Got the message

In: Personal / 14 comments

20 May 2010

Thank you, Razvan Vasile, for drawing my attention very subtly that I set out to do something and I slacked on the way. So I came back with a set of topics I have wanted to tackle for a few days now. And, not to lose any more time, let’s get to it and talk today about gadgets – more specifically, about iPad.

I travelled to the States last month and the ash cloud happened while I was there… I was supposed to return on Friday, but I could only leave the following Thursday. After an already long 3 weeks away from home, the fourth (forced) week was way too much. I went to some meetings, I could work “remote” of course, but I felt the frustration big time. And what does a frustrated man do? He buys himself a gadget 😉 (you know the joke about the difference between a man and a boy – of course, the price of the toy). So I got an iPad.

Where I started from: I don’t like Apple because of their enclosure in their own technology and their own products. But I appreciate the business model and everything the guys have done lately, ever since SteveJ got back. And, in order to be able to say I don’t like it, I have always tested one of their products or another. I started many years ago (as soon as it appeared) with iPod. The first one – the one without a screen, with a 40GB HDD. Very nice, but I couldn’t find a use for it so it gathered dust in a corner. At the time, I was also annoyed by the strange plugs and especially by the fact that I couldn’t copy things on it like I did with a regular memory stick, but only through iTunes. I abandoned the whole thing. I got an iPhone when it first appeared, but 2G killed me. And the fact that there were no apps at that time. All in all, I didn’t get used to it and went back to Nokia E-stuff. Now I said to myself – let’s try the iPad, especially since I had heard comments about it and I knew what I had done wrong until now.

So I bought it: first of all, I got it directly from an Apple store. I entered the store and I was approached by a young man who asked me if he could be of any help; I asked him about the gadget to find out additional things about it (though I was decided to buy it) and I asked him for one. So there were 20 guys in there, standing and talking to potential customers, there was no sales desk. I was really wondering how the whole thing worked. My guy pulls the box from a shelf, takes out an iPhone from his pocket (sic!), scans the bar code on the box with it, takes my card, slides it through a slot in the iPhone (it had an add-on on the back), shows me the name on the screen, invites me to sign with my finger on the iPhone, asks for my email address or iTunes user name (sic! again – if I had an iTunes account, I could pay directly from it…!!!) and that’s it. I received that very moment on my email the receipt/the warranty etc. Amazing.

Then I started using it. In short, it’s the first Apple gadget that got me. The fact that people kept the same plugs they had 10 years ago (well thought out ever since then…), the integrated way in which the iTunes/Apps business is conceived – anyway, I won’t continue since many people told this story before me. Everyone’s question is “OK, it’s nice, but what do you use it for?”. Well, I use it now for a couple of things:

  • I have to read and write brief replies to emails at night. I get up, I turn on the laptop, I type in the password, 2 minutes pass, I really wake up, this rust bucket syncs for another 2 minutes, the screen’s light kills my eyes etc… Alternatively, I press a button on the iPad and I see what the deal is, then I go back to sleep.
  • I browse from the comfort of my bed, and during my morning meal, which I eat alone, without my family, for reasons that have to do with synchronizing schedules. Amazingly pleasant!!!
  • I watch movies and I read on the plane – it has a 10-12 hours battery life, depending on what you do with it… things are not so well situated in the books department, but there is an App for Kindle.
  • It’s pleasant to work with – fast (because it doesn’t do so many J), stable, refined.
  • Nice to have: What you need is a US IP to be able to have access to all the content that makes the difference.

All in all, I decided that when iPhone4 appears, I’ll give it a chance. I could just see myself then buying an AppleTV and a MAC… Let’s see if I can convince our IT guys to let me use a MacBook (or what’s their laptop called) in the network 🙂 🙂 🙂

And I promise I am going back to writing, as I was saying, I already have 7-8 topics prepared – I understood the message. Thanks a lot, Razvan, for your implicit appreciation in it.

(English version by Teodora Popescu)

Original Romanian version

Got the message

Multumesc lui Razvan Vasile, care mi-a atras atentia extrem de finut ca mi-am propus o treaba si nu m-am tinut de ea. Revin cu un set de subiecte pe care mi le tot propun de ceva zile. Si ca sa nu o aburim degeaba, hai sa vorbim azi de gadgeturi – anume despre iPad.

Am fost in State luna trecuta si m-a prins norul de cenusa acolo… trebuia sa vin vineri acasa, am putut pleca numai joia urmatoare. Dupa un deja prea lung 3 saptamani departe de casa, a patra (fortata) a fost mult prea mult. Mi-am mai facut eu niste meetinguri, am putut lucra fara indoiala „remote”, dar frustrarea pe mine cat casa poporului. Si ce face omul cand se frustreaza? Isi ia un gadget 😉 (stiti bancul cu diferenta dintre „a man and a boy” – of course, the price of the toy). Asa ca mi-am luat un iPad.

De unde am plecat: mie nu imi place Apple datorita inchiderii in tehnologia si produsele proprii. Dar apreciez modelul de business si tot ce au facut tinerii in ultima vreme, de cand s-a intors SteveJ inapoi. Si, ca sa pot spune ca nu imi place, am testat mereu cate ceva de la ei. Am inceput acum multi ani (imediat cand a aparut) iPod. Primul – ala fara ecran, cu HDD de 40Gb. Foarte simpatic, dar nu i-am gasit o utilitate si s-a pus praful pe el. M-am enervat si cu mufele ciudate la vremea respectiva, si mai ales cu faptul ca nu puteam copia pe el ca pe stick, ci doar prin iTunes. Abandon. Am luat iPhone cand a aparut, dar m-a mancat 2Gul. Si faptul ca nu erau aplicatii la momentul acela. Una peste alta nici cu el nu m-am impacat si m-am intors la Nokia E-stuff. Acum zic – hai sa incercam iPad, mai ales ca auzisem comentarii despre ansamblu si stiam ce am gresit pana acum.

Deci l-am luat: mai intai ca l-am luat direct din magazin Apple. Am intrat pe usa, m-a abordat un tanar, ma intreaba cu ce ma ajuta, ii fac intrebari legate de subiect ca sa mai aflu cate ceva (desi eram ferm hotarat sa cumpar) si ii cer unul. Erau care va sa zica vreo 20 de tineri in picioare vorbind cu potentiali cumparatori, niciun ghiseu de vanzari. Chiar ma intrebam cum merge procesul. Omul meu scoate cutiuta de pe un raft, scoate din buzunar un iPhone (sic!), scaneaza cu el codul de bara al cutiei, imi ia cardul si il trece printr-o fanta in iPhone (avea un add-on pe spate), imi arata pe ecran numele, ma pune sa semnez cu degetul pe iPhone, imi cere adresa de mail sau iTunes (sic! din nou – daca aveam cont de iTunes puteam plati direct din el…..!!!!) si gata. Pe mail am in secunda urmatoare chitanta/garantia/etc. Spectaculos.

Apoi l-am luat la folosit. Pe scurt, este prima scula de la Apple care m-a facut. Faptul ca oamenii au pastrat aceleasi mufe de acum 10 ani (gandite OK de atunci…), modul integrat in care este gandit businessul iTunes/Apps – ma rog, nu continui, ca au povestit multi inaintea mea. Intrebarea tuturor este „OK, e simpatic, da’ la ce il folosesti??”. Pai eu il folsesc acum la cateva chestii:

  • Am de citit si raspuns pe scurt la mailuri noaptea. Ma scol, deschid laptop, bag parola, trec 2 minute, ma trezesc, sincronizeaza rabla asta inca 2 minute, lumina ecranului imi ia ochii, etc… Alternativ apas un buton pe iPad si vad care-i treaba, ma culc la loc.
  • Browsez (daca-mi permiteti cuvantul) in pat. Si la masa de dimineata, pe care o execut singur, fara familie, din considerente de sincronizare. Senzational de agreabil!!!
  • Ma uit la filme si citesc in avion – are baterie 10-12 ore, depinde ce faci… la carti ei stau subtire, dar exista App de Kindle.
  • Este placut de lucrat cu el – rapid (tocmai pentru ca nu face prea multe ), stabil, rafinat.
  • Nice to have: Ce iti trebuie este un IP de US, ca sa poti avea acces la tot continutul care face diferenta.

Una peste alta m-am hotarat ca atunci cand apare iPhone4, sa-i mai dau o sansa. Parca ma vad apoi ca-mi iau si AppleTV, si un MAC….. Sa vad daca-i conving pe tinerii de la noi de la IT sa ma lase cu un MacBook (sau cum se cheama laptopul lor) in retea 🙂 🙂 🙂

Si promit ca reiau scrisul, cum ziceam am deja 7-8 subiecte pregatite – mi-am luat bataia de obraz. Multumesc mult Razvan pentru aprecierea implicita din mesaj.

Comments

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Tiberiu Craciun

May 20th, 2010 at 11:32 am

Cu toate ca sunt un fan inrait Apple ( am cam toata suita de produse de la ei ) la lansarea iPad-ului nu ii vedeam rostul. Dupa putin timp am reusit sa ii gasesc totusi o utilizare, si anume pentru parinti, are cam tot ce le trebuie lor si poti sta linistit ca nu te vor suna sa le reconfigurezi ceva sai cine stie ce alte probleme. Intre timp am primit unul cadou si de atunci mi-am schimbat opinia. Are cam tot ce imi trebuie cand sunt acasa ( Email, calendar, browser, tweetdeck ) si sincer am inceput sa nu mai simt nevoia de laptop acasa, iar in combinatie cu mobile me face minuni. Iti recomand sa incerci combinatia iPhone, iPad , mobileMe .. chiar daca nu adaugi si un MAC

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RobertP

May 20th, 2010 at 11:49 am

Asa este, browsarea din varful patului este superba pe iPad.
Nu este nevoie de IP de state neaparat. Este suficient sa accesezi AppStore-ul din iTunes pe orice calculator si apoi sa sincronizezi. Accepta card-uri pentru plata din Romania. Desigur, este mai elegant sa cumperi aplicatii direct cu iPad-ul, dar pana se deschide pe Romania, functioneaza bine si asa.

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RobertP

May 20th, 2010 at 11:55 am

UPDATE: se poate accesa AppStore-ul din Romania incepand de aseara 🙂

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Adrian Balcan

May 20th, 2010 at 2:29 pm

Si eu asteptam de ceva vreme un post nou. Cat despre Apple si iPad si eu am o parere asemanatoare desi nu sunt consumator. Au inceput sa imi placa din cauza simplitatii si a numarului mare de aplicatii.

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Jan

May 20th, 2010 at 3:43 pm

Eu am trecut pe Mac cu intentia initiala de a rula Windows pe el.. si am ramas pe Mac 🙂

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Stefan

May 20th, 2010 at 7:02 pm

Pentru carti, aplicatia Stanza obligatorie, cateva zeci de mii de carti la varful degetului 🙂

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Tiberiu Craciun

May 20th, 2010 at 9:01 pm

Ce va mai recomand pentru calatorii cand vine vorba de poze, se pot descarca direct din aparat pe iPad ( cu http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A ) si apoi editate cu Photogene ( aveti un demo aici  http://bit.ly/clVTfW ) si bineinteles dat share 

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Dana Nicolescu

May 25th, 2010 at 4:38 pm

App Store de US poti accesa cu orice IP, dar contul de iTunes trebuie sa fie inregistrat cu card de US. Eu asa am functionat pana acum 1 an sau mai mult (?) pana sa existe App Store pentru Romania (“doar de aseara”… ?) .

Si pentru ca you “got the message” (“insfarsit!” am zis, dupa atatea articole doar in jurul produselor Apple, nu si despre ce simte cu adevarat un user de), simt nevoia sa spun ca mai valoroasa decat toate gadgeturile Apple la un loc este “the line between the dots”, fie MobileMe, fie iTunes, fie un upgrade de OS sau o migrare de User de pe un Mac pe altul (just like that, cu setari cu tot).

Un speech memorabil, din care fiecare intelege ce vrea sau ce-i trebuie, valabil pentru toata lumea, nu doar pentru “indoctrinati” :), aici:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA&playnext_from=TL&videos=Eluggk-tl2k

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