Tag: tablets

Apple by Joe WilcoxFeb 15, 20162:29 pm

iPad Pro’s Shouldn’t-be Battery Problem

Editor’s Note: Apple contacted me on February 16th, suggesting the short battery life is abnormal. We discussed tech support option but I chose instead to replace the whole kit—iPad Pro and keyboard—to see if the short battery life with Smart Keyboard is a one-off hardware problem. Look for an update in the sixth post. The hardware exchange will take a day or so to sort out, before the series can resume.

The follow-up post, on February 24th, countermands the negative conclusions stated in this review. Battery life from the second kit is hugely satisfying and plenty long enough for the typical workday. The user experiences aren’t comparable. I debated about deleting the original story but that feels like hiding something. Hopefully this addendum sufficiently retracts the original conclusion.

I cannot presently recommend Apple’s big-ass tablet as a laptop replacement—using the official-issue Smart Keyboard. The reason may surprise you. The foible isn’t the utility of iOS, available apps, or overall hardware performance but the battery and charging system. Inadequate combination is an understatement.

Two weeks ago, I purchased iPad Pro through T-Mobile’s Jump On Demand program. My 13th day using the tablet as my primary PC progresses with acceptance that an ongoing problem is a deal breaker. When I use iPad Pro like a laptop, even primarily working only with mail and two browsers (Chrome and Safari), battery burns down too rapidly and subsequent topping off takes too long. Oddly, battery-life is exceptionally good for tablet use.

Apple by Joe WilcoxFeb 12, 20167:55 pm

The Ways Apple iPad Pro Delights Me

Day 10, and it’s difficult to wonder where nearly two weeks went. Yet here I am with iPad Pro, and more settled than last weekend, when griping about how the tablet frustrates me.

I want to start by discussing Apple’s Smart Keyboard, which is a $169 accessory that I recommend for everyone who doesn’t plan on using fingers and Pencil as primary, ah, utensils. Typing is amazingly smooth and accurate. The keys present terrific travel, without requiring too much force while still giving plenty of tactile response. Shocked best describes my reaction to the experience. Sometimes what’s missing brings something more: Ommission of the trackpad, which either is brilliant conception or Apple chief designer Jony Ive and team getting goddamn lucky.

Apple by Joe WilcoxFeb 5, 20168:35 pm

iPad Pro is Bigger Than You Think

“Look up, waaaaaay up” is a phrase familiar to Canadians of a certain age, who watched “The Friendly Giant“. The kids program aired from 1958 to 1985 on CBC, which our TV antenna grabbed from the local affiliate across the border in New Brunswick (I’m from Northern Maine). There’s something about iPad Pro’s enormity that makes it feel more like something the Giant would use.

My question this fine Friday: Is iPad Pro too big? For the majority of potential buyers, my answer is unequivocally yes. I don’t see a product made for the majority. Whatever Apple’s post-PC ambitions, iPad Pro is more a proof-of-concept for future laptop replacement. However, for the few—creators looking for larger digital canvas—iPad Pro offers much. For the many, the first version will work out the kinks, such as getting the app platform placed, for mass-market successors. Warning: Embracing the expansive tablet may make switching to something smaller nearly impossible. Size matters, and sometimes larger is better.

Apple by Joe WilcoxFeb 2, 20166:46 pm

Meeting Apple’s Big-ass Tablet

The first thing you notice about iPad Pro is the size. The tablet is ginormous. It’s 12.9-inch screen lays before you like a chalk slate—a blank canvas demanding typed text or drawings made with Apple Pencil. Yet something also feels wrong about the thing. During the so-called Steve Jobs era, refined designs were smaller—like iPod nano. Apple is no stranger to larger; 27-inch iMac today or 17-inch MacBook Pro of yesteryear are examples. Perhaps. But there’s big, and BIG.

The giant tablet arrived around 2:50 p.m. PST on Groundhog Day 2016, marking a bold computing adventure for February: Using iPad Pro as my primary PC, and hopefully only one. Perhaps you read my recent obituary to Apple love lost and might wonder why buy anything Apple? I like to experiment and am paid to try out new things (so you won’t have to). By sheer size, PC replacement, not companion, is the only sensible design objective for iPad Pro. Can it meet the demands? I want to find out.

Gear by Joe WilcoxDec 16, 201510:46 pm

Pixel C Out-of-the-Box Impressions

Google’s first tablet arrived yesterday, and my review is forthcoming. I expected to have a wow reaction, but felt more meh. Some of that comes from my satisfaction using the smaller Nexus 9, which also runs Android 6 Marshmallow. Interestingly, my emotional quotient is considerably higher 24 hours later. This tablet could easily be a frequent companion. (Note: I typically rattle off thoughts about new devices here before posting full-on reviews to my work tech news site).

The search-and-information giant unexpectedly unveiled the Pixel C on September 29th. Sales started December 8th. Specs: 10.2-inch LTPS LCD touchscreen, 2560 x 1800 resolution, 308 pixels per inch, 500-nit brightness; nVidia Tegra X1 processor with Maxwell graphics; 3GB RAM; 32GB ($449) or 64GB ($599) storage; 8-megapixel rear and 2MP front cameras; four microphones; two speakers (sideways of screen in portrait mode on the bezel); USB Type-C port; WiFi AC; Bluetooth 4.1; accelerometer; compass; gyroscope; ambient-light, half-effect, and proximity sensors; Android 6. Enclosure is anodized aluminum that measures 242 x 179 x 7 mm and weighs 517 grams.

Gear by Joe WilcoxDec 8, 20153:16 pm

Pixel C ships in time for Christmas

The rumor is fact. Today, Google started selling its first homegrown tablet, Pixel C. You can buy one directly from the company—until they sell out! Google typically struggles stocking new devices, like Nexus smartphones and the Chromebook Pixel. On November 30th, I asked: “Where is Pixel C?“, which was promised to arrive before the holidays. Now we know.

I hope to have the 10.2-inch tablet in possession within a few days and will subsequently post first-impression and full reviews. If you can’t wait for that, and shouldn’t, larger tech news sites already have their takes online. Search for the name, and you will find them. Don’t wait on me, if you’re thinking about one for Christmas!

Gear by Joe WilcoxDec 4, 20152:17 pm

Am I Colorblind, or is This Tablet White?

I snagged a Nexus 9 over the Black Friday weekend for my wife in white to complement my sand model (so we can tell them apart). Look at the photo; if that’s white, there is […]

Mobility by Joe WilcoxNov 30, 201511:30 am

OK, Google, Where Is Pixel C?

Black Friday is behind us, Cyber Monday is here, and Christmas shipping new purchases cuts off in about three weeks. Which makes me wonder: Where is Google’s new tablet? When announced at the end of September, Google product director Andrew Bowers said that the “Pixel C will be available in time for the holidays on the Google Store”. Eh, yeah—by whose measure is “in time”. The information giant typically sells out of new gear, which leaves little time to manage inventory. “Out of stock” notices will disappoint many shoppers, who may buy something else.

I watched for this baby to drop before Thanksgiving, particularly with Apple iPad Pro already available—three weeks now. Granted, the devices target different markets, if for no other reason than size (12.9 and 10.2 inches, respectively). But each is innovative and stylish and would make great presents for someone. I’m ready to buy, Google. As surely are many Android fanboys.I reached out to the PR staff there today and was told to “stay tuned”, which could be interpreted as soon. We shall see, eh?

Apple by Joe WilcoxNov 11, 201511:26 pm

You’re Looking at What Isn’t

iPad Pro sales started today, and the tablet is available to buy at my local Apple Store but not to see or handle. There are no display models. That was the situation around 5 p.m. What amazed me: How many people bought sight-unseen. In the five minutes I looked around for the 12.9-inch tab, Apple staff sold three (if not more). Do these people understand just how big this thing is?

Stranger still, the two accessories that deliver differentiating benefits—so-called Pencil and Smart Keyboard—won’t ship for three or four weeks. The overly-large tablet isn’t good for artists or as a laptop replacement without either input device. All this while Apple marketing touts their major benefits.

Mobility by Joe WilcoxNov 3, 20159:02 am

Get Nexus 9 Cheap, While You Can

HTC is just killing me. Last week, I bought a new Nexus 9 tablet from Amazon, thinking: “What a deal!” But every Tuesday, the device manufacturer boasts big 24-hour sale. “What a steal” is my […]

Mobility by Joe WilcoxNov 1, 20155:59 am

Nexus 9 Revised Review

My May, lukewarm assessment begins: “t want to love Google-branded, HTC-manufactured Nexus 9. But ours is a contentious relationship”. I didn’t see value for the cost, particularly comparing performance to other tabs similarly priced. On Oct. 29, 2015, Amazon delivered a new N9, and the user experience dramatically differs from the previous device—so much I must revise my review.

Days earlier, I parted with iPad Air 2 LTE. The family hopes to change cellular carriers, and there was opportunity to amicably relinquish my payment responsibility to Verizon. I would love to replace the Apple with Google Pixel C, but the tab’s forthcoming release date is uncertain. I reconsidered Nexus 9 and found the 32GB white model available from Amazon for $130 less than list price. I ordered, knowing that the device could be returned for refund if Pixel C imminently released or if N9 dissatisfied again. Lower price made buying and trying again an easy decision.

Mobility by Joe WilcoxOct 7, 201510:17 pm

Surface Tension at Microsoft Store

This evening, after watching “The Martin”, which is superb, I walked over to my local Microsoft Store. Surprise. Surprise. The day following the big Surface reveal, the new tablet and laptop are on display. Preorders are underway now, and the new gear goes on sale October 26, 2015 (hehe, my twin sisters’ birthday).

Got to say that more as a matter of preference and budget, my first impression favors Surface Pro 4. Top-end SKU available this month sells for $1,499, with 6th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB hard drive, and Intel HD graphics 520. The fanless m3 chip model, with paltry 4GB memory, marks the low-end at $899. Custom-configured i7 Surface Pro 4 will be available from November 20 and cost as much as $2,699.