Archive for the ‘Apple’ Category

Imagine this: it’s the year 2010. A land filled with wireless devices… And a new portable product that is going to revolutionise the computer industry. A device that already sold 2 million times internationally in 2 months time. This device, that knows its location and uses a wireless connection to access a data source, is a dream for every business that offers this wireless data connection. Luckily, that business anticipates and creates an access gateway for the new portable product before it’s even officially launched in its country. It all sounds like a wonderful dream to me.. and the good thing is, it’s actually reality!

Early Product Launch

T-Mobile Netherlands launched the micro-sim for Apple’s iPad 2 months early before it’s officially launched in The Netherlands. I called their customer service to be informed that I can get my micro-sim only in T-stores at present and not order them through customer services at all.

In Store now…

There I am… All excited with my new iPad at the T-Mobile store in Amsterdam to get my micro-sim on May 30th. Surely they should have one! My turn was up, the young salesman gave a friendly smile and asked how he could be of help. “1 micro-sim!”, I replied. “A micro-what!?”, the salesman replied. Then I took the liberty to explain him what a micro-sim was, that T-Mobile advertised with this and said it was available in T-stores only. “Don’t have those”, I heard. Then I had to convince him to ask around, which he, with no will to assist, did. Other questions on how it could be combined with my current T-Mobile iPhone deal seemed another mystery to him. I gave up…

Another try

Five days later I called customer service again. I tried to locate the number of a T-Mobile store in Amsterdam. Google was to no avail. And neither customer service: they didn’t know the phone number of their own T-stores. So… There I am on another quest, racing to get to the T-Mobile store before closing time. When asking for the micro-sim, this time in a different T-store in Amsterdam, they did have one! Now I want to link that new sim with my existing iPhone data plan. Here the confusion of the T-Mobile employees started again. It took 30 minutes to explain what I wanted, them searching for a solution and getting the answer “Sorry, we can’t do that yet.” Nor could they tell me when it was going to be possible. “Somewhere in the not too distant future.” Still excited about my iPad and that it was possible to get a micro-sim with a data plan, I kept going to reach my troubled goal. The T-employee started to draw up the contract and ran a credit check. As I am already an existing T-Mobile customer it should go right through, I was informed. Not 5 minutes later I was told that I wasn’t approved. The irony being that once a week shops open late but T-Mobile’s credit department don’t work during those extra opening hours. So I was told to wait and come back another day…

A little more information, please?

Somewhere along the line of launching a new product early must have seemed like a great idea. There are always a few enthusiasts who go to another country just to get the product they want. Wouldn’t it seem like a logical idea that when you DO launch a product, the right employees also KNOW the new product and the new processes BEFORE the first customer comes?

A lucky company, but not for much longer…

T-Mobile is lucky to have iPhone exclusivity as this is the ONLY reason I still am a T-Mobile customer. I’m waiting for Vodafone NL to launch a micro-sim data plan for my iPad, knowing already through other Vodafone customers, that Vodafone’s customer service is great!

T-Mobile: your customer service and sales staff need big time improvement! You just lost a customer…

As a business owner myself I’m always on the look out for getting new tools that make my life more fun and efficient. When Apple first did the press release on the iPad, I wasn’t immediately convinced that it could be a game changer…

Having received my iPad yesterday, I’m already sleep deprived from not being able to put it away! The iPad is, for me, the best thing since sliced bread… And then some! Let me tell you why I became an iPad advocate overnight.

Design

It really is cool! The size feels right and the weight takes a little getting used to. Not that it’s very heavy, but heavier as an iPhone and lighter then a MacBook Pro. The case feels very sturdy and the matte silver finish on the back is very sexy. The border around the screen is just right so the eyes can get a good contrast between the iPad and the world around it.

The Screen

Absolutely amazing crispness and detail on a 9.7″ screen, which easily beats some of the best flat screens out on the market today. Vibrant colours, great contrast and natural looking colours. Though you do see fingerprints when the iPad is locked (black screen), you don’t see when you are using the device itself.

Speed

Faster then the iPhone 3Gs or my MacBook Pro (2008) when it comes to responsiveness and loading of apps. You name it, it goes fast! After using my iPad I’m getting frustrated with the speed of my iPhone…

User Interface

No manual and no instruction booklet. But you don’t need it either, as the user interface is a friendly, easy and fun experience in itself. The keyboard takes an hour or two to get used to, but then you wont want a real keyboard no more. Actions such as cut and paste, saving images from websites, pinching to zoom all work like clockwork. The drop down menu style that Apple created is clear and non-obtrusive and feels like it all makes sense.

Pre-installed Applications

Safari is fast as lightning! Browsing the net with it is really a joy with it. The interface is nearly identical to the full version on your desktop.
Mail makes reading and writing emails fun again: with the big display and the intuitive user-interface you can quickly find any email, send photos or webpages and get things done.
Calendar and Contacts have a great layout that easily let’s you navigate and find what you are looking for. Adding or editing entries is quick and easy.
iPod, Video and YouTube apps work like you expect them too: high quality graphics and superb sound!
Google Maps is a treat on the iPad. The 3G version has a built-in GPS chip that impressed by far. Within 10 secs (cold start) the GPS had located me, indoors. Using street view on the iPad is fast and useful for all you visual people out there.

Purchased Apps

Pages, Numbers and Keynote were the first on my list and boy am I amazed by how Apple managed to make the user-interface for these apps so logical and easy. Creating, editing and sharing documents with the iPad is simple and fast. Adding pictures or music to your work is done with 2 taps. There is a small and shallow learning curve, but worth it so you don’t take your laptop along with you no more…
iBooks makes you want to read more. Flipping pages is a treat to look at, but that isn’t all. When you hold the iPad and read a book, it feels like like you are reading one as well. If only it could the sound of a page turning… The iBookstore already has some free books (classics) in it to try out the experience.. Well worth it and it saves you from having extra luggage weight when traveling.
Bento for iPad makes your iPad life more organised. Downloading the 3.0.4 version on your Mac is required for the iPad to sync. The ease of use on your Mac with Bento is transferred to the iPad.
Evernote for iPad keeps useful note-taking to a new level. Great user interface and responsive.
Tweetdeck for iPad sort of works at the moment. Tweets are randomly loaded (not by time as they should) and the app crashes from time to time. Still it looks great and is an outstanding Twitter app, once they fixed the bugs.
BeejiveIM for iPad is definitely as good as the iPhone version, only now on a bigger screen making chatting easier and the layout is slightly better.
WordPress for iPad has a tendency to crash. Besides that “minor” detail, the app is the same as the iPhone version only now in iPad resolution.

For the (small) business owner this means..

A device that replaces your laptop and let’s you do anything with it that you need whilst being on the road. The iPad-native apps that are available today cover all basic business needs and let you interact with your customers and colleagues the way you want. I can keep on writing hours on end why you could consider this as an alternative, but in reality there is only one thing you really want:

Go to your nearest Apple store and try it out yourself!

I’m completely flabbergasted by the iPad. wow!

I remember writing my blog post that I didn’t put my money on the iPad… But it didn’t take me more than a month to see the genius concept behind the iPad!

my iPad will replace my MacBook Pro in business (and private) use

Reviewing what I was actually doing with my laptop when I was traveling around, I realised that not once over the past years I have been photo- or video-editing whilst one the move. I did create word processing documents, spreadsheets and a couple of presentations. Listening to either some cool dance music or relaxing classical music through my headphones. On long-haul flights I would watch a movie or a series, but my battery went flat after 4 hours. Then, I also carried my 1st, 2nd or 3rd gen iPod (MacHead reporting for duty!) and my phone. That all didn’t make my travel particularly “light” either!

Initial objections

I didn’t see the added benefit when having an iPhone and a MacBook Pro already in getting an iPad. Functionality wise, these 2 form a great duo when being a road warrior. The iPad didn’t do anything extra either, at least not for my needs. The hype that was created around it was a bit off putting as well. But then, a few weeks later…

Lightning strikes!

The flash bulb above my head says to me: dump the MacBook Pro and get the iPad.

So why this sudden change of heart.. For the first time it actually isn’t driven by me being a MacHead. It’s driven by some key features that hit my efficiency button!

• 0.7 kg (iPad) vs. +\- 3kg MacBook Pro + adapter (which you need for battery life on a full day)
• 12 hours vs 4 hours of battery life
• For my business, insightz, I can create documents, spreadsheet, presentations. Internet, e-mail, social media applications.. And I can connect the iPad to a projector as well to give presentations
• The bookstore let’s me relax whilst traveling or read up on business literature

The things it can’t do which are important to me, are photo- and video-editing. But for this I still have my trusty 2008 MacBook Pro. So, moving into the new world of the iPad, I went on to explore the different covers available. There were some… but all not doing much good to the design of the iPad, until I got the tip from Ben to have a look at the DODOcase. This handmade cover is produced in San Francisco. It’s currently so wanted, perhaps because of its Moleskin exterior, that I will have to wait 4-6 weeks before getting it. Unfortunately, same thing goes for my iPad that should arrive 28th May…

iPat is very much looking forward to receiving his iPad!