mostly) about the iPad. The Mac refreshes were nice, especially as the iMac hadn’t been updated in three years. For a company always on the cutting edge, this lengthy time frame was somewhat surprising, and the update was well deserved. One brief thought on the Retina MacBook Pros … it seems to me that these are designed largely to attract new customers by what I call the “shiny” factor. The prices are sky-high compared to non-retina Macs with the same dimensions. For example: $1999 spent on a retina-display equipped 13″ MBP includes only 256GB of flash storage, while $1499 on the top-line 13″ non-retina MBP buys a 750GB hard drive. Most other performance measures increase markedly on the non-retina versions too.

Now, on to the iPad. The event was expected to be an iPad event, and indeed it was. The long rumored iPad Mini arrived on the scene, with a quick pre-order date of this Friday (October 26), with release on November 2. The device largely meets recent analyst expectations, including the predicted name. The display measures 7.9 inches, diagonally; this has proven popular among the app development community, as existing iPad apps can automatically scale down to fit the smaller screen. The Mini utilizes the same cameras as the larger version, and boasts identical battery life.

The price point that I guessed at in my earlier post proved to be too high. The Mini instead comes in at a somewhat strange $329 for a 16GB, Wi-Fi only version. Following the usual Apple habit of $100-to-double-capacity, 32GB and 64GB versions sell for $429 and $529, respectively. The Wi-Fi+Cellular versions start at a rather excessive $459 and rocket skyward for larger capacities.

$329 is clearly much more expensive than other seven-inch tablets, namely the Kindle Fire. The latest version of Amazon’s popular tablet, the Fire HD, starts at only $199 for 16 gigabytes. Amazon increases their prices only $50 to double storage capacity. Google’s Nexus 7 – featured in a devastating side-by-side comparison with the Mini during yesterday’s event – starts at $199, for a frankly ludicrous eight gigabytes. $249 buys at 16GB Nexus 7.

Someone asked me if I think the iPad Mini costs too much. Well, perhaps slightly. Actually, I see a major problem with the price point of the iPod Touch, fifth generation….the entry-level (32GB) iPod Touch sells for $299. To me, this model of iPod Touch should be around a $249 device. I think the Mini should start at $299, thus capturing the highly powerful psychological advantage of a two following the dollar sign. I also think Apple should eliminate the $100-to-double-capacity price strategy, in favor of, say, a $50 increase.

Talking about the device itself, I think it will be an excellent entry into the smaller tablet market. I would not be surprised to see it quickly become the dominant seven-inch tablet. It appears superior to the Kindle Fire, the Nexus, and the myriad other tablets floating around the ever-growing market. Plus, customers gain the advantage of iTunes and the App Store, with 275,000 dedicated iPad applications now available. To compete head-to-head with Amazon on price doesn’t seem realistic; and if it happened, quality could have easily suffered. Still, I think the device will be a hit. Portability is the biggest virtue I see…one obvious market would be women who carry purses. In addition, the iPad has already proven exceptionally popular in the classroom, and students could appreciate the smaller size (and school systems; the lower price tag). Overall, I think Apple hit the mark perfectly on design and functionality, and missed it slightly on price.

The biggest surprise of the day was the update to the main iPad line. The seven-month-old third generation iPad was kicked unceremoniously to the curb in favor of a new, fourth-generation model. The iPad 4, as I’ll call it for clarity, was not a huge update. The chip was updated to Apple’s new A6X, which claims twice the graphics performance of previous models. Also, the Wi-Fi is now twice as fast as earlier iPads. One can easily argue that this is a response to Amazon’s new Wi-Fi technology soon to arrive in the new Kindle Fire 8.9 series.

Full disclosure: I’m an iPad 3 owner. I’m glad I’m an iPad 3 owner. I am not disappointed by the release of the iPad 4. However, it concerns me somewhat from a business standpoint. I know many customers do not share my lack of concern for suddenly owning an “outdated” device. This shows the speed of progress….brand new in March is “outdated” in October. However, irritating that large of a customer base was either brave or stupid. Either way, I suspect I know why they did it.

For its entire history, the iPad has been on a first-quarter release cycle. This narrowly misses the holiday shopping season, which is the only time many consumers would consider spending $500 or more on a gadget. Last Christmas, many Apple watchers and other savvy shoppers steered clear of the iPad 2, guessing that a newer version would soon arrive. They were right: the third-generation iPad was announced in March. The original iPad was announced in January! I personally know of people who received iPads and iPad 2s for Christmas, returned them, pocketed the money, and promptly ordered the newer device a few months after Christmas. I suspect Apple was aware of this, and wanted to get the iPad on a release schedule which placed it right at the start of the holiday shopping rush. Also, with the Mini’s release, updates to both can now be synchronized. I’d say that this decision will be unpopular with consumers in the short term, but come Christmas this year, and especially next, everyone will be happier and better off.

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to leave them in the comments, or tweet me @mdgjedde

Posted in Apple, Current Events, Technology

Is there an iPad Mini, and what does it mean for the tablet market?

•October 17, 2012 • 2 Comments

We all know that Apple has created many of the groundbreaking devices of this young century. The iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch have surely exceeded even the wildest expectations about their use, and popularity. In around two and a half years, the iPad has successfully created a new technology sector very nearly from scratch, and continued to dominate it.

But a parallel development that appeared on scene before the iPad has gradually merged with the tablet sector. This is the e-reader sector: Amazon released the wildly popular Kindle e-book reader, again creating a new industry virtually from scratch. Over time, the line expanded to include the Fire, a seven-inch tablet device that retailed for much less than the iPad, which is now in its third generation. Suddenly, Apple’s tablet had its most serious competition yet.

One can easily argue that the Kindle Fire has much less capability, sleekness, “cool factor,” and other attributes than the iPad. However, there is an enormous part of the population who would not spend $500 for an iPad. But, they will spend $199 for the entry level Kindle Fire HD. Amazon has recently turned up the heat even more, announcing the Kindle Fire HD 8.9, with a starting price of $299. That price buys you a tablet with 16 gigabytes of data storage, an HD display, Dolby speakers, and Wi-Fi claimed to be faster than the latest iPad. $500 will buy a 32GB version of the tablet, with a very competitively priced 4G data plan from AT&T. The same will get you the entry-level iPad: 16GB and Wi-Fi only. The 32GB, 4G iPad, on the other hand, costs $729.

So where does this leave Apple? In the year since the passing of Steve Jobs, the company has continued to release products, including a major refresh to the iPhone and iPod lines, and the introduction of retina displays on certain high-end models in the notebook lineup. However, there have been some notable stumbles, such as the recent launch of the newest iOS software, version 6, which included the results of a divorce of sorts with Google. The Maps application Apple created was received so poorly that the notoriously silent company issued a public apology from Tim Cook, the new CEO and Jobs’ replacement. With these recent events, the company finds themselves midway through October, probably still smarting from the Maps debacle, with their biggest competitor preparing to release markedly cheaper devices with newly enhanced functionality. One only needs to look ahead a page on their calendar to see the usual beginning of the holiday shopping season. And one wonders how many Kindle boxes will sit shining beneath the tree this year.

The big question: what will the response be? On the tablet chessboard, Amazon has made their move, and the world of Apple watchers awaits the next move. For months, reports have circulated regarding the possibility of a smaller iPad, growing by the week in frequency. These dispatches from the fringes of technology news circles suggest production is underway in a Brazilian factory, and the usual collection of “leaked” images offers a wide array of design possibilities.

Analyzing prices of currently available Apple iPod Touch and iPad models leads to me to make an educated guess at the Mini’s price point…the 64GB iPod Touch sells for $399, and the previous iPad model, the iPad 2, also sells for $399. I suspect the Mini, if and when released, will go for that price and replace the iPad 2 in the lineup. However, this is still notably higher than the Kindle price points…the 7-inch Fire is $199; the 8.9-inch; $299.

But.

The newest iPod Touch starts at $299 for a 32GB model. It would be a bit odd to offer a tablet product with what would likely be half the capacity for the same money. In all honesty, it is quite tricky to try placing the Mini in the pricing lineup. It has been suggested numerous times that Amazon does not break even, and, in fact, loses money on each Fire sold. But, in a fashion similar to Apple and iTunes, most content for the devices must be purchased from Amazon’s online stores, including music, movies, TV shows, and books. The sales of these items then cover the money lost on the device itself.

Unless Apple follows this plan, the sales will likely be driven by the factor that, for just a bit more money, you can own an iPad rather than an Amazon device. In addition, they must be careful not to try to meet the price point at the expense of quality and performance. .

There will be an announcement from Apple on October 23. Until then, we can all only guess at their plans. I’m optimistic that they will again create a groundbreaking and revolutionary device. How will it perform, and what will it cost?.

Time will tell..

I’d love to hear your thoughts on a potential Mini iPad…feel free to leave them in the comments, or tweet me @mdgjedde

Posted in Technology

A sea of Piper Cubs….

•October 11, 2012 • Leave a Comment

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this summer presented an unprecedented opportunity to photograph the Piper Cub. The venerable yellow two-seater is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2012, and to commemorate the occasion, a huge group (numbering in the hundreds) spent the week on the show grounds. Most were parked in the vintage aircraft display area. The result was a sea of yellow airplanes parked in neat rows. Many people camped under their wings, and visitors strolled between aircraft, admiring the unique attributes of each plane. Here are a few of my favorite shots….Image

Image

Image

Image

Posted in Aviation, Photography

The story behind my favorite aviation photo…

•October 9, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Image

We’ve all heard the saying: “a picture is worth a thousand words.” While surely true, sometimes you need a thousand words to describe a picture. That’s how I feel about the shot you see above. You’re looking at my all-time favorite aviation photograph. Now, by saying that, I mean my favorite that I have taken. The all-time favorite in the world would probably be a black-and-white frame from the North Carolina coast in 1903, since it made all other aviation photographs possible.

The circumstances surrounding this photograph were quite rare, made possible by some weather events that hopefully won’t occur again. It was taken on July 26, 2010, around sunset, on the general aviation terminal ramp at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This was the week of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010. Many of you who were there, and many who were not, will remember the event that year. It was better known as Sloshkosh. 

In the week preceding the annual event, several inches of rain fell on the Oshkosh area, drenching the grounds. Typically many smaller aircraft at the show park in the grass…for an easy example, see the banner photo at the top of this page. However, in 2010, this wasn’t to be. The few planes that did enter the sodden grass ended up with their wheels buried in mud. As a result, every square foot of hard-surface (paved) aircraft parking was utilized.

Every year, the aircraft parking ramp is quite packed with jets, turboprops, and other planes too heavy to ever park in the grass. But, in 2010, they were mixed in with countless light aircraft who were fortunate enough to have a parking space at Wittman Field.

And so, the jam of airplanes seen in the photograph came to be. The walking path between the aircraft was rather like a maze constructed of million-dollar flying machines. In the picture, you see parts of numerous planes, including an Embraer Legacy, a Falcon 2000, a Cessna Citation, a Learjet, two Grumman amphibians, and numerous other aircraft.

And the photograph doesn’t do justice to the parking situation that year.

Posted in Aviation, Photography
Tags: ,

Hello, and welcome!

•October 9, 2012 • 2 Comments

Hello world. Welcome to my new blog, Thoughts from Aloft. First, a word of introduction. I’m Matthew Gjedde: a seventeen-year-old high school senior, with a wide variety of interests. You may know me from Twitter, where I’ve tweeted as @mdgjedde 12,697 times now. Twitter is a great social media outlet, but sometimes things take more than 140 characters to adequately describe. Thoughts from Aloft is my solution.

About that “wide variety of interests.” Some are highlighted below the blog title. My aviation interest has been nearly life-long: having an airplane in the family does help with that. I’m learning to fly as well, in the aircraft you see pictured above. The photograph, by the way, was taken this past July at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. For those unaware, Oshkosh calls itself “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration.” And it is…ten thousand airplanes descend on this Wisconsin town every summer. For the last eleven, I’ve been there; the last four, by airplane.

On to technology: I love it, pure and simple. There exist photos of me at around age two sitting at a computer, and that interest has only grown and developed with time. Every kind of technology seems to interest me. The original fascination with computers has easily expanded to include the mobile devices that have entered the arena in the past few years. My use of iOS devices pre-dates the App Store, and I’ve been an iPad user since release day one.

Photography is another of my major hobbies. I’ve been taking pictures in some form since late 2004, when my first digital camera arrived on Christmas morning. Of late, I’ve been loyal to Canon products, finally switching to an SLR at the end of last year. I don’t take pictures of people; rather, my favorite subjects are airplanes, nature, and urban scenes, especially at night. On this blog you can expect to see examples of my work. Some can be viewed now: simply click the Flickr logo on the bottom right of the blog homepage.

Auto racing, namely NASCAR, is another one of my interests. I’ve followed the Sprint Cup Series since around 2009, with increased interest during and after 2010. This season, I’ve been following and enjoying the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series schedules as well. My primary team loyalties lie with Roush Fenway Racing and Penske Racing. My number one favorite driver is Trevor Bayne…having followed his career for some years, I vividly remember the 2011 Daytona 500 that he won.

Other interests of mine include politics, flight simulation, and radios. You will see references to all three here from time to time. However, the primary topics will probably be those described in greater detail. Sometimes I will focus on travel and outdoor experiences I’ve had, other times, random subjects I can’t guess at right now.

Thanks for taking the time to visit this blog, and I truly hope you will enjoy following it as much as I will enjoy writing it.

 

Posted in Discussion

Next Entries »