What would you pay for an Apple Watch?

How much would you be willing to pay for an Apple Smart watch? Would you pay R10 750 or R13 000? That is exactly what a South African paid for an aluminium and stainless steel piece respectively recently.

Offered on bidorbuy.co.za with a price tag of R9 000 and R11 000, the proud South African willingly paid for the exclusivity of owning the two brand new watches.

While the watch is set to take the world by storm,  there are some “dilemmas” with the gadgets and wearing them may not be as straight forward as some imagined. It appears as if a number of people’s high acidity levels have caused unwelcome skin reactions.

Apple’s website, although admitting to some problems, was also quick to point out that the device has been examined by certified dermatologists and users may be wearing it wrong.

In addition, apparently, some heart rate readings of tattooed consumers could potentially affect and play havoc with the smart watch’s mechanism, and social media sites were quick to pick up on the case with the hashtag #tattoogate as many frustrated consumers vented their annoyance.

Despite these hiccups, South Africans may overlook first generation flaws and purchase the device regardless.

“Apple loyalists are naturally going to love the smart watch. The watch’s release again represents a chance for Apple to change the world, again, with an industry-defining product,” said Christopher Riley, CEO of The Notebook Company.

The watch, not yet released in South Africa, has no local price tag or forthcoming launch date as yet. You can find the two bidorbuy listings here.  

Apple could transform notebook market with 12-inch hybrid ‘iPad Pro’

Apple could transform notebook market with 12-inch hybrid ‘iPad Pro’ 

March 24, 2014

 Apple has its eyes on the notebook market with the soon-to-be released 12-inch iPad hybrid, which is going to see the company make major inroads into the notebook PC landscape, said Christopher Riley, MD of notebook and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company.

 “This is certainly an interesting move by Apple,” said Riley, adding that the introduction of the 12-inch iPad hybrid will “drastically change” the notebook PC battlefield. It is expected that the new iPad model, powered by an Apple-built t next-generation “A8″ processor, will launch in autumn in the United States. 

 “Analysts believe this new device will stir up the traditional, established notebook market — an industry that Apple rival Microsoft has been trying to corner, but not with a great deal of success, with its own hybrid laptop-tablet devices running the Windows 8 platform. 

“Additionally, “said Riley, “the new Apple hybrid will also create price competition. Its launch will undoubtedly also expand the reach, and fortunes, of chipmaker, ARM, which makes the reference designs for Apple’s A-series chips. Needless to say, ARM’s gains would fire a broadside at Intel, the dominant player in traditional computer chips.”

Apple Unveils New iPhones - iPhone 5c (USD549) and iPhone5s (US649) (without contract)

from: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/09/10/221052280/apple-unveils-new-iphones-one-innovative-one-cheap

Apple unveiled its replacement for the iPhone 5 — one for the top end of the market that features an innovative new fingerprint security device, a faster processor and longer battery life; and a second budget phone that will retail for as low as $99.
CEO Tim Cook was joined by other Apple executives at the Cupertino, Calif., headquarters for the long-anticipated and hyped announcement of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.
The iPhone 5s will include Touch ID, a new home button that reads a user's fingerprint to unlock the phone instead of relying on a cumbersome pass code. It includes a new, 64-bit processor, called the A7, which Apple says will be "up to twice as fast" as the A6 processor in the current iPhone 5.
The 5s will be available in silver, gold and "space gray," and provide battery life "as good as or better than the iPhone 5" — 250 standby hours as opposed to the 225 standby hours for the iPhone 5.
The iPhone 5s also features an advanced camera and a "motion coprocessor" for sports and exercise applications. The 16 gigabyte version will sell for $199; the 32 gigabyte for $299; and a 64-gigabyte version for $399. The iPhone 5s will release on Sept. 20.
The new device is 56 times as fast as the original iPhone released in June 2007, Cook said.
The iPhone 5c will largely match the capabilities of the current iPhone 5, but at a lower price. It will sport a plastic case with the option for a variety of colors. A 16 gigabyte version of the iPhone 5c will sell for just $99, while a 32-gigabyte version will retail for $199.
Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, said the new iPhone 5s is "the most forward-looking phone we have ever created."
The budget 5c, which still uses the A6 processor, will be available for preorder on Sept. 13 in five colors — green, blue, yellow, pink or white.
Cook called the phone "absolutely gorgeous," and "more fun and colorful" than any other iPhone.
Apple's new iOS 7 operating system will be available for free download on Sept. 18, and will be compatible with all devices that are iPhone 4 or more advanced. Craig Federinghi, head of software at Apple, said downloading the iOS 7 will be "like getting an all new device."
With increasingly stiff competition from smartphones running Google's Android operating system — especially Samsung's Galaxy line, Apple will be banking on success for its newly unveiled line.

The cheaper iPhone 5c, seems to be aimed partly at the overseas market, where the iPhone's premium price tag has turned off cost-conscious consumers. NPR's Krishnadev Calamur, writing for the Parallels blog, says Apple has been losing marketshare in China. As Krishnadev notes, China represents the world's largest smartphone market, but the less expensive Samsung models and a phone made by Xiaomi, "a company that's dismissed by some as an Apple knockoff," have been making steady inroads.

Why making the iPad your full-time computer has several surprising advantages

Interesting read at: 
http://tabtimes.com/feature/ittech-os-ipad-ios/2013/07/03/why-making-ipad-your-full-time-computer-has-several-surprising

When my Windows 8 laptop broke down last week, I was left with no other choice but to use my iPad as my main computer. Here's how it went.

There has been a lot of talk about iPads beating PCs in enterprise and of tablet shipments overtaking PC shipments, but this much remains true -- tablets largely play second fiddle to PCs.
Sure, they're smaller, faster and sexier, but they trail laptops and PCs for multi-tasking, processing power, graphics capabilities and work-friendly applications.

Nonetheless, when my laptop's hard drive came shuddering to a halt recently, I had no other option but to make my iPad my primary PC.

Advantages: Battery life, speed, size & simplicity

Since acquiring my 16GB iPad 2 in late 2011, it's played an accompanying role to my PC.  It’s been useful for note-taking (Evernote and OneNote), news gathering (Flipboard, Zite, Pulse), email and calendar reminders (mainly Gmail) and testing apps for reviews.
That said, I’ve rarely relied on it for so-called PC tasks and only occasionally thrown the iPad into action when reporting from trade shows to take advantage of the excellent battery life and greater mobility.
So, when I started using the iPad for work, what were the advantages?

Well, the obvious plus points were size and speed. The dimensions of the iPad (241.2mm height, 185.7mm width, 8.8mm depth, weighs 601g) -- coupled with my slim Logitech Zagg iPad 2 keyboard -- meant I could work anywhere.
The all-day battery life and Bluetooth connectivity also spared me the bother of sorting out power adapters. The Logitech keyboard uses a 510 mAh rechargeable lithium polymer battery but can last weeks on one charge.

Speed was another bonus. The iPad's instant-on power allowed me to get up and running straight away, rather than having to wait 30 seconds to boot into my PC. It was also far quicker to sleep and wake the iPad from the lock screen menu.
Beyond the advantages of better portability and faster responsiveness, I actually found one more surprising plus point; the home screen layout.
No more was I hopping between the desktop and 'Metro' screens on Windows 8. With the iPad, I simply hit the home screen, found the appropriate app folder and entered the app. Or, if I was still stuck, I searched for the app on the search menu.
This simplicity extended to simple computer maintenance like turning on Bluetooth connectivity -- far more accessible from the iPad’s settings rather than from the Windows Control Panel -- and even multi-tasking was easier than I thought it'd be.

I’d regularly jump between Safari, iA Writer (for word processing) and Google’s Snapseed (for photo editing) by double-tapping the home button. I could also play songs on iTunes in the background while I worked, although that wasn’t possible with YouTube, which seemingly only plays in the background on desktop devices.
Another perhaps surprising bonus was the apps. Less powerful with fewer features than desktop counterparts, I found that some of the apps were easier to work with and faster too.
For example, Snapseed offers limited photo editing tools but has less 'clutter' than Gimp, which is essentially a free rival to Adobe’s Photoshop. This allowed me to get work done faster and to the same standard.
Even saving documents was a breeze, a criticism which has previously been levelled at the iPad because a lack of hardware connections.
But I saved files locally to iA Writer, to the cloud with Google Drive and perused and uploaded photos with Dropbox and SkyDrive. In fact, I didn’t use my laptop’s USB 2.0 ports at all.

(Image: The iPad 2 and Samsung laptop side-by-side after the latter was fixed)

Disadvantages: Keyboard, browsing, slow multi-tasking

Some of my grievances on using the iPad for work are obvious – it’s difficult typing on a 7.5-inch wide keyboard compared to one on a 15.6 inch laptop, there are much fewer work-quality apps and multi-tasking isn’t as fluid as it should be.
Typing on the Logitech Bluetooth keyboard was actually OK for the most part. I was able to type quickly and accurately with the smaller keys, although the combination of the limited word processor (iA Writer) and some missing desktop keys (like delete and Windows shortcuts for cut and paste) proved tricky. The iPad wasn’t always that secure on the keyboard and occasionally fell off.
Copying and pasting was pretty cumbersome and I quickly got frustrated with the rigmarole of doing this with the touchscreen.
A bigger problem is that while you can multi-task on the iPad, you can rarely see more than one 'window' at the same time, and this is a pain when you are regularly changing applications.
Then there are the apps themselves, which are less intricate than the desktop versions. There is no spell checker and limited formatting options on iAWriter, only a small number of editing options on Snapseed and tweaking Excel documents on Quickoffice is problematic to say the least (in particular, changing tabs and cell sizes is difficult).
Even Gmail and the stock iPad email client are limited in their sharing options, something I rely on heavily for sending photos and files. Sending photos is OK but there is no way of importing spreadsheets from Quickoffice.
As numerous testers have remarked in the past, browsing on Safari on your iPad is a so-so experience, undermined by average design. It's a weaker version than the desktop version and doesn’t have the innovation of Dolphin or the speed of Chrome,
That said, Safari browsing was OK for most of the time and actually improved with some useful browser plug-ins like Read It Later, which enables you to save interesting articles from the browser.
But a universal problem with iPad browsing is that certain websites were not mobile friendly, and this included our content management system. Some were hard to read and didn’t respond to the touchscreen. Others crashed out on me altogether.

Summary: Workable but not ideal

The iPad is a workable solution for when your PC goes down. It’s mobile, has a big enough screen, and the apps and processing power were fine for the requirements of my job.
That said, I am in no rush to make it my primary computer. My job relies on speed, precision and reliable multi-tasking, and while the iPad excels for speed, it’s not so handy for multi-tasking and misses some key application features that I rely on.

Doug Drinkwater is the International Editor of TabTimes and is based in London, England.

5 Critical Mistakes Schools Make With iPads (And How To Correct Them)

Interesting reading below from:
 http://www.edudemic.com/2012/09/5-critical-mistakes-schools-ipads-and-correct-them/

Over the last few years K-12 schools and districts across the country have been investing heavily in iPads for classroom use. EdTechTeacher has been leading iPad professional development at many of these schools and we’ve seen firsthand how they approach iPad integration.
While we’ve witnessed many effective approaches to incorporating iPads successfully in the classroom, we’re struck by the common mistakes many schools are making with iPads, mistakes that are in some cases crippling the success of these initiatives. We’re sharing these common challenges with you, so your school doesn’t have to make them.

1) Focusing on content apps

The most common mistake teachers make with iPads is focusing on subject-specific apps. In doing so, many completely overlook the full range of possibilities with the iPad. I think of a Latin teacher who declared the iPad useless because he couldn’t find a good Latin app.
It simply didn’t occur to him use the VoiceThread app to record his students speaking Latin, or perhaps create a collaborative discussion of Cicero. Or use the Animoto app for a lively student presentation on Latin vocabulary, or the Socrative app for a Latin quiz, or the Explain Everything app to create a grammar tutorial. There are so, so many possibilities, yet he was oblivious to them.
At our iPads in the Classroom summer workshop at Harvard University we spend three full days with teachers actively exploring effective iPad integration tools and strategies.
And we don’t introduce a single subject app. Instead we focus on the amazing range of consumption, curation, and creativity possible across grade levels and subjects using only four general apps: an annotation app, a screencasting app, an audio creation app, and a video creation app. In our workshops conversations about pedagogy center the iPad properly as an effective learning device. The content comes from a wide range of materials available across the Web and in our classrooms, not from apps.

2) Lack of Teacher Preparation in Classroom Management of iPads

One of the obvious mistakes is failing to provide teachers with adequate professional development. Before handing students iPads, schools sometimes give teachers their own, assuming teacher use in a personal environment will translate to expertise in a work environment.
It doesn’t.
Teachers need instruction on how to incorporate the devices into the learning process, which is quite different than trying out a few apps.
Decades of research has shown that when teachers have access to new technologies, their instinct is to use new technologies to extend existing practices.
Without guidance, iPads become expensive notebooks used by students in very traditionally structured stand-and-deliver classrooms. Teachers need time for professional collaboration (and often external support) to learn to nurture reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and to develop strategies to differentiate instruction using a range of apps and tablet-friendly Web tools.
Even the basics of workflow– sharing materials, collecting student work, making comments and grading, passing student work back–can be unfamiliar to teachers and quite complicated. The challenges of iPad workflow include understanding cloud computing environments and options, how different apps and types of files interact with each other, file format compatibility and file conversion tools, evaluating all-in-one management solutions, and translating these concepts simply and effectively to students.
Simply handing a teacher an iPad in advance won’t serve to address these challenges when the school year starts. Fortunately, many early adopters have workflow plans that address these challenges, and schools need to protect their teachers from reinventing the workflow wheel.

3) Treating the iPad as a computer and expecting it to serve as a laptop.

Focusing on iPad-versus.-laptop comparisons stifles the ability to see how the iPad facilitates student-centered learning. iPads are devices meant to compliment computers, not replace them.
So, people who seek equivalent functionality become frustrated, and fail to realize the intrinsic benefits and features of the iPad’s native design.
Instead, schools should focus their energies on what iPads do best to engender active learning. iPads enable students to kinesthetically connect with their work (especially important for young learners). These tactile elements – using fingers to zoom, rotate in, pinch close, or swipe across – as well as increasingly interactive and immersive apps, facilitate hands-on learning.
In addition, iPad mobility means that students can take pictures, record audio, and shoot video, in any number of places. They can tell multimedia stories, screencast how to solve math problems, create public service announcements, simulate virtual tours of ancient cities, and so much more. Active consumption, curation, and creativity ssuit the device. Stand-up-and-deliver teaching does not. So, put the iPads in the hands of teachers who understand that active learners learn best.

4) Treating iPads like multi-user devices

iPads were designed as a single-user device and not meant to be shared via carts. Financial constraints have forced many schools to abandon 1:1 aspirations, but sharing them separates the functionality from the user. Carts that rotate through several classrooms force teachers to take time away from learning, create a nightmare of student accounts, and often focus attention on workflow systems rather than learning.
Instead of sharing iPads across multiple classrooms, schools should be allocating them to a few select pilot classrooms for an entire year. Schools should be documenting pilot group successes and failures and begin to codify iPad integration functionality and elicit best practices to serve as a foundation for future iPad expansion. If a school cannot envision financially moving to a 1-1 iPad model, then Bring your Own Device (BYOD) models may prove much more compelling than shared iPad systems.

5) Failure to communicate a compelling answer to “Why iPads?”

Many school administrators simply fail to communicate to their constituents why they’ve purchased iPads. As a result, many initiatives face resistance from teachers, parents — and even students – who don’t understand why these devices are being introduced into their classrooms. Letting the purchase speak for itself isn’t enough – districts need to explain why they’ve invested in these devices.
While iPads are engaging, technology needs to be — above everything else — in the service of learning. Administrators who fail to articulate the connection between iPads and learning often hamper their iPad initiative.
School administrators should be explaining to their constituents that the iPad supports essential skill areas — complex communication, new media literacy, creativity, and self-directed learning. Instead of focusing on the convenience of ebooks, they should instead be emphasizing the incredibly immersive and active learning environment the iPad engenders and the unprecedented opportunities to develop personalized, student-centered learning. They should highlight some of the beneficial consumption, curation, and creativity activities the iPad facilitates — as well as the student empowerment it inspires.
School administrators should point out the improvements in teacher management of classroom time and space afforded by iPads,  as well as the incredible flexibility it provides to vary learning activities at a moment’s notice. Finally, they should remind their constituents that with iPads students have the world at their fingertips– anywhere they might be — and the only limitation to what students might do in this vast space is the vision of educators.
Increasingly a 21st century education is less about place and more about space. And the iPad has become the leading device in which students can navigate and create exciting new worlds. Yet, when this device enters classrooms its impressive immersive capabilities are often overlooked or underdeveloped.
With more schools opting for 1:1 student-to-iPad access, there exists a tremendous opportunity for a transformative shift in classrooms where students are empowered to navigate their own learning.
Yet, from our vantage point, momentum for redefining the educational map with iPads is often derailed at schools as a result of a limited vision of the device and a failure to prepare teachers effectively. Schools that share a common vision for learning, extensive support for teachers in learning to use these new devices, and a willingness to learn from the teachers around the country who have already piloted these tools are much more likely to reap the benefits of their investments in iPads.

Be sure to check out the April 10-12 EdTechTeacher iPad Summit to learn more about these issues and solutions.

Current iPad models available 2013

Click on Picture to see current models available up to 2013 
iPad
iPad 2
iPad 3
iPad 4
iPad Mini

Too many Apples a day – or on the market – cause confusion says The Notebook Company

The current infusion of Apple products being introduced onto the market is causing confusion, which, at the end of the day does not auger well for the second most valuable company in the world. Because, when consumers are confused, they are cautions when it comes to buying.

This is according to Christopher Riley, managing director of laptop and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company – one of the biggest local sellers of the Apple iPad tablet range.

“Apple is in danger of confusing the market,” said Riley. “It might be the leading seller of tablets, but the current rash of product launches – and the confusion with iPad tablet names – is not good for business at the end of the day.

“When the Apple iPad 3 came onto the market it was called the New iPad. Then, when the Apple iPad 4 was introduced it was called the New iPad with retina display. But the problem,” said Riley, “is that the iPad 3 – called the New iPad – also has retina display.

“But it doesn’t stop there. Apple, which was dethroned as the most valuable company recently by Mobil Exxon, has also introduced the iPad mini. Some consumers – certainly some of my customers – think this is actually the iPad 4.

“When consumers are confused they tend to halt, or stall, purchase decisions because they don’t want to come across as stupid. Also, the sales cycle is a lot longer because retailers, like ourselves, have to explain things to customers in more detail – or customers have more questions. This extends the sales cycle.”

Apple starts to report slowing profits

Meanwhile,  at the end of last month Apple’s share price started nosing southwards, falling to $439,88 – giving it a market capitalisation of $413 billion (R3.6 trillion), compared to oil behemoth Exxon Mobile, who clocked in with a market value of $418 billion. Apple first superseded Exxon Mobil in August 2011 as the most valuable corporation based on the value of its stock. A year later it toppled arch rival Microsoft as the most valuable firm in the world in history with its stock valued at $622 billion.

But Apple has started to see its inner core bruising after a somewhat dull forecast accompanying its record quarterly profits, which pointed to a possibly less stellar growth.  Despite a record quarterly profit investors got cagey after hearing that gross margins further down the line would be 37,5% to 39,5% lower than expectations.

To get a clearer picture of the more gloomy prognosis  one has to cast one’s mind back to when Apple’s stock price hit more than $700 a share . This was reached in  September  last year, but, since that zenith, the price has dropped by 37% . The company also shed $60 billion in market capitalisation.

The Notebook Company’s Riley said some market analysts are postulating that Apple is losing its edge due to a dip in innovation since the death of co-founder Steve Jobs. There are also tangible  signs that it is losing traction to Samsung, which now leads the smartphone market, and to others using Google’s Android operating system.

Despite Apple’s stellar performance in the past it is questionable whether it will be able to maintain the margins it is accustomed to. With the possibility of smartphone price wars Apple’s traditional market positon of holding the high ground with premium products aimed at the high end of the market may bite deeper and deeper into profits from each device sold.

“But although Apple is receiving some negative press currently, it must be remembered that the tallest trees attract the most wind velocity. Apple has reached such heights these past few years that the wind velocity they are encountering is pretty fearsome.

“But Apple is by no means rotten to its core,” Riley quipped.