Category: Gear

Gear by Joe WilcoxJul 30, 201510:36 am

Shopping for a Windows 10 PC

My brother-in-law’s Dell laptop, so old it shipped with, and still had, 1GB RAM, died last week. He emailed asking my buying advice about a Windows 7 replacement. Reasoning: He would move up from XP. But his dad stepped in, offered to pay, and I, acting as agent (being the more knowledgable about computers), suggested $400 budget. By coincidence, shopping day coincided with Windows 10’s launch.

Timing couldn’t be better, with the rush of new 10s, discounts to clear out old inventory, and typical back-to-school season sales. I expected to grab good gear. Choosing for my brother-in-law is quite different than for myself. I prefer something smaller and lighter, with high-resolution screen. He wanted a larger screen (we agreed on 15.6 inches), full-size keyboard, DVD player, and WiFi. Meaning: Roomy and backward-compatible with what he has already. I confidently looked for something within budget.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 26, 20152:45 pm

Build Your Own Camera Backpack

When I set out to buy a bag for my Fujifilm X-T1, four criteria topped the list: Smaller rather than bulky, shoulder straps, quality for price, and color (orange). No backpack made for carrying cameras qualified, after exhaustive search across the InterWebs. But one had my attention: Filson Rugged Twill Backpack, which coincidentally is on sale for about 37-percent off. The other two colors, neither of which appeals to me, are full price.

I chose instead the ONA Bolton Street Backpack, which as explained yesterday is too bulky for my bodily frame and digital lifestyle. Ahead of opportunity to reach that conclusion and reluctantly return the tote, I attempted to cancel the order before Amazon shipped it but failed. A year-old Gizmodo post by Nicholas Stango and the sudden Amazon availability of the Filson (for the sale price) and a Crumpler changed everything.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 25, 20158:15 pm

There’s Something You Should Know About the ONA Bolton Street Backpack

It’s beautiful but bigger than it looks. I ordered and returned the Bolton Street this week, fulfilled by Amazon from one of its retailer partners. Words cannot express how much I wanted to keep the backpack. The craftsmanship is fine art, attention to detail is finer still, and quality of materials is outstanding. But the thang doesn’t fit my digital lifestyle or my back. Depth is the problem.

My story starts on July 9, 2015, when I walked out of Best Buy with a ridiculously fantastic deal: Fujifilm X-T1 kit body and 18-55mm lens, discounted $250, bundled with the XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS for another $100. The second lens alone retails for $699. My previous digicam, the Fuji X100T, is so compact that I didn’t use backpack or other carryall. But interchangeable lens camera changes everything, so I started looking for an appropriate backpack.

Apple by Joe WilcoxJul 22, 20151:47 pm

Tim Cook Talks a Lot but Doesn’t Say Much About Apple Watch Sales

Today’s question: Is Apple’s CEO hiding weak smartwatch sales or does he demonstrate transcending leadership by positioning for greater platform success—taking the long view? The answer lies perhaps in his comments made during yesterday’s fiscal Q3 2015 earnings conference call.

In data released today, Strategy Analytics puts Apple Watch shipments at 4 million for the April quarter. Yesterday, Canalys gave estimate that is 200,000 units higher. Apple doesn’t share the real numbers that it surely has, although in chief exec Tim Cook’s remarks that follow, there are hints—but little more. Something he says later in the call is quite provocative; genius and contrary-logistics-thinking. Either he’s hiding or abiding.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 22, 20157:32 am

Flickr a Day 203: ‘Smartphone Teen’

The best portrait photography is candid. Better still: Something so natural it looks like a still for advertising. Pabak Sarkar evokes both qualities with self-titled “Smartphone Teen”, which takes the Day for clarity, color, contrast, and […]

Apple by Joe WilcoxJul 18, 20151:06 pm

What I Like About Apple Watch

In another universe, I don’t own Apple Watch. Either LG Watch Urbane or Moto 360 adorns my wrist. But in this one, I not only sold my soul to the bitten-fruit logo company but I grew to enjoy the servitude. Thirty-three days after purchasing the smartwatch, I can express satisfaction, even if sometimes muted, with the user experience.

I prefer Android Wear for its fantastic contextual utility, but find greater overall usability and positive emotional response from living with Apple Watch. As expressed in the previous post, I suspect that returns rates may be high for this device—at least compared to others that Apple produces. The real measure of any product’s success is: 1) Did you keep it?; 2) Do you use it?; 3) Do you enjoy it?

Apple by Joe WilcoxJul 18, 20151:05 pm

The Measure of Apple Watch Success is Percentage of Returns

Apple announces on Tuesday quarterly results that will for the first time include its wearable. Already, ahead of the big day, speculation soars about Apple Watch sales. Expect drama for sure, as CEO Time Cook explains how supply shortages constrained availability, leaving investors with more questions than answers.

I am more interested in data the company likely won’t reveal: return rates. I took back two. The first: I ordered online but sales started, after long delay, in the retail store before the device arrived. Rather than wait another week, I bought there and later returned the other, which the shop specialist sold seconds afterwards to a family that had come in looking for Apple Watch only to be told the Sport sold out. The second: A week later, I exchanged the aluminum timepiece for stainless steel. How many other people returned one for another because of taste or altogether because of dislike? The measure of Apple Watch success is percentage of returns.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 16, 201511:34 am

Meet the Fujifilm X-T1

Someone please explain the mysteries of retail marketing and sales, because they baffle me. Last week, I quite unexpectedly purchased the Fujifilm X-T1, which got clumsy break-in during San Diego Comic-Con 2015. The story I tell is true, a point necessary to emphasize because I wouldn’t believe it if not for my real-life experience.

Last November, I asked: “Fujifilm X100T or X-T1?” After making comparisons, seriously evaluating my budget, contemplating my past experience using the X100, and considering the benefits of nearly-silent leaf shutter and ND filter to compensate for the Southern California sun, I chose the fixed-lens camera. Besides, I have used only mirrorless digicams since Sigma DP1 in early 2008 and, with brief Olympus PEN sojourn, only non-interchangeable lens shooters.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 4, 201512:10 pm

Buy or Die

That is the title I gave this photo half-decade ago captured on July 24, 2010, during my second San Diego Comic-Con. In the six years attended so far, Leica X1 is unmatched for the photos produced. […]

Apple by Joe WilcoxJul 2, 201510:39 pm

13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display (Early 2015) Review

Reviewing most any MacBook Pro is a pointless exercise, because this year’s model isn’t much different from the previous—or the one before. That’s why I typically buy refurbished rather than new. But I broke with that practice last month, after a sudden electrical calamity laid my wife’s laptop to rest. Fried and died it is. With Apple releasing new versions of iOS and OS X and launching a streaming music service, a summer sojourn seemed opportune. I lent my beloved the Chromebook Pixel LS and purchased a new MBP. She will never give up the Google laptop, BTW.

I wouldn’t call myself super satisfied with MacBook Pro, which feels slower than the last one used, which packed 2.6GHz Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. Current: 2.7GHz Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD. The 2015 model has newer-gen Intel chip compared to the 2013 refurb. Could the difference be speedier storage? Perhaps it’s subjective recall, coming from the Pixel, which feels fast, with its 2.4GHz i7 microprocessor and 16GB memory. I have long asserted that Google’s target market is the MacBook Pro buyer, and that’s a recurrent theme you’ll find if reading further.

Society by Joe WilcoxJun 29, 20153:15 pm

Why iPhone Matters

Happy Birthday! iPhone is 8 years-old today. Oh my, it seems so much longer because so much has changed. Think back. Eight years ago, there was no Android. YouTube was but 18 months available to the public, and Facebook or Twitter only about a year. There was no market for tablets, or smartwatches.

The iPhone marks everything right about the Steve Jobs era of risk-taking design. More changes: He is gone from this world and some of that other-worldly innovation with him. In 2007, the smartphone was a decade-old slow seller that few people owned. Now it’s everywhere! Apple deserves credit for the transformation, whether or not anyone wants to give it.

Apple by Joe WilcoxJun 25, 201512:43 pm

Apple Watch (Stainless Steel) vs Sport (Aluminum)

After spending 7 days with Apple Watch Sport—and largely enjoying it—time comes to test the next pricier model. When trying to compare the two, I find very little useful from Internet searches. So a primer is in order for other folks also wondering: Which one is right for me? Ultimately, the best answer will come from going into an Apple Store (if there is one nearby) and putting the timepieces on your wrist.

Last week, I compared Android Wear and Apple Watch platforms, starting from the different design ethics behind them. Obviously, timepieces from the bitten-fruit logo company are more alike, with the main differences being materials, pricing, and target customers. Interestingly, the combinations offer subtle changes in benefits that will matter much to some shoppers. Henceforth, I will refer to the devices as Sport, for the aluminum model, and Apple Watch for the stainless steel sibling.