I received an e-mail from Optus earlier today about the getting an iPhone 4. Now let me just explain, I took up my current contract with Optus on a $59 cap ($350 worth of calls and 500Mb of data every month) just over a year ago so I'm not eligible for renewal until March next year unless I fork out close to $900 (I rang and checked this shortly after the iPhone 4 was announced but before the antenna problems popped up). No thanks. The subject of this e-mail was: "An early upgrade offer on the Apple iPhone 4, just for you." I thought: "Awesome! I can become an iPhone 4 beta tester for just a few bucks!" so read on:
Hi Nathan,
We know you can’t wait to get your hands on the incredible new Apple iPhone 4.
I'm quite happy to wait, actually... but we'll continue!
Even though you’re only part way through your 24 month plan, we’ve been working hard to find a way for you to get an iPhone 4 sooner.
Upgrade early with this special offer
Awesome! Let the beta testing begin! How much is it??
When you upgrade to the new iPhone 4 on a 24 month plan between midnight on 29 July and 5pm on 31 August 2010 we’ll take 50% off your upgrade fee, saving you $420.00. You just pay the remainder, $420.00
Nevermind. When you recover from the shock too you can read the rest of it:
The choice of plan and iPhone 4 is up to you, so if this one doesn’t suit we will have one that does, click here for the full range.
Stock is limited so make sure
you act quickly!
Go online from midnight on Thursday 29 July. You can get an exclusive online bonus at optus.com.au/iphone4price
Go in store – from 30 July you can visit your local Optus store
Call us - Alternatively, from 0800 on 30 July you can also call us on 1300 402 271.
Want to pass your old iPhone on to friends or family? We have a range of great BYO and pre-paid plans with loads of included value so your old iPhone can live on.
Get more of what you love without limits.
Cheers,
The Optus Team
I was expecting something like $10, $20, maybe up to $50 but $420!? I can think of better things to do with my money... I think I'll just cover it with chocolate and eat it.
Original e-mail
I wonder if I'll get in trouble for this. My details have been removed.
I've had a look through all my current subscriptions in Google Reader, done some reflection on some blogs I've read in my life, sources I've seen referenced in articles and come to ask: Can a Blogspot blog ever be taken seriously? Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place but most Blogspot blogs I've stumbled across in my internet life (seems like an oxymoron!) tend to be a bunch of pictures, links or other things that are not really substantial by any means. For the sake of this blogdump I will shorten Blogspot blog to BSB. I was going to go with BS blog but that causes all sorts of issues that I don't particularly want to deal with.
I'm only starting out in the world of serious-ish (insert a snicker or two here) blogging but I'm already starting to question whether I've picked the right platform or not. Most of the big blogs out there have their own domain name and are powered by some sort of popular CMS (Content Management System) or other blog system like WordPress or have been written from the ground up forming a completely custom site. Apparently I can get a free blog on the WordPress site now. Looks interesting... Wait, can I say that on here?? Too late! Goodbye readers!!! ... Oh, I'm still here :)
Could it be that there's just so many BSBs that the good ones get lost and forgotten in the massive ocean that is the blogosphere. This isn't exactly hard when they all tend to follow the standard templates. Let's face it, they all look very much the same: title up the top, footer down the bottom, content in the middle with a column on the right. I can't exactly talk seeing as my very own BSB is one of those, for now anyway. I have written custom templates before but nothing grand, unfortunately. There will be one for my BSB but further down the track.
Maybe people just don't trust a Google-owned service. There's a lot of paranoia about Google keeping a lot of data about every single one of us. Prime example: Collecting Wi-Fi data while capturing data for Google Street View. But then this doesn't work so well when you take into account the popularity of YouTube.
Is it just too easy? Are there not enough options for the advanced users? This would explain the lack of quality in some of the content I've experienced across many BSBs. I know that I've gone looking for some features or settings to change before coming back empty-handed and defeated. The other option is starting to look attractive...
I probably just haven't seen any of the good stuff on some of the better BSBs out there. Feel free to grab some links and whack me and my blog post over the head in the comments section... or just leave me and my BSB to sink down into the depths of the blogosphere where a lot of the other BSBs are fighting for dear life.
Fanboi?
Let's get this one out of the way first. I'm not anti-Apple by any means. I'm on to my second MacBook now (Pro this time! :D) and my second iPhone. I've converted my wife who now uses my old MacBook and her own iPhone as well. We both own and use an iPod regularly even though they are now the aging 30Gb 5th generation. At the same time though I'm not one of those Apple fanbois that sing praises over their latest and greatest from the blogtops. Nobody's perfect, everybody has flaws and this includes Apple (iPhone 4 antennagate anybody?). Point being: I don't have an iBrain and this will be myOpinion not an iOpinion. I have had some hands-on time with the iPad from a co-worker who owns one and in-store so I'm not completely in the dark about it. I'm not one of those fence-sitters who is one experience away from converting to being a fan.
iPad is image
I was reading an article from Wired earlier today about what sort of people own iPads. It's an interesting read and the summary from the title was:
iPad Owners Are 'Selfish Elites.' Critics Are 'Independent Geeks.' Discuss.
There are many people buying iPads primarily for the cool factor. They know it, we know it but chances are no iPad owner will ever say it: iPad is image. Those who are buying it for more than the cool factor will still be aware of it and we're probably even less likely to hear about it from them than those who have them primarily for that.
iPad is unnecessary
That seems like too big a word for an Apple product... When the iPad was first unveiled I heard it described as: "don't NEED but do WANT". Nobody NEEDS an iPad. A lot of people WANT one though. Touch screen novelty aside, what can you do on an iPad that you can't do on a smaller laptop or high powered netbook? I suspect that once the initial novelty wears off many iPads will end up in draws and cupboards all over the world alongside many other gadgets that were bought in the heat of the moment with vows of "it will be so useful and change my life!" only to be brought out for the "I'm so cool!" moments or for inducing waves of nostalgia.
iPad is lacking Some functionality that is lacking out of the box can be added by downloading some applications from the App Store. Sure this is quick and simple but a lot of the time these apps are not free especially the new iPad specific versions. Aside from that there are a few other things missing from the iPad: USB ports, memory card readers, camera, multitasking, Adobe Flash support, no ability to connect to a phone for tethered internet - just to name a few. Every single netbook on the market, even models half the price, has these things. Sure you can get some of these things: enter the iPad camera connection kit but at a price of an additional $AU 39. These things may be fixed later but that brings me to...
iPad is young I've heard advice along the lines of "NEVER buy first generation Apple products". Early adopters are beta testers. They find all the bugs, come up with all the complaints all of which get taken into account and are usually fixed with a later model. Look at the antenna problems with the iPhone 4. Shouldn't this testing be done in-house BEFORE releasing a product to the public? The price of buying a new, first or early generation Apple product, which isn't cheap, is quite a large price to pay to become a beta tester. As previously mentioned, the iPad is currently missing multitasking and a camera which a lot of people seem to be wishing for this Christmas. No doubt we'll see these features after the unofficial beta testing period has finished. Shortly after the iPad was released the iPhone 4 was announced with brand new retina display technology that is advertised as having a higher resolution than the human eye can take in. True or not, it is a big step up and no doubt it is great screen technology. Why is it not in the iPad??
iPad is big First impressions are that the iPad is a giant iPod touch (wi-fi version) or a giant iPhone that can't make calls (3G version). I can already hear cries of "It's portable! It's small! It's thin!". I had a 13" MacBook for almost 3 years which came with me pretty much everywhere I went. I couldn't fit it in my pocket and I couldn't use it with one hand while I was walking around - oh wait, you can't do that with an iPad either! Well, not unless you're willing to look a bit silly.
iPad is expensive $AU 629 for the 16Gb base model is a fair wad of cash for anyone let alone a young couple with a $300k+ mortgage! Pick up the 64Gb 3G capable version and you're looking at forking out over $AU 1000. You could buy a decent netbook or second hand laptop with much better performance and almost limitless options. I recently bought my 2008 model MacBook Pro (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 200Gb HDD, 256Mb GeForce 8600M, 15.4" matte screen, DVD+/-RW) for around $AU 1000. Add on the cost of applications and accessories like the camera kit and the iPad could become a very expensive albeit cool looking black and aluminium elephant.
iPad is for the kids
Kids love the iPad. I've been to the Apple Store at Robina twice now and both times the iPads on display were flooded with kids. It'd be easier to use than the iPod touch/iPhone for the little ones who might not have fully developed motor skills yet but man, what an expensive [chew] toy!
iPad is beautiful
No arguments here, it is a very slick looking device and I'm not the only one to realise this. In the time following the release of the iPad I've seen company after company release their offerings to take on the iPad. Many of them look remarkably similar actually - black border around the screen, few buttons on the bezel and a thin silver/alumnium/chrome strip along the outside. The greatest form of flattery is imitation as seen right here.
iPad is the benchmark
With all the talk that's going on about competitor's products, the iPad is the point of reference. Love it or hate it, every similar device that comes out from here on will be compared to it just like every smart phone that comes out now is compared to the iPhone. Apple have done a great job of getting their products out there and whether you like them or not they are what everybody uses as a comparison for better or worse, for richer or poorer, as long as their products shall live.
The End. Nearly...
According to the previously mentioned article from Wired, iPad critics are independent geeks. In case you hadn't figured: I am both an iPad critic and a very proud independent geek. Seems like I fit the bill! So at the end of the day, will I buy one? No. Not at the moment anyway. I said the same when the first iPhone came out because of some of the features it was lacking (which have since been resolved). When a mate of mine offered to sell me his battered but still functional iPhone for $50 while they were still $800+ outright and not in Australia yet, I couldn't resist. I've since gone on to get the 3G on a plan and use most, if not all, of its features regularly. I'm looking forward to a second generation of the iPhone 4 and will probably upgrade to that next year. When would I consider buying one? New - most likely never. Second hand - if the price is right (read: really cheap!) and possibly a newer generation then I may consider it. I'm sure the iPad will make Apple a lot of money but personally, I'm not a fan right now, can't find a need for one and don't want one. Every time the "What is iPad" ad comes on TV, I verbally reply "iPad is expensive, iPad is unnecessary, iPad is stupid", etc (my lovely wife, Riss, can verify this fact).
iPad™
Oh, and just in case you are interested in the official answer:
Courtesy of Apple on YouTube.
I'm not sure what the original sources for the internet memes are. If anyone knows, let me know and I will add the necessary acknowledgment. The picture of the MacBook Pro was taken personally by yours truly. All image hosting is taken care of with Photobucket.
I can take my thoughts and splatter then all over this blog from wherever I am in the world! As long as I can e-mail from said place... I'm going to do it! I'm really going to do it!!! *SPLAT!*
This message has iPhone written all over it.
Edit: After coming in and having a look at this, it seems that there is a lot of unnecessary line breaks and a few other coding oddities that I wasn't happy with. This will only be for recording snippets anyway so it doesn't really matter. I'll just have to come back and edit them after they're posted.
Whenever I start a blog I usually end up starting off alright-ish and then end up forgetting about it completely. This newest forgettable expedition of eventual-online-forgottenness has been named appropriately and is also an attempt at using reverse psychology on myself. We'll see what happens but don't hold your breath. I am not taking any responsibility for any blue faces that pop up while waiting for me to update this thing! Chances are if you've found this you'll probably read another 50 or so blogs before finally crashing for the night and forget this one by the end. I don't really have high hopes for this do I??
So what will this blog (if you can call it that) cover? Anything I find interesting, really. Probably things relating to:
Technology - Including but not limited to computers, phones, audio visual equipment, etc.
Cars - Specifically high-powered cars, even more specifically Subarus! I am a self-professed Subiethusiast and proud of it.
Photography - I have some sort of interest in photography that is growing and growing and may soon be seen looming over the heights of the skyscrapers in Japan... Or not.
Personal stuff - If I feel inclined to dump on you through here then I'm sorry in advance. :P
I don't know it all and will not pretend to know it all. My content will be expressing my opinions and be based on what I know (or think I know). So what am I trying to say? Just this:
Discliamer: I am NOT a reputable source for any of your last-minute assignment work during the wee hours!
